No. 17 Kentucky men’s soccer (3-0-1) defeated Detroit Mercy (3-2-1) 4-0 thanks to graduate student Alejandro Ruiz’s hat-trick and assist on the night.
The Cats asserted themselves early on in the match, opening up the scoring just six minutes into the match with a one-two sequence between goalscorer Bertil Alban and Ruiz.
The goal from Alban was his career first at Kentucky, where with the 2024 squad, the sophomore recorded four assists in 17 games.
Although the Cats seemingly felt the immediate pressure from Detroit Mercy following their first goal, where the Titans quickly earned two corner kicks with a chance on goal, Kentucky solidified its lead with Ruiz’s first goal of the night from a cut-back pass on the goalline from Gustav Renman.
The second half of the match was a display of Kentucky’s domination in attempts on goal, with 12 total attempts in the first 88 minutes, 10 of which were on target, however nothing seemed to fall for the Cats until a free kick in the 89th minute.
A set piece from outside of the box was placed into the top-right corner of the net from Ruiz, quickly followed less than two minutes later by a deflection into the goal from a shot on target.
Kentucky finished the match outshooting Detroit Mercy 19-5, with a comparative 14-1 shots on goal.
Of Kentucky’s shots on goal, Ruiz had six total attempts, with five on goal and three in the back of the net for a hat-trick, which was his first at Kentucky and second of his career.
Ruiz leads the Cats currently for goals scored, with five goals on the season. The matchup was the graduate student’s second multi-goal performance in only four games.
The midfielder, who is a transfer from Northwestern, was an instant starter for Kentucky, and has put in some of the most minutes for the Wildcats through four games.
With a four-goal margin to complete the game, Kentucky has the potential to shape up well for the 2025 season – something that fans have been hoping for since its historic 2022 season.
Kentucky will remain at the Bell for its next game on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m. EST versus Bowling Green.
