No. 21 Kentucky men’s soccer (7-2-3, 4-1-0 Sun Belt) earned a 2-1 victory over South Carolina (7-5-2, 1-2-2 Sun Belt) at home. With the win, the Wildcats sit in a three-way tie for first place in the Sun Belt Conference.

The match started off fast and aggressive, with Kentucky maintaining more possession and control. Less than five minutes in, fouls were already being called, and yellow cards were issued to both Kentucky and South Carolina throughout the game.

The Wildcats looked sharper on both offense and defense since their 2-1 loss to Indiana last week, generating countless corner kicks, crosses and shots on target.

In the first half, Kentucky totaled nine corner kicks and several shots on goal, but none found the back of the net. The teams entered halftime scoreless.

The second half began with South Carolina taking control. Gamecock Ethan Ballek converted a penalty kick in the 61st minute to put South Carolina ahead 1-0.

Just six minutes later, Kentucky answered with a penalty kick of its own. Sophomore midfielder Augustin Lopez buried the shot to tie the match 1-1, marking his third goal of the season.

Lopez, a native of Santa Fe, Argentina, has been a key contributor since joining the Wildcats. He was named to the All–Sun Belt Conference Second Team and ranked No. 35 in TopDrawerSoccer’s Midseason Freshman Top 100 during his first season in 2024.

With nine minutes remaining, Kentucky’s Bains Smith scored the game-winner off an assist from Lopez to lift the Wildcats to a 2-1 victory.

Kentucky will travel to face No. 24 Georgia Southern on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at 7 p.m. EST. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.