Kentucky men’s soccer (10-4-5, 7-1-1 SBC) has been eliminated from the NCAA tournament in the first round at the hands of the Saint Louis Billikens (11-2-7, 5-0-3 A-10) by a score of 2-1.
After falling short in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the Wildcats snuck into the NCAA tournament thanks to an at-large bid given to them by the committee.
What caused the ‘Cats collapse in the conference tournament games was their offense, or more specifically their lack of it. They managed to go both games without scoring a single goal in regular time, notching a win against Coastal Carolina in the first round from penalty kicks.
After securing a tournament spot, they looked to the struggling offense and hoped things would change.
Right when the match started, it seemed as though these troubles were miles away, as Agustin Lopez found the back of the net just four minutes in.
Then, over the next 99 minutes of a double overtime matchup, the offensive flame was completely extinguished.
Following the early goal, Kentucky sustained some pressure. The Wildcats took four shots in the first half, and although St. Louis topped that amount with five, Kentucky still managed to hold its 1-0 lead heading into the break.
As they have all season, the ‘Cats defense stood strong throughout the second half. The reinforcements were much needed, as the offense failed to get even a single shot off over the entire half. This stat stood out, and for bad reason, as the last time Kentucky failed to notch even a single shot in a half was Aug. 28, 2023, against East Tennessee State.
It’s been over two years since you could find a time where the offense was equally as unproductive as it was in the NCAA tournament.
Still, amazingly, Kentucky was maintaining its small lead, and it was looking like it may come out of the game alive. Then, with just seven minutes remaining in the game, the Wildcats were forced to play a man down.
Kevin Larsson received a red card for unsporting behavior, which immediately put the game into question. Right on queue, just three minutes after the card, the Billikens capitalized on the advantage with a goal in the 86th minute.
Overtime wouldn’t change the trajectory of the ‘Cats offense either, as once again they failed to take even a single shot in both halves of extra time.
Jack DiMaria then ended Kentucky’s season with a goal in the second overtime. It marked just his second goal of the season, his first of the season coming just 18 minutes prior.
Although poor tournament performances shouldn’t define the Wildcats’ overall great season, it may be hard to look past some costly mistakes made towards the end.
Kentucky’s next game will have to wait until the beginning of next season, where it’ll look to have a productive offseason in order to keep their status as conference contenders.
