No. 3 Kentucky men’s soccer defeats New Mexico 6-1

Junior+JJ+Williams+%287%29+and+Sophomore+Kalil+Elmedkhar+%2821%29+during+the+game.+No.+5+University+of+Kentucky+mens+soccer+team+defeated+Marshall+University+1-0+in+double+overtime+on+Saturday%2C+October+13th%2C+2018+in+Lexington%2C+Kentucky

Junior JJ Williams (7) and Sophomore Kalil Elmedkhar (21) during the game. No. 5 University of Kentucky men’s soccer team defeated Marshall University 1-0 in double overtime on Saturday, October 13th, 2018 in Lexington, Kentucky

Mohammad Ahmad

Sunshine, soccer and success: that’s what UK men’s soccer fans witnessed at The Bell Sunday afternoon. The No. 3 ranked Cats blew out the University of New Mexico Lobos, 6-1, thanks to UK’s highest scoring total this season.

Kalil Elmedkhar and Jason Reyes each had a pair of goals in the game. J.J. Williams added to that with a pair of assists coupled by a goal. UK now leads the all-time series against the Lobos 5-1-1 and 3-0-1 in Lexington. This win marks UK’s third win in a row.

Elmedkhar got the ball rolling for UK in the sixth minute. He dribbled the ball into box and finished it off with a goal. A minute and a half later, his freshman counterpart Reyes joined in on the fun. Williams crossed the ball over to Reyes, who tapped it in for an unattended goal.

Elmedkhar soon decided that his goal earlier wasn’t enough. Four minutes after Elmedkhar scored, Nicolai Fremstad swung the ball over to Elmedkhar. Elmedkhar slipped through a defender or two and finished the ball off in the box for his seventh goal this season. 

The scoring frenzy did not end there. Defender Cole Guindon played the ball to Williams in the 16th minute following a takeaway. Williams finished the ball for his 12th goal this season. Williams moves into a two-way tie with Florida International University’s Santiago Patino for most goals scored among C-USA scorers.

While the rest of the first half was stagnant, UK picked its offense back up in the 67th minute. Williams got the ball and crossed it over to Reyes in the box. Reyes centered himself and scored his second goal of the game and fifth this season. He continues to lead UK freshmen in scoring.

Late-game substitute Clay Holstad capped off the Cats’ scoring production in the 83rd minute. Bailey Rouse and Robert Screen crossed the ball over the box to Holstad. Holstad finished the ball off for his first-ever goal as a Wildcat.

All in all, the Cats’ offense produced 13 shots – 11 of those being shots on goal. 11 shots on goal is the Cats’ second-highest in-game total this season. The offense forced Lobos’ goalkeeper Ford Parker to garner five saves.

Although the Cats conceded their first goal at home this year, UK’s back four defenders limited the Lobos to just two shots on goal.

With three games left and the C-USA tournament approaching in over two weeks, UK head coach Johan Cedergren said that his team “should be respected.”

“We’ve done a really good job of setting standards and making sure the guys meet those standards,” Cedergren said. “It’s not often that you get a 6-1 scoreline.”

New Mexico drops to 4-10-0 (2-4 C-USA). Meanwhile, the Cats improve to 12-1-1 (5-1 C-USA). UK moves back into a two-way tie with FIU for first place in the C-USA standings

UK will look to continue its win streak against the University of Evansville Purple Aces this Wednesday, October 24th at 7 p.m. at The Bell.