As the UK men’s soccer team continued their road trip, they hoped to move on from their rough loss on Wednesday against the Indiana Hoosiers. Unfortunately for the Cats, things did not go their way again as they lost to the Marshall University Thundering Herd 1-0 for their second straight loss.

The No. 21/22 Wildcats came into the match with a 19-7-3 all-time record against the Thundering Herd. They have also won their last seven matches played in Huntington. This loss marks UK’s second conference loss this season.

When the match began, the Cats’ offense played sloppily. In the 5th minute, Noah Hutchins crossed a pass from the left over to Connor Probert, but Probert’s header went over the crossbar. Four minutes later, the offense clumsily gave the ball away in their own half but were able to stop Marshall from making anything happen.

Offensively, UK did not put up much of a fight for the rest of the half. They finished with two shots and only one of them was on goal. The team had six corner kicks but was unable to convert those opportunities into something good.

On the other hand, the Wildcats defense paid its dues, partly thanks to Enrique Facusse’s efforts. He only had one save in the half, but this was key as it kept the Thundering Herd from taking the lead in the 27th and potentially shifting the momentum in their favor.

Entering the second half, the UK offense seemed to come to life. In the 54th minute, Hutchins sprinted his way toward the goal with a shot after a long spell of attack, yet Marshall came up with the save. Six minutes later, Aime Mabika won a free kick on the edge of the box that ended up being blocked.

Facusse came through with his efforts once more in the 72nd minute as he barely tipped a Marshall shot. A minute later, however, the Thundering Herd would take the lead.

As Marshall defender Jamil Roberts kicked a corner, forward Lewis Knight was there to head it into the goal to give the team a 1-0 lead. The Wildcats responded by forcing Marshall to come up with two quick saves in the 76th minute. At that point, the game seemed to be out of reach for Kentucky.

UK’s last effort was a scramble on the mouth of the Marshall goal in the final minute. Nonetheless, the Thundering Herd were able to keep the ball from going in after several attempts.

With a week to rest and practice, the UK men’s soccer team will look to head home and move beyond their last two losses. The team welcomes the Lipscomb University Bisons at The Bell next Saturday, Oct. 21, with the time yet to be announced.