By Tyler Spanyer

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On a beautiful day at the UK Soccer Complex, No. 4 Charlotte outlasted UK to win the UK Invitational Tournament with a 1-0 victory Sunday afternoon.

The 49ers got the only goal of the match from sophomore forward Giuseppe Gentile on a bad defensive play by the Cats.

“Giving up a goal on a mistake hurts,” UK head coach Johan Cedergren said. “It’s just a silly ball in and we don’t make the right decision.”

UK had a huge advantage in corner kicks and shots on goal but could not capitalize.

The 49ers, on the other hand, had one shot on goal, and it turned out to be the game winner.

The Cats hung around all afternoon but were plagued by a series of turnovers and offside calls. Charlotte’s defense was well organized and disrupted the Cats’ offensive flow, causing them to resort to playing a lot of sloppy balls over the top of the defense.

True freshman Kristoffer Tollefsen had the only real opportunities for the Cats in the first half, both of which came on set pieces. Tollefsen almost got one shot to drop before it ducked outside the post, and on another attempt he forced Charlotte’s junior goalkeeper Klay Davis to make the save.

In the second half, the Cats kept pounding away at the goal, almost getting a goal from junior forward Tyler Riggs multiple times. On one occasion, a cross came in from freshman Bryan Celis that was placed perfectly into the box but just got by Riggs and other UK players.

“It’s a game that we can take a lot of lessons from,” Cedergren said. “Hopefully we can learn, and go in and have a good game on Friday.”

UK won their home opener on Friday, 2-0 over St. Josephs at the UK Soccer Complex. Celis and senior Charley Pettys notched the goals for the Cats. It was the first win in Cedergren’s coaching tenure in Lexington.

The Cats take the pitch again Friday against Louisville. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Louisville.