Senior night sees UK defeat Old Dominion 2-0, finish regular season undefeated at home

Mens+Soccer+vs+Old+Dominion+on+Friday%2C+Oct.+28%2C+2022%2C+at+the+Bell+Soccer+Complex+in+Lexington%2C+Kentucky.+Photo+by+Travis+Fannon+%7C+Staff

Travis Fannon

Mens Soccer vs Old Dominion on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, at the Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Kentucky. Photo by Travis Fannon | Staff

Dotun Sola-Adeyemi, Reporter

Kentucky mens soccer (10-0-5) won its final home game of the regular season 2-0 against Old Dominion after goals from Casper Grening and top goal scorer Eythor Bjorgolfsson.

The Wildcats dominated both in possession and in the chances created as they were able to limit their opponents to just a single shot, leaving goalkeeper Casper Mols without a save to make.

Head coach Johan Cedergren praised his team’s overall compactness and ability to win second chance balls in the middle of the playing area and had positive words for left-back Max Miller, who he described as “one of the best freshmen in the country.”

Kentucky was able to exploit wide areas of the pitch over the course of the ninety minutes with high passes aimed for runners down the right in the forms of Robert Screen and Nick Gutmann. 

The pair repeatedly caused difficulty for Old Dominion with multiple runs and both players picking up an assist on the night.

The opening goal came fourteen minutes into the match as a measured cross from Screen fell to the feet of Grening who dispatched the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

UK was already firmly in control leading up to the opening goal and only saw its confidence grow after going ahead.

The second goal came just nine minutes into the second half after Gutmann saw himself gain possession and float a cross into the box to the head of Bjorgolfsson, who sent it home with ease and found himself on the scoresheet for the second consecutive match.

“It will be something we would be proud of if we were able to do it, but I think the reason we are where we are is because we’ve focused every week on getting better,” Cedergren said regarding the prospect of finishing the regular season undefeated. “(We’ve been) playing as a team and not getting carried away.”

Kentucky closes out its regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 1, traveling down to Columbia to battle South Carolina. Kick off between the Gamecocks and Wildcats is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.