Kentucky men’s soccer defeated No. 1 Marshall 2-0 at Hoops Family Field on Friday, earning its first conference victory of the season.
The win came at a dire time for UK, which had tied four consecutive matches prior to Marshall.
The win also moves Kentucky three points closer to a spot in the conference tournament.
Kentucky handed Marshall its first shutout loss since the NCAA Tournament last year and its first shutout loss at home since the first round of the conference tournament a year ago.
The loss also marked the second in less than a week for Marshall after it also fell to West Virginia.
After the game Kentucky Head Coach Johan Cedergren spoke on what he had learned about his opponent from its loss to the Mountaineers.
“(I) Definitely (took some things from the loss),” he said. “If you have a committed team and really good tactical understanding, you can limit them (the Herd).”
Fifth-year Mason Visconti scored both goals of the game in the first half, one on a penalty kick and another off a strong pass from Aboubacar Camara.
Six yellow cards were shown during the match, a testament to the physicality of both teams during what was, for the most part, a hard-fought defensive battle.
Casper Mols, the Kentucky goalkeeper, saved multiple tough challenges on goal to claim his fourth shutout of the year.
“Tonight’s win showed how capable we are,” Cedergren said. “This is a very capable team but for whatever reason we haven’t been able to put it together. Tonight we did.”
With the win the Wildcats will return home for a match against West Virginia on Friday, Oct. 27. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at The Bell.
