Men’s soccer falls in a shut-out to No. 18 Kentucky

The Coastal Carolina men’s soccer teams fell short 2-0 against the No. 18, University of Kentucky, Sept. 28.  

The match was neck and neck outside of a 2-minute period dominated by Kentucky. Scoring a goal at both minute 30 and 32.  

The Chanticleer defense was on point besides a few missteps that allowed Kentucky to score.  

CCU started the game fast, taking four shots before the 13th minute and maintaining possession to build an offensive momentum. 

“I don’t think we deserve the loss. I think especially in the first half, we had a lot of chances, we should have scored our moments and we didn’t, and then we got punished for it,” said midfielder Loed Klaasen.  

Kentucky took control after a CCU foul led to a penalty kick. The Wildcats took advantage of the opportunity, scoring the first goal.  

Two minutes later, Kentucky continued their reign, scoring another goal. The score was 2-0 with about 13 minutes left of play in the first half.   

Kentucky would stay in control, taking three more shots before the end of the first half. 

CCU would match the pace of the first half, taking two shots in the first five minutes of the second half.  

Despite the Chants’ efforts, neither shot resulted in a goal marking their last shot attempts in the match.   

Still, the Chants’ defense stayed sharp and played aggressively. 

Both teams found themselves lacking the consistency and discipline to avoid fouls, with the Wildcats amounting to 16 fouls and the Chants 13.  

Coastal received three yellow cards in the second half, however the defense didn’t allow Kentucky to capitalize on the mistakes.  

CCU Interim Head Coach Chris Fidler addressed the camaraderie that the players bring to the field, noting their resilience.  

“The good thing is, we’re creating chances. The bad thing is we’re not taking care of those chances. So, I’d be nervous if we weren’t creating chances, but we are, so we’re going to take care of business across the source,” Fidler said.  

The CCU men’s soccer team is now 1-5 on the season.  

They have only been outscored by 3 goals in the last two games. Both against nationally ranked teams, with their prior loss to No. 6 Marshall. 

“I think on another day, if we just scored our chances, and we’re more resilient, it could be a different score. So, I just need to think and keep our heads up, focused on the next game.” Klaasen said.