After two impressive performances against Indiana and Northern Illinois University, Notre Dame suffered a difficult 1-0 loss against Kentucky.
The Fighting Irish men’s soccer team traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, for their first road game of the season last Friday to face off against the #16 Wildcats. Notre Dame’s squad was coming off a dominant 2-0 victory at home against the Northern Illinois University Huskies. Their first two performances of the season had showcased the Irish defensive unit’s cohesiveness and the scoring potential of the Notre Dame offense.
Notre Dame’s offense missed senior star Jack Lynn in Lexington. The Irish attack struggled to create scoring opportunities in their Friday matchup, shuffling their forwards in and out throughout the game.
Neither team could find the back of the net in the first half, leading to a 0-0 score at halftime. Notre Dame sophomore goalkeeper Bryan Dowd made an athletic save against the Wildcats to keep the game tied after a Kentucky breakaway led to one of the best scoring opportunities of the game.
Kentucky broke the scoring drought in the 70th minute after a chaotic sequence in the Irish box saw the ball encroach over the goal line. The Notre Dame picked up the pace in the last 20 minutes of the game but failed to equalize while down 1-0.
The Irish were unable to deliver any shots on goal during their 90 minutes on the pitch, highlighting the loss of Lynn and an impressive defensive performance from the Wildcats.
While the Notre Dame attack was able to move the ball around the box and create shots, they were unable to find the net and finish. Irish head coach Chad Riley will likely continue to work on this aspect of the Notre Dame squad’s play and look to pick up steam toward the core of their season.
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