88th minute goal puts ETSU on wrong side of classic match 

LEXINGTON, Ky. (August 28, 2023) – As cloudless twilight gave way to night, ETSU and Kentucky refused to do the same in a physical, tactical battle that resembled a November tournament game more than an August non-conference matchup. It was a match that seemed destined to come down to the final seconds, and it delivered everything except a Buccaneers' result. 

The ETSU men's soccer team fell 1-0 to #3 Kentucky on Monday night at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington. Ben Damge scored in the 88th minute on a shot that banked in off the left post to lift the Wildcats to the win. 

The Buccaneers (1-1-0) were the aggressor throughout the first half, starting when Sebastian Reventlow-Mourier (Viborg, Denmark) got a shot over goalkeeper Casper Mols but was spoiled by the crossbar, and Kentucky (2-0-0) escaped a 10th-minute deficit.   

In the 43rd minute, Tarik Pannholzer (Flensburg, Germany) nearly created an own goal with a challenging cross deflected onto Mols by Marqes Muir, but the All-American 'keeper was alert to the danger. Kentucky pressured goalkeeper Marc Kouadio (Montreal, Canada) in the final minutes with multiple deep crosses, corners, and free kicks, but he foiled all comers in the final three minutes before the break and held the flustered Wildcats without a shot in the first half. 

Kentucky got its first serious chance 59 minutes in. Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Casper Grening let fly with his right foot and forced Kouadio into an athletic save diving to his right through a screen of multiple UK forwards. The Wildcats came alive in the attack following Grening's effort, but the Bucs remained steadfast. 

ETSU had one more chance on the break in the 80th minute. Pannholzer found Kieran Richards (Hamilton, New Zealand) alone just off the penalty spot one-on-one with Mols. Richards got the better of the goalkeeper, but Kentucky defender Matt Miller lunged at the ball and blasted it off his own goal line to keep the game level. 

In the 88th minute, with the finish line in sight, the Wildcats found their moment. Alfred Baafi found space to the right of the box and threaded a pass just out of the reach of multiple diving Buccaneers into the feet of Damge, and Damge beat a diving Kouadio and got the exact bounce he needed off the left post to score his first goal of the year. 

ETSU outshot Kentucky 11-3, though the Wildcats mustered two shots on goal and ETSU just one. Both teams incurred two yellow cards, with Richards going into the book in the 24th minute and Henrik Guenther (Guetersloh, Germany) cautioned in the 89th minute. Individually, Richards led the Bucs with four shots, and Pannholzer and Louie Salkeld (Newcastle, England) had two each. 

The Bucs must regroup quickly with North Carolina on deck. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday at Summers-Taylor Stadium. Admission is free. 

For more information on ETSU men's soccer, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the men's soccer tab.