In one of the historic accomplishments of college soccer history, by beating No. 1 West Virginia, unranked Kentucky makes it two games in a row where it has defeated the number one team in the country. First, it was an away 2-0 upset of Marshall last week, and tonight, the Wildcats returned home to take down the Mountaineers thanks to a 32nd-minute strike from Freshman Alfred Baafi, assisted by Sophomore Max Miller.

WAY TO GET IT DONE, BAAFI!!!!!!!!!!#WeAreUK | #GBED pic.twitter.com/hJ5AciNxZE

— Kentucky Men’s Soccer (@UKMensSoccer) October 27, 2023

In a well-motivated senior night showing, Kentucky got perfect performances from every position it needed. Casper Mols made eight saves in goal, and the back three of Marques Muir, Joel Gonzalez, and Josh Gordon stood tall, allowing Mason Visconti and Miller to bomb forward at wing-back. Andrew Erickson and Brennan Creek put forth an incredible box-to-box effort from midfield, while Baafi scored an exceptional goal, and Ben Damge remained dangerous throughout.

One particularly eye-catching performance was freshman Isaiah Chilsom, whose imposing 6’3”, 205-pound size allowed the Virginia native to hold up play and frustrate an experienced West Virginia backline all night by winning foul after foul and relieving pressure when needed. It also helped that the Wildcats showed no fear as they continued counter-pressing West Virginia, giving the Mountaineers no time to pick out passes or build long spells of possession. It was an impressive showing, considering most teams would have parked the bus after taking a first-half lead.

For West Virginia, they suffer a taste of their own medicine, as just a week after handing No. 1 Marshall its first loss of the season, they suffer the same fate on a night where nothing seemed to click. But this may be a blessing in disguise, as the pressure of an undefeated season is off their shoulders, and they can return to the free mind frame that led to such an elite start.

After a disappointing 3-6-4 start to the season, where many expected Kentucky to be elite once again after suffering just one loss last season and two the year before, this young team seems to have figured it out and now has momentum and self-belief heading into the conference tournament.

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