NORFOLK, Va. -- Defense dominated the top-25 showdown between No. 14 Old Dominion and No. 16 Kentucky, as the Monarchs played to a scoreless, double-overtime draw with the Wildcats on Saturday night at the ODU Soccer Complex.
“In patches, we were quite good,” said head coach Alan Dawson. “We had some 20-30 minute patches where we knocked it around and got after them a little bit and we looked like the better team. And there were times where they did the same thing to us.”
In a back-and-forth contest that featured several momentum shifts, Old Dominion (8-2-2, 3-1-2 C-USA) outshot Kentucky (8-3-2, 4-0-1 C-USA), 12-9, and had a 9-4 advantage in corner kicks. However, the UK defense, led by reigning Conference USA Player of the Year goalkeeper Callum Irving, thwarted any serious ODU scoring chance.
Two of the best opportunities for the Monarchs came in the second half. Josue Henriquez ripped a low, line drive shot from 25 yards out, but Irving was there to make a diving stop. Moments later, on a corner kick, Cole Stringer was able to get his head on a loose ball, but, again, Irving made a sliding save.
Saturday's results marked the first time the Monarchs did not score a goal since the season-opener versus Coastal Carolina. ODU and Kentucky have now played into overtime in all four matches in the series history.
Defensively, goalkeeper Alex Tiesenhausen and the Monarch defense posted its third shutout in the past four matches.
Jesse Miralrio led ODU with three shots, while Ryan Condotta and Henriquez each had two shots on goal. In net, Tiesenhausen finished with three saves.
“I’m not disappointed in my team,” said Dawson. “You’ll always be a bit disappointed when you don’t score a goal or when you don’t win at home, but Kentucky is a very, very good team.”
| Final: #14 Old Dominion 0, #16 Kentucky 0 | ||
| UK | Stat Breakdown | ODU |
| Goals | ||
| 9 | 3 | Shots | SOG | 12 | 7 |
| 4 | Corner Kicks | 9 |
| 11 | Fouls | 14 |
| Irving, 7 | Saves | Tiesenhausen, 3 |
UP NEXT FOR ODU
The Monarchs make their third trip of the season to Florida on Tuesday for a non-conference matchup against No. 13 USF at 7 p.m. in Tampa.
VOUCHER BOOKS
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