Pair of First Half Goals Lead Dukes to Home Win Against Kentucky

Saturday, October 19

Harrisonburg, Va.

7 p.m.

James Madison University

7-1-5, 3-0-2

Kentucky

3-4-5, 2-1-2

Kentucky

James Madison

Pair of First Half Goals Lead Dukes to Home Win Against Kentucky

10/19/2024 10:05:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score Photo Gallery

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Sophomores Jeffrey Aguilar and Luca Nikolai netted goals in the first half at Sentara Park to lead James Madison men's soccer over Kentucky, 2-0, on Saturday night.

The Dukes improved to 7-1-5 overall and 3-0-2 in Sun Belt Conference action, extending their home unbeaten streak to 10 matches (7-0-3) and earning their first win in five tries against Kentucky. The Wildcats dropped to 3-3-5 overall and suffered their first Sun Belt loss to move to 2-1-2 in conference.

Aguilar, redshirt senior Evan Southern and junior Kevin Larsson all paced the JMU attack with two shots each, while junior Sebastian Conlon made a career-high 10 saves in a full 90 minutes in goal. Conlon is the first JMU goalkeeper to record double-digit saves since Bill Groben tallied an identical tally in 2013.

Quoting Head Coach Paul Zazenski
"We grinded that one out off of a very solid first half. We kept a shutout against a team was throwing tons of numbers forward in the second half. Sebastian and the backline really made some big plays. That was a big result for us, but we need to start to focus on a really solid Sun Belt opponent in South Carolina away."

How It Happened

The Dukes got on the board in the 25^th minute, as Aguilar received a pass from Nikolai in the middle of the box and used a simple chip into the top left corner of the goal.
Ten minutes later, in the 35^th minute, it was Nikolai's turn to net a goal. The Kaarst, Germany native took a pass from just behind mid pitch, drove down the field and fired a shot from the top of the box that hit the back of the net.
Conlon was a brick wall in goal, saving two shots in the 41^st minute. He first prevailed against a 1-on-1 opportunity for UK before stopping a shot off the rebound.
Kentucky continued to bring the attack, but the JMU defense held strong. UK's Logan Dorsey fired in the last three shots for the Wildcats, placing two on goal.

Quick Facts

Kentucky outshot the Dukes 17-10, with 12 of its shots coming in the second half. The Wildcats also held a 10-6 advantage on corner kicks, including eight in the final 45 minutes.
Sebastian Conlon recorded his 16^th career shutout, moving him into a tie for fourth in a Sun Belt career and a tie for ninth in a JMU career.
The shutout for the Dukes was the eighth of the season, the most since 2021.
The two goals allowed by Kentucky are the first two goals the Wildcats have conceded in conference play this season.

Up Next
The Dukes travel to South Carolina on Wednesday, Oct. 23 before welcoming No. 1 West Virginia to Sentara Park on Sunday, Oct. 27.