COLUMBIA, Ky. – For 87 minutes, the University of Pikeville men's soccer team was in the game with No. 9 Lindsey Wilson until the talented Blue Raiders struck for two goals in the 87th minute for a 3-0 win on Sunday night at Walter S. Reuling Stadium.
Elijah Ukpong struck the first goal of the game in the 26th minute off a cross from Tom Moody, but from there it was anybody's game for the next 60 minutes. UPIKE craved the equalizer but was unable to put a shot on goal, instead firing seven total shots that didn't threaten LWC keeper Dalyan Hawes.
Lindsey Wilson took 15 total shots, including six on target, three of which were saved by Diego Rivas, but the two goals allowed in the final minutes took away any chance of the Bears coming back to even the score.
Between the opening goal by Ukpong and the next score by Keletso Mosime, UPIKE was able to try six shots with two being blocked by a Blue Raider defender. There was also a corner-kick attempt with four minutes left by Mateus Meira that came up empty, but provided a small bit of late-game drama.
Just 31 seconds after Mosime's goal, Ukpong added his second of the day as the valiant effort from the Bears started to wear down.
Rodrigo Galdamez paced UPIKE with two shots, while Ukpong was the Blue Raiders' leading striker with four shots, including two on target.
UPIKE (2-6, 0-4 MSC) was whistled for eight fouls, compared to 11 for Lindsey Wilson (10-2-1, 5-0-1 MSC), while the Blue Raiders also posted an 8-2 advantage in corner kicks.
The Bears are off until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday when they travel to Portsmouth, Ohio to take on Shawnee State.
