LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Evansville men's soccer team battled to a 1-1 draw against Kentucky on Friday night, earning its first result of the 2026 season.
Kentucky created its first opportunity just 50 seconds into the match, but Hugo Amo (Burgos, Spain/Casper CC) came up with the save to keep the Wildcats off the scoreboard. Kentucky continued to apply pressure early, recording four shots in the opening four minutes of the game.
Evansville opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Alejandro Fernandez (Madrid, Spain/Alfonso X El Sabio University) found the back of the net for his first career goal. Fernandez received the ball just outside the top of the box before firing a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner to give the Aces a 1-0 advantage. The goal came in Fernandez's second appearance for Evansville.
Fernandez nearly doubled the lead in the 20th minute, finding himself with another opportunity from a similar position. This time, however, the Kentucky goalkeeper made the save to keep the Wildcats within one.
Kentucky continued to hold an advantage in possession and chances throughout the remainder of the opening half, but Evansville's defense limited the Wildcats to shots that failed to find the target. Despite Kentucky holding a 10-3 advantage in shots, the Aces carried a 1-0 lead into halftime.
The second half remained tightly contested through the opening 15 minutes, with neither team able to create any significant scoring opportunities.
Evansville came close to extending its lead in the 66th minute when Izán Redondo (Arroyomolinos, Spain/Universidad Complutense de Madrid) took a shot from the top of the box, but his attempt went just wide of the left post.
The Wildcats found the equalizer in the 74th minute, scoring on a header to bring the match level at 1-1.
The final 15 minutes of action featured an intense back-and-forth battle as both teams looked for a game-winning goal. Evansville had another strong scoring opportunity in the 87th minute when Devin Shepherd (Denver, Colo./Arapahoe HS) delivered a cross into the box, but a header from Rodrigo Zambrana (Vigo, Spain/Universidad de Vigo) was sent off target. Alex Tura (Barcelona, Spain/UNIR) and Benjie Koziura (Evanston, Ill./Helios Valencia HS) each recorded shots in the closing minutes, but neither found the back of the net as the match ended in a 1-1 draw.
Defender Etienne Ravelli (Milan, Italy/Creighton) played all 90 minutes for the Aces, helping anchor an Evansville defense that recorded five blocked shots. Amo finished the night with two saves in goal.
The draw gives Evansville its first result of the season, moving the Aces to 0-3-1 overall. Evansville returns home on Tuesday, welcoming Louisville to Arad McCutchan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
