UD 0 Kentucky 0 2 OT

[Chris R]

This match was yesterday. I expected more out a Kentucky team but they did not look very dangerous. Unfortunately we didn't either and this was the second game in a row we left a W on the table.

We played much more physical than against Toledo so that was improved, but our connectivity inside the final third was non-existent. No give and go's, no through-balls between defenders. And the happy feet were still there with 4-5 touches on the ball when 1-2 touches were needed. UK always had numbers behind the ball. So tactically and execution wise it was another subpar performance. We had a couple great scoring chances directly in front of the box -- especially late -- but couldnt punch it in.

That said, our work rate was much better than Toledo. Benigno and Sheldon among others worked hard. Sheldon put a handful of very good crosses in the box but nobody was home. I couldn't fault the elbow grease. Soccer-wise it sort of remained a hot mess. We continue to give up possession due to unforced errors. I lost count at the number of bad passes straight to the opponent with no pressure on us. Passes too short, too long, or just way off target. We also need to get way more physical in the box and bulldoze some people for loose balls in there for pokes and redirects into the net. We seem to be coming up on the short end of these challenges of late.

So we got a long way to go. I dont believe Gemelli played vs UK either which was felt. We should be 5-0-0 at this point. I talked about this in the preview article of no longer leaving unclaimed cash on the table. I feel like the last 2 matches were just that -- opponents we should have beaten but we ended up 0-1-1.