Kentucky men's soccer downs Coastal Carolina in PKs, advances in SBC Tournament

The Wildcats’ opening round match at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament needed more than 110 minutes to decide a victor.

No. 18 Kentucky men’s soccer, the top seed in the tournament, was all tied up 0-0 with 8-seed Coastal Carolina after 90 minutes and two extra periods. But UK was able to use penalty kicks (6-5) to beat the Chanticleers on Sunday afternoon at The Bell. The win pushes UK to the semifinal round of the conference tournament, setting up a matchup with 4-seed Georgia Southern (which beat Central Florida 1-0 in the game after Kentucky’s) for Wednesday, November 12, back at The Bell (7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+).

Sebastian Conlon, the Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year, finished with four saves and a clean sheet (his eighth of the season) for Kentucky. The ‘Cats recorded 15 shots compared to eight for Coastal Carolina, but both sides only managed to get four of them on goal. UK’s best chance at a score came late in the first half when Josh Gordon put a ball in the back of the net, although it was brought back due to an offside call.

Kentucky ended up going first in the penalty kicks, eventually coming out on top to steal the win and end Coastal Carolina’s season.

Relive the Cats' penalty shootout win over Coastal Carolina to advance to the Sun Belt semifinal!! ⚽️🎞️#WeAreUK | #GBED pic.twitter.com/DGuzjRbVFK

— Kentucky Men’s Soccer (@UKMensSoccer) November 10, 2025

A huge diving save by Conlon in the 10th minute set the tone for Kentucky’s defense. Not long before Gordon’s offside in the 43rd took a goal off the board for the ‘Cats, Coastal Carolina did something similar. The Chanticleers found the net right in the 35th minute, but a handball call disallowed the point.

Shots on goal became even harder after halftime, with both sides posting only one each as we remained scoreless after 90 minutes. The two 10-minute extra periods would meet the same fate, sending the match into penalty kicks.

After both teams missed their opening kick, Kentucky got on the board first, which Coastal Carolina followed up with a make of its own. They later went on to trade goals in four consecutive rounds, capped off by the eventual game-winner from Kentucky’s Oliver Stavdal. Conlon would come up big after that for the ‘Cats, stopping the Chanticleers’ final attempt to secure the postseason victory.

Now, it’s the Georgia Southern Eagles that stand in Kentucky’s path of reaching the Sun Belt Tournament championship. These two teams met only a few weeks ago in Statesboro, the ‘Cats pulling out a 2-1 win in what was a top 25 national matchup. UK will be hoping for a repeat of that performance on Wednesday in Lexington.