Wildcats Kick Off 2024 Season with Top-25 Win over No. 23 Union

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. – After closing out the regular season with a win over No. 23 Mount Mercy last year, Baker men's soccer knocked off another 23rd-ranked opponent to begin its 2024 regular season as the Wildcats defeated No. 23 Union, 2-0 on Thursday night in the season opener for BU.

With Baker's starting lineup featuring a mix of returners and fresh faces, it was newcomers Hyunwoo Kim and Akira Itadani who provided the scoring for BU. Kim wasted no time in earning his first goal as a Wildcat with a goal in the first five minutes of play and Itadani added a late insurance goal to ensure the top-25 victory.

The Wildcats outshot Union by a 10-5 margin with five shots in each half, but the Bulldogs held the advantage in corner kicks, 4-2 with three of them coming in the second half.

After missing all but one game of 2023, BU goalkeeper Christian Villegas had two saves and earned the clean sheet to start his season off on the right foot. Villegas started the final eight games of the 2022 season in his first year at Baker.

Just a few minutes after kickoff, Kim found himself in the right place at the right time as Falco Dijkhuis sent a cross that bounced around in the Bulldogs box until landing at the foot of Kim, who banged home the one-timer to give the Wildcats a quick 1-0 advantage.

Tying Mo Salas for the team lead with three shots in the game, Kim looked to have a couple more scoring chances throughout his debut with a shot that bounced off the post in the 22nd minute and another one off of a breakaway opportunity in the 70th that was stopped by the UCU keeper.

After going into the half with the one-goal lead, the Wildcats controlled things early on in the second half as well with the first three shots all coming from their side, including back-to-back shots on-goal from Salas and Reilly Marlow-Jones in the 51st minute.

With possession and scoring opportunities exchanging hands throughout most of the second half, Itadani came through with some much-needed breathing room for BU in the 77th minute. After receiving a pass from Abdul Rahman Jalloh in the box, Marlow-Jones laid a ball back to a trailing Itadani, who gave a nice fake and fired it in from 18-yards out to make it a 2-0 lead for the Wildcats with just under 15 minutes left to play.

Trailing by two goals now, the Bulldogs recorded three shots and two corner kicks in the game's final eight minutes, but BU held off the late surge and earned a season-opening shutout for the second straight year. The Wildcats defeated Mission University (formerly Baptist Bible) by a score of 13-0 in last year's season opener.

Continuing the Kentucky road trip, Baker will look to knock off another top-25 NAIA team from the Bluegrass State with a matchup at No. 24 Cumberlands (Ky.) on Saturday, Aug. 24 at 9 a.m. (CT) in Williamsburg, Ky.

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