Linus Fallberg took the first shot of the game for UNH in its 2-0 NCAA Tourney loss to Kentucky in Greensboro, N.C. on Sunday. (Photo courtesy of UNH Athletics.)

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Bailey Rouse and Jalen Bigby each scored for Kentucky as the No. 11 University of New Hampshire men’s soccer team fell to No. 24 Kentucky, 2-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at Bryan Park Soccer Complex.

Kentucky advances to the third round on Thursday, May 6 and will take on the winner of tonight’s the No. 5 seed Wake Forest and Coastal Carolina game.

UNH concludes the season 8-1-1 and Kentucky improves to 12-4-2. UNH’s .850 winning percentage is a school record.

UNH was dealt a tough blow going into the tournament when three starters did not make the trip to North Carolina due to contact tracing/COVID protocols. Then sophomore O’Neill Smith-Elias was called for a red card in the 14th minute as the Wildcats would play with 10 players the remainder of the game.

“We were able to move the ball despite being a man down, but obviously as the second half went on we wore down, legs began to get a little tired,” Wildcats coach Marc Hubbard said. “We put ourselves in position to get the equalizer but just a really hard less for our guys and the program for everything we’ve been through.”

UNH took the first shot on goal when an attempt by senior Linus Fallberg (Jonkoping, Sweden) was saved by Enrique Facusse in the fifth minute.

Then in the seventh minute, Facusse made three saves from right in front of the net to keep UNH off the scoreboard.

Kentucky took a 1-0 lead in the 35th minute (34:38) when Trey Asensio put the ball into the box as Rouse sent a header from just five yards out to the middle of the net.

UNH took three shots on goal in the first half and Kentucky posted one.

In the 46th minute, Kentucky stole the ball in the UNH box, but graduate student goalkeeper Alejandro Robles (Monterrey, Mexico) was able to make a diving save on a shot by Daniel Evans.

Kentucky increased its lead to 2-0 in the 83rd minute (84:38) when Bigby fired a loose ball from six yards out to the upper left corner of the net.