Kentucky Men's Soccer in the MLS: 2024 Draft Recap

Kentucky Men’s Soccer definitely did not have the greatest 2023 season.

Although the ‘Cats started at the top of the leaderboard in the preseason, it was clear early on that they were not what they were expected to be. Kentucky went through an eight-game loss/draw streak without any wins, but were able to make somewhat of a comeback toward the end of the season.

By the end of October, UK defeated the No. 1 ranked Marshall Bison and then got a big win against the No. 2 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers the next time out. The Wildcats went on to lose to Marshall in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. Even though there were questions about whether the team had done enough to make it into the NCAA Tournament, in which they found themselves as the No. 1 overall seed in 2022, a strong end to the regular season placed them in the tournament as one of the final teams selected.

Casper Mols is a star

Ultimately, the ‘Cats fell in the second round of the NCAA Tournament to the No. 2 overall seed Notre Dame in shutout fashion. Arguably, one of the key players who helped Kentucky make that strong push to end the season was sophomore goalkeeper Casper Mols.

Over the last three regular season matches, Mols tallied 16 saves alone. In postseason play Mols added on nine more to save more than 25 opponent goals over a six-match span. Mols has also been ranked as the best defensive player of the year in the Sun Belt Conference and an All-American over his two years with the program.

𝐈𝐍𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐃 🫡

Casper Mols has been invited to the 2023 adidas @MLS College Showcase! 😸⚽️👏#WeAreUK | #GBED pic.twitter.com/cpcznypZ7G

— Kentucky Men’s Soccer (@UKMensSoccer) December 5, 2023

Unfortunately for the Kentucky program, they may be searching for their next star goalie following the Major League Soccer Super draft that occurred in late December.

Prior to this year’s draft, players had to be a junior, senior, or graduate player at the time of the draft. However, a new rule was put into place for the 2024 MLS SuperDraft stating that sophomores could join. Kentucky had four players who were eligible for the big day. These players included senior midfielder Brennon Creek, fifth-year midfielder Mason Visconti, senior forward Aboubacar Camara, and sophomore goalie Casper Mols.

Out of those four players, Mols was the only one who was drafted. The young goalkeeper was taken with the number 77th overall pick by Atlanta United.

Results of Round 3 of the #SuperDraft: pic.twitter.com/7sHCt7xZGH

— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 20, 2023

What’s ahead for UK?

Although Mols was drafted he still has the option to return to the Wildcat squad since all players who are eligible maintain college eligibility. It is uncertain if the promising young goalkeeper will head down to Atlanta or stay put in the Bluegrass state. If Mols does decide to forego his college eligibility, the Wildcats have two other keepers who have seen some game action in previous seasons.

One of those keepers is Ryan Jack, an upcoming junior from Virginia who has seen action in just four matches and recorded four saves over that span of time. The other potential goalie is Alex Kron, an upcoming sophomore who hails from Louisville. Kron signed a contract with the USL Academy team at Louisville City F.C. in 2023 but saw no game action in his first season as a ‘Cat.

Time will tell what fate will be in goal for Kentucky in its upcoming season, but losing Mols could arguably create a large hole in the defense of the team as a whole.