Nov. 6, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Reid Baker, Bingy Lara, Michael Strong and Masumi Turnbull will all play in their final regular season home game for the No. 23 Kentucky men’s soccer team, as the Wildcats take on Memphis as part of senior night, at 7 p.m. ET on Friday at the UK Soccer Complex.
“This is an exceptional group of seniors and a group that has been a great addition to the UK soccer program throughout their careers,” Kentucky head coach Ian Collins said. “These guys have been a vital part of the program on and off the pitch and they have been a joy to be around. They will be successful in whatever they do and we are proud to have had the opportunity to work with them over the last few years.”
Kentucky (10-4-3, 6-1 Conference USA) has secured second place in the conference, with a school-best six league wins, with one loss at conference champion, No. 7 Tulsa. UK, ranked No. 23 and No. 24 nationally, has suffered only four losses on the year, with three coming on the road at top-25 foes (No. 7 UC Santa Barbara, No. 24 Cal Poly and No. 14 Tulsa).
The Wildcats are riding a six-game unbeaten streak, the second-longest streak in program history and one win shy of equaling the record set in 1997, 98 and 2004.
Last week, UK capitalized on its biggest week of the season, traveling to NCAA RPI-leading No. 14 Indiana and coming behind for a draw, after allowing an NCAA-record goal in just six seconds. On Sunday, UK went to No. 22 SMU and notched its second win over the Mustangs in program history and its first in Dallas, coming from behind for a 2-1 win. The Wildcats last loss came on Oct. 8 at Tulsa, with wins over No. 18 South Carolina, UAB, FIU, UCF and SMU spanning the seven-game stretch. In addition, UK has posted a resume-building win over No. 8 Michigan, a dominating 2-0 Wildcat win.
Wildcat seniors Baker, Lara, Strong and Turnbull have all played vital roles for the UK program, on and off the field. Baker, a native of Des Moines, Iowa, stepped up when the UK backline was crippled with injuries in 2007, playing in seven games with one start, logging 262 minutes. Lara, a native of Las Cruces, N.M., has played in 43 career games with 15 starts in his four-year career. Lara has totaled seven career points, with two goals and three assists while roaming midfield for UK. Turnbull, a 2008 preseason All C-USA selection, ranks third all-time with 16 career assists in 69 games, with 64 starts. Strong, a native of San Antonio, Texas, is the longest tenured UK player, arriving in Lexington before the 2004 season. Strong leads the Wildcats in 2008 with seven goals and one assist, despite playing in just 605 minute in 14 games, with eight starts.
Strong has led the way offensively with seven goals, with Tim Crone (5 goals, 2 assists), Marco dos Santos (4 goals, 4 assists), Jason Griffiths (4 goals, 1 assist), Sam Vernalls (2 goals, 4 assists) and Chad Hagerty (1 goal, 5 assists) assisting with the scoring punch. In goal, Dan Williams has posted a 0.85 goals-against average while starting all 17 games with 1595 total minutes played. Williams, a three-year starter and native of Fairfax Station, Va., has saved 51 shots and toiled five shutouts.
Memphis (6-10-1, 3-4 C-USA) sits in a fourth-way tie for third place with Marshall, UCF and South Carolina. The Tigers are coming off of a loss to the Marshall Thundering Herd. In goal, Michael Goodlett, a junior from Bolton, Miss., has totaled a 1.42 goals against average, with 67 saves, third in the C-USA.
“At the moment it looks like Kentucky is playing their best football,” said Memphis head coach Richie Grant. “They have solidified second place in the league with a big win at SMU. We are preparing for a competitive match that allows us to finish as high as No. 3 in the conference standings going into the conference tournament. We are going into the match with a lot to play for.”
Fans are encouraged to arrive early to participate in senior day festivities, scheduled to begin 20 minutes prior to the 7 p.m. ET kickoff at the UK Soccer Complex.
