LEXINGTON. Ky. — The Kentucky men?s soccer team, in its final non-conference game before beginning its grueling Conference USA schedule, travels to Bowling Green, Ky., on Friday for an 8 p.m. ET showdown with state rival Western Kentucky.
Kentucky (1-5-2) enters the game having won its last two meetings with the Hilltoppers, holding an all-time 6-2 advantage in the series. The Wildcats have battled severe injury issues throughout the season, at times missing as many as seven members of its regular playing rotation. Among the key players to miss playing time this season include Lucas Carden (So., MF), Jase Griffiths (So., MF), Bingy Lara (Jr., MF), Luke Maitland (Fr., F), and Issam Sawtarie (So., D), Senior defensive mainstays Andrew Alexander and Nathan Marks, the preseason Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, have also missed time this season.
The Wildcats narrowly dropped its last game in a 1-0 loss to former Mid-American Conference rival Akron on Sunday. In the eighth minute, UK suffered an own goal, putting the Zips up early in a defensive slugfest. The loss marked UK?s second consecutive narrow defeat, as the Wildcats battled Eastern Illinois scoreless through 109 minutes on September 21, before allowing a Panther goal in the final 30 seconds of the final overtime period.
Dayton transfer Aaron Swanson has led the way statistically for the Wildcats. Swanson, a senior forward, leads the squad in goals with three, while defender Barry Rice and forward Tim Crone have each contributed two goals. Freshman Jirijoonas Kanth, a native of Vantaa, Finland, has emerged as solid contributor, leading the club with two assists. Forward Mark Halma and midfielder Chad Hagerty have each notched one assist. In goal for the Wildcats, keeper Dan Williams has provided a steady hand, registering 35 saves.
Western Kentucky (1-5-2) enters the contest have lost its past two games, dropping decisions to High Point and Marshall. The Hilltoppers struggled out of the gate, failing to score in its first four games, before finding an offensive spark in a tie with IUPUI and a 2-0 win over Centenary. Hilltopper freshman forward Ben Backstrom leads the team with two goals, while sophomore forward Brad Magnunson and junior Dustin Downey have each contributed a goal.
The game marks UK?s final non-conference tune-up before opening C-USA action by hosting UAB on Saturday, October 6.
