LEXINGTON ? Winners of three straight, the Kentucky men?s soccer team returns to action Friday at 7:30 p.m. when it hosts Georgia Southern in the UK Invitational.
The game will be the second of the evening as Louisville and Winthrop meet in the opener at 5 p.m.
Kentucky (3-2) enters the contest with consecutive wins over Louisville, UNC-Asheville and Western Michigan and allowed just one goal combined in those three outings.
?I feel better after Sunday?s win (over Western Michigan),? said Kentucky coach Ian Collins. ?I thought we worked harder, used the ball better and concentrated better. So, Sunday was a positive, but I need to see us put a few things right. We?re progressing but we have a long way to go to get where we want to get to.?
Georgia Southern (1-1-1) is coming off a 4-1 loss to East Carolina last weekend. It is just the second time the two teams have met. In 1994, the Eagles pulled out a 2-1 victory in Tampa, Fla.
?Georgia Southern is a big, physical team,? Collins said. ?I think they are much more talented than their last result showed. They had a bit of a slow start and I expected them to come looking for some redemption. They are well coached and well organized and well it should be a difficult game.?
A year ago, Kentucky recorded a tie and a loss in the UK Invitational, but since then has put together a six-game home unbeaten streak.
Senior Jamal Shteiwi, the current Mid-America Conference Player of the Week, paces the Kentucky attack, which has posted two or more goals in each of its last three games. Shteiwi has a goal in four straight contests and has a point (goal or assist) in six straight dating back to last year.
?One thing we have to be careful of is people can?t stand around and wait for him to do something,? Collins said. ?Obviously Jamal has been our catalyst and he?s a dangerous player. He will also have to understand that he is going to receive more special attention from other teams and he has to be prepared to deal with that. When that happens, other players on our team will have to step up.?
The UK Invitational concludes with a pair of games Sunday afternoon. Louisville will meet Georgia Southern at Noon and Kentucky faces Winthrop at 2:30 p.m.
