Coach Ian Collins Quotes
On the beginning of the season ?It?s good to get going. The guys have trained hard in practice and looked pretty sharp, so it will be good to see what we can do. It?s good to go play two ranked opponents on the road early. I?m not sure we?re 100 percent together, we?ve got a lot of things we still have to work on. There are some areas we?re still shaky in, but I think they?re things we can get right by the weekend.?
On playing such a tough team right away ?It?s tough, but there is a reason we schedule these types of games. It?s going to be difficult on their home field. They?re a great program. They?re well coached and have great players and a great history. I guess the only way we?ll find out if we?re ready is on Friday evening.?
On how playing No. 2 St. John?s will help in playing No. 11 SMU ?I think it helps the players understand the level they?ll be playing against this weekend. But it?s going to be a tough weekend. The weather will be hot, which will be different for our players. A lot of our players have seen this quality of opponent before. I wish we could have one or two more exhibition games, but we?ll jump into the fire and see where we?ll stand.?
On the team?s strengths ?We?ve got a lot more attacking weapons than we have had in the past couple of years. On the attacking side, we?re doing quite well. We?re creating a lot of chances and putting together some good passing sequences. We?ve got good offensive rhythm, so that is something we?ll look forward to being a strength on our team.?
Game Notes vs. SMU and Tulsa Defending MAC Champions For the third time in the last four years, Kentucky enters the season as the defending MAC champion. Last year, the Wildcats went undefeated at 6-0-0 in conference action to reclaim the title for the first time since 2001. Kentucky won its first MAC crown in 2000 and has added two more to its collection since then.
What?s Returning Kentucky returns the bulk of its offense from the 2003 campaign as each of the team?s top five goal scorers is back, led by sophomore Riley O?Neill, who was the MAC Newcomer of the Year after tallying seven goals. Overall, the Wildcats have better than 80 percent of their goal scoring back from last season. Kentucky is also returning better than 80 percent of its assist total, led by MAC Player of the Year Jamal Shteiwi. He had 13 assists last season.
Repeat! According to the coaches of the Mid-American Conference Kentucky is the favorite to win its fourth league championship in five years, including its second straight. The Wildcats received five of seven first place votes to beat out second choice Akron as the preseason favorite. Kentucky enters the season on a six-game MAC win streak.
Exhibition Play For the fourth straight year Kentucky played exhibition games in the IPFW Soccer Showcase prior to the start of the regular season. The Wildcats dropped a pair of contests to Michigan State and second-ranked St. John?s during the weekend. Kentuky fell, 2-0, to the Spartans on Friday night before suffering a 2-1 loss to the Red Storm, the 2003 NCAA runner-up. Against St. John?s, the Wildcats controlled much of the action and had more shots, 9-7. Jamal Shteiwi scored on a beautiful goal and had another shot careern off the post less than a minute in.
Great 8 Senior Jamal Shteiwi has already established himself as the best player in the MAC and should make his presence felt on a national scale this season. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native notched 13 assists last season to shatter the Kentucky single-season record and rank him 11th in the nation. He already stands just five assists shy of the school career assist mark and is tied for fifth on the all-time points list with 41. The reigning MAC Player of the Year has a chance to become the first player in league history to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons.
Last Line of Defense The 2003 Kentucky defense was the stingiest in school history and much of that is due to goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum. The Overland Park, Kan., native pitched 10 shutouts in 21 games while playing every minute of the season in goal. He finished the year ranked 17th in the nation with a 0.67 goals against average. For his efforts he was named first-team All-MAC.
In The Rankings For the third time in four years, Kentucky finished the season ranked among the nation?s top 25. The run began in 2000 with a No. 22 national finish before coming in at 23rd a year later. Last season, UK was voted 22nd in the final NSCAA poll. UK is receiving vores in two polls currently.
Tough Road Ahead Kentucky never shies away from playing the nation?s best teams. According to the Collegesoccernews.com Top 30, the Wildcats will square off with seven ranked teams this year, including four of the top 11. The tough slate begins right away as UK faces No. 2 St. John?s in Sunday?s exhibition game at Fort Wayne, Ind.
MAC Dynasty Since the 1999 season, the Kentucky men?s soccer program has become somewhat of a dynasty in the Mid-America Conference. In the past six years, the Wildcats have won three regular season and three tournament titles, including sweeping both in 2001. Twice in that span UK has gone undefeated and untied in conference action, including last year?s 6-0-0 mark. Last season?s team also became the first team in league history to go unscored upon in conference action.
MAC-complishment The 2003 Kentucky men?s soccer team did something no other MAC team ever had. In their six conference games, the Wildcats did not allow a goal en route to an undefeated MAC slate and a conference title. It was just the fourth time a team had gone undefeated and untied in league play — the second in three years for UK.
Canadian Summer Sophomores Nathan Li and Riley O?Neill, the 2003 Mid-America Conference Newcomer of the Year, and incoming freshman Michael D?Agostino, spent the summer starring for their respective Canadian national teams. Li, a native of Delta, British Columbia, and O?Neill, a Campbell River, British Columbia, native, were selected to play for the Canadian Youth (U-20) National Team. In five outings, the duo helped their team to an undefeated mark at 2-0-3 and were directly responsible for both wins. Li got the wins started by assisting on a goal by Dylan Hughes that lifted Canada to a 1-0 win over Turkey in the second meeting of the two teams. After the team headed to training camp in Florida, O?Neill went to work. He scored goals in the 4th and 55th minutes to carry Canada to a 2-1 win over Jamaica. Following a scoreless draw with Jamaica, O?Neill netted Canada?s lone goal in a 1-1 draw with Haiti that wrapped up the tour. D?Agostino, a Langley, British Columbia, native, spent his summer training with the Canadian Junior (U-17) Development Team. He scored in the second half of the first game against the United States to give his Canadian team a 2-1 lead, only to see the lead slip away in a 3-2 loss.
The Dynamo Senior Jamal Shteiwi spent his offseason by starrin gin the Premier Development League where he led the Carolina Dynamo to the Eastern Conference championship. Shteiwi started at midfielder for the Dynamo and logged the third most playing time on the squad. After finishing first in the MAC and 11th in the nation in assists for Kentucky in 2003, Shteiwi also paced his Carolina team with eight assists. His total was easily the highest on the team. Shteiwi was at his best in crunch time as he notched a game-winner in the 89th-minute for the team?s first playoff win. He also scored a goal before assisting on the game-winner in the 90th minute to seal the conference championship game. In week 13, Shteiwi was named to the PDL Team of the Week after notching a goal and three assists to lead Carolina to wins over the West Virginia Chaos and the Richmond Kickers Future.
Weekly Success In 2003, Kentucky players took home MAC Player of the Week honors five times in 10 weeks. Jamal Shteiwi and Andy Gruenebaum each earned the honor twice while Riley O?Neill took it home once. A UK player won the award each of the final three weeks of the season.
