Nov. 14, 2002
The University of Kentucky men’s soccer team will continue its quest for a fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournament title on Friday, Nov. 15, at 2:30 p.m., when the fifth-seeded Wildcats face the top-seeded, homestanding Falcons at Mickey Cochrane Field in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Much like the regular season, the Wildcats and Falcons saw their first semifinal attempt washed away by torrential downpours. The match was originally scheduled for last Sunday, Nov. 10, in Huntington, W.Va., but was moved to Bowling Green because of unplayable field conditions at Marshall University.
The Wildcats have won the MAC Tournament the past three years and hold a 14-4 all-time record in eight seasons of MAC Tournament play, winning their last nine matches. UK’s 0.778 tournament winning percentage is tops in the league.
“Our players are prepared to give everything they have to defend our three MAC tournament titles,” UK Coach Ian Collins said. “I think we played well against Buffalo. We finished some early chances, which we had trouble doing during the season. That really set us up for a good game. Now we just have to be ready for Friday’s match against Bowling Green.”
Kentucky (10-8-0, 2-3 MAC) defeated fourth-seeded Buffalo, 4-1, on Friday, Nov. 8, to earn its eighth-straight trip to the tournament semifinals. The Cats last loss in the MAC Championships was a 1998 overtime heartbreaker to Bowling Green in the semifinals.
Bowling Green (5-12-0, 4-1) earned the top seed in the tournament and a first-round bye. The Falcons’ regular-season match against Kentucky was canceled due to Hurricane Isidore, meaning that Bowling Green was able to capture a share of the 2002 regular season title without playing the 2001-champion Wildcats.
Kentucky’s match is the second of a semifinal doubleheader at Bowling Green. In the day’s first action, second-seeded Akron will face third-seeded Marshall. Friday’s two winners will advance to the MAC Championship, which is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 17, at 1 p.m. in Bowling Green.
