Nov. 5, 2002
The University of Kentucky men’s soccer team will begin its quest for a fourth consecutive Mid-American Conference Tournament title on Friday, Nov. 8, at 4:30 p.m., when the fifth-seeded Wildcats face fourth-seeded Buffalo in Huntington, W.Va., on the campus of Marshall University.
The Wildcats have won the MAC Tournament in each of the past three years and hold a 13-4 all-time record in seven seasons of MAC Tournament play, winning their last eight in a row. UK’s 0.765 tournament winning percentage is tops in the league.
Kentucky (9-8-0, 2-3 MAC) was the only team in the MAC this season whose regular season opponents combined for a winning record. UK is also the only squad to have posted a regular season winning percentage above .500.
The Cats will be out for revenge when they face Buffalo on Friday. The Bulls defeated UK, 2-1, earlier this year in Buffalo, N.Y. It was the first time in the five-game series that UB beat Kentucky. The Cats are 3-1 all-time in the conference tournament when playing against a team that defeated them during the regular season.
“We are excited to play in the MAC tournament this weekend,” UK Coach Ian Collins said. “Buffalo will provide a very difficult opening round game for us – they have a lot of confidence and are a cause for concern with their size advantage and their style of play. But our players are prepared to give everything they have to defend our three MAC tournament titles.”
Buffalo (6-8-1, 3-3) is led by Geoff Thompson, the league’s third-leading scorer. Thompson scored both goals in the Bulls’ win over UK. Following that victory, UB was held scoreless in its final two matches of the season.
Top-seeded Bowling Green (5-12-0, 4-1) awaits the winner of Friday’s quarterfinal match. 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.
This weekend’s soccer action will be broadcast live via the Internet courtesy of Marshall University’s student radio station, WMUL, 88.1 FM. The web address for their live feed is: http://www.marshall.edu/wmul/
