Nov. 1, 2002
The University of Kentucky men’s soccer team dropped a 3-1 decision to Mid-Amercican Conference rival Akron on a cold Friday night at Lee Jackson Field. The Wildcats end the regular season with 9-8-0 record, 2-3 in the MAC, while Akron finishes at 7-7-2, 4-1 in conference.
After a preseason fireworks show, there were very few chances in the early going. The Zips got on the board first in the 28th minute off a set piece from the far left. Chris Gnandt tapped the ball to Alex Odwell, whose shot from eight yards out found its way through traffic and into the goal.
Kentucky had a pair of chances in the first half. A free kick by freshman Jani Modig looked destined for the back of the net until UA goalkeeper Dan Pinho tipped it over the goal. Minutes later a Modig corner found freshman Anthony Peters, but his header was cleared off the line by an Akron defender.
In the second half, amid snow flurries and windy conditions, Kentucky began to heat up. The Wildcat attack controlled the ball for much of the period. In the 53rd minute, junior Nathan Fleetwood collected a loose ball and rifled a shot from the top of the 18-yard box. Pinho was again in good position and kept Kentucky off the board.
The Cats got the break they had been working for in the 57th minute. Sophomore Jamal Shteiwi scored from six yards out amid a mass of Akron defenders to even the game at one.
The teams battled through the 80th minute before breaking the deadlock. Akron’s Matt Boswell scored off a pass from Kirk Harwat in the 82nd minute to give Akron the lead. He would score his second goal five minutes later to ice the victory for the Zips.
With the loss, Kentucky drops its third conference match of the season for the first time since joining the MAC in 1995. With the win, Akron shares the regular season league crown with Bowling Green, the only MAC team to beat the Zips during the regular season.
The Mid-American Conference Tournament will take place in Huntington, W.V., on the campus of Marshall University. The tournament begins Friday, Nov. 8. Kentucky face Buffalo in the first round of the tournament; the winner of that match will face top-seeded Bowling Green on Sunday, Nov. 10.
1 2 FKentucky 0 1 1Akron 1 2 3
Scoring SummaryUA Odwell (Gnandt) 27:56UK Shteiwi 56:13UA Boswell (Harwat) 81:06UA Boswell 85:44
Shots: UK 12; UA 12Saves: UK 2; UA 6Corners: UK 5; UA 3Fouls: UK 18; UA 20Bookings: UK 2; UA 1
