Aug. 29, 2002
UVa Soccer Classic Notes (PDF)
The University of Kentucky men’s soccer team begins its 12th season this weekend when it travels to Charlottesville, Va., to take part in the prestigious Virginia Soccer Classic. The Wildcats, ranked No. 20 in the preseason poll released by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, will face fifth-ranked Virginia on Friday night and 10th-ranked Maryland on Sunday.
Coach Ian Collins begins his ninth season at the helm of the Wildcats, whose preseason ranking is the highest in the school’s history. Collins has chosen competition that matches UK’s high stature. The Wildcats have advanced to the NCAA Tournament the past three seasons, and this year have seven teams on their schedule that reached the 2001 NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky will face UVa on Friday, Aug. 30 after the conclusion of the 5 p.m. Maryland/Rhode Island match. Game time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Sept. 1, the Wildcats play Maryland at noon. That game will be followed by a Virginia/Rhode Island match-up at approximately 2:30 p.m.
UK finished the 2001 season with a record of 14-6-1, 6-0-0 in the Mid-American Conference. Kentucky won its first outright MAC regular season championship and went on to take its third straight tournament title. In the NCAA Tournament, the Wildcats defeated Mercer to advance past the first round for the second year in a row before falling to fourth-ranked Clemson in triple overtime.
Kentucky returns seven starters from last year’s team, including senior goalkeeper Greg Raber, who led the nation with a 0.40 goals against average in 2001, senior John Monebrake, who led the team in scoring a season ago, and junior Nathan Fleetwood, who had a team-high six assists last year.
Monebrake and Fleetwood each earned a pair of points last weekend in exhibition action against Indiana and Michigan State. The Wildcats tied Indiana, the preseason consensus No. 1 team in the nation, in front of nearly 5,000 fans at the IPFW Soccer Showcase. Later in the weekend, they dropped a match to Michigan State to close out the 2002 exhibition schedule.
“Opening up with two quality opponents really gives us a chance to gauge our development,” UK Coach Ian Collins said. “We’re still working hard to get used to each other’s tendencies and habits. I’m sure in time this group will gel together and become a very good team.”
The Cavaliers went 17-2-1 in the 2001 season. They finished the regular season schedule undefeated, but lost in the finals of the ACC Tournament and in their first NCAA Tournament match. UVa dropped exhibition matches at IPFW to Indiana and Michigan State last weekend.
The Terrapins finished last season with a record of 11-9-2. They defeated three top-20 schools on their way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to Loyola. Maryland played DC United and Ohio State in preseason action, losing to the MLS club but defeating the Buckeyes.
