Aug. 15, 2001
When the University of Kentucky men’s soccer team left St. Louis with a 4-2 penalty-kick shootout victory over the Billikens in the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament, the Cats had achieved their main goal of the season: to surpass the success of every UK soccer team that had come before them. Although the season ended the next week in the second round at Southern Methodist, the players knew that great things were about to happen with the Wildcats’ program.
What made the 2000 season so interesting was the influx of new players. By the end of the season, 11 freshmen had seen action and a total of 16 players who had never taken the field for UK suited up in the blue and white. This year, however, the Cats return a significant core of experienced players, highlighted by 17 letterwinners and six transfers, including a former Big Ten Freshman of the Year, who will be available to make an immediate impact. Add to the mix six freshmen including two state players of the year and UK will be loaded with experience and talent.
“The makeup of this year’s team is one I really like,” Coach Ian Collins said. “We have a good blend of players, and we’ve been fortunate enough to get some transfers with some experience. We lacked experience last season so the experience we have coming in and returning should allow us to not have to rely on a lot of freshmen to come in right away and be impact players.”
Backs
Senior Ilkka Jantti, the Cats’ top returner, will be prowling the back as the anchor for UK’s strong defensive unit. Under Jantti’s leadership last season, the Cats surrendered only 26 goals in 22 contests including a string of four shutouts in postseason play. Jantti has started all but one game in which he has appeared in his career (sixth on the UK all-time starts list) and has earned numerous accolades such as All-Great Lakes Region and All-Mid-American Conference first team and honorable mention All-America.
“We return the core of last year’s defensive team,” Collins said. “We’ll be counting on Jantti to be the backbone of the defense. His experience, his leadership and his talents will be pivotal for us this year.”
Joining Jantti in the back will be junior J.D. Stephenson. Stephenson made the move to defender as a sophomore after spending a season in the midfield. The Tulsa, Okla., native also combines with Jantti to improve the Cats’ offensive attack as both can strike from the back. They have contributed seven goals and 11 assists the past two years.
Sophomore Chris Austin also makes the switch to defender from midfield this season and played very well there in the spring. The fourth spot will be quite a competition between three returners: senior Marc Theriault and sophomores Craig Pykett and Thomas Graham. The Cats also get depth in the back from freshmen Zach Hjornevik and Thomas Senecal.
Midfielders
The midfield will be another very strong area for the Cats this season with a lot of experience returning. Out wide, juniors Chris McDaniel and Brian Mitts have logged the most minutes among those returning, and McDaniel gives UK a strong offensive punch. His five goals and 11 points led the Wildcats last season, after his four goals and nine points as a freshman ranked third and fifth on the team.
“We are very happy to return our two top wide players,” Collins said. “Both were big time impact players last year, and we expect great things from both of them.”
Another solid performer out wide will be junior Monty Frazier, sophomore Kevin Strobo provides additional depth.
In the middle, the Cats welcome back junior Antti Peltonen, who sat out last season with an abdominal injury. As a sophomore in 1999, Peltonen tallied five assists for UK, and this summer he honed his skills in his native Finland. Also returning to the middle are seniors Chris McAlpine and Randy Strobo, who have seen extensive action in their careers, and sophomore Savvas Theofilou.
Fighting hard for playing time will be four newcomers, three of whom have college level experience. Nathan Fleetwood comes to the Bluegrass from Virginia Intermont College via Australia, and while at VI, Fleetwood tallied 12 goals and seven assists to lead his team. He also logged time with Australia’s U17 and U20 national teams and the Modbury Soccer Club. Also competing for time in the midfield will be freshman Joey Gaworecki and transfers Scot Shewey (Jacksonville) and Chael Soler (Nova Southeastern).
Forwards
Despite tallying only 25 goals last season with a very young team, the Cats have high expectations of increasing that total this season. Leading the way for the youthful offensive corps will be sophomores Chris Soler and Brook Pearse.
Soler notched two goals in 2000 and was tied for the team lead in assists with four, while Pearse also contributed two goals, including the gamewinner against Bowling Green in the MAC Championship game. Both had an excellent spring campaign and will be joined by a solid group of newcomers.
John Monebrake will bring a lot of experience when he makes his UK debut this fall after two years at Ohio State. In 1998, Monebrake led the Buckeyes with 15 points and seven goals on his way to capturing Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors. Adding to the competition in the front for the Cats will be freshman Olli Lehtimaki. Although this is his first season of collegiate competition, Lehtimaki’s experience is extensive. Playing with FC Hameenlinna, he tallied seven goals and six assists in 2000 and 10 goals in 1999.
Freshmen Jamal Shteiwi and Eric McKechnie will provide solid depth up front.
“Forward for us will be a very competitive position with a lot of talent assembled,” Collins said. “I expect Lehtimaki to be an immediate presence on the field.”
Goalkeepers
In goal, the Cats must overcome their biggest loss, Brian O’Leary. O’Leary was one of the major forces in UK’s staunch defense in 2000, charting nine shutouts with a solid 1.04 goals-against average.
Sophomore Brad Samelko is the only returning keeper to see action in 2000, playing in two matches. He had an excellent spring but will battle for minutes with three solid newcomers.
Greg Raber comes to UK from UNC-Greensboro where he started 22 games in his two seasons with the Spartans. As a freshman, he charted 923 minutes with a 0.14 GAA and as a sophomore played 800 minutes maintaining a 1.46 GAA.
Freshmen Andy Gruenebaum and Adam Walker also will fight for playing time this season. Gruenebaum was named Kansas Player of the Year in 2000 by both Gatorade and the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and an All-American by the NSCAA, while Walker was named player of the year in South Carolina.
“In the goal, we are going to have a really competitive situation,” Collins said. “Obviously at Greensboro, Raber is used to playing in big games, and Gruenebaum and Walker come to us with a lot of talent. I feel good about our depth in the goalkeeper position and that it will be a very healthy, competitive situation.”
The Schedule
Many in collegiate athletics believe that facing the top teams in the country throughout the season benefits a team by preparing it for the rigors of postseason action. In 2000, UK faced four teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament, and although the Cats finished 11-9-2, they were able to gel at the right time to advance to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
In 2001, UK will continue this trend by again facing some of the top teams in the country, including six teams that appeared in last year’s tournament. The Cats get underway with an exhibition tournament at IP Fort Wayne where they will face South Carolina and UAB. Just a week later, UK will travel to Bloomington for the Indiana University Classic to take on IU and Butler.
The home schedule is not any easier as UK welcomes Ohio State to the Bluegrass. In late September, the Cats move into the always-tough MAC schedule when they visit Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. After a home date with intrastate rival Louisville, UK visits Ohio for dates against Cincinnati and Bowling Green. Then a trip to IUPUI precedes a three-game home stand against Buffalo, Georgetown College and Marshall.
The Cats close the season at the FIU Invitational to face Furman and FIU before returning home for the regular-season finale against Akron, a match that could have postseason implications.
“This schedule is very competitive, very challenging,” Collins said. “Going to IU, we will know right off the bat where we stand. This whole season is going to allow us to play against some top quality competition which has become our trademark over the last couple of years.”
With two consecutive MAC Tournament titles and NCAA Tournaments berths, the Soccer Cats are fast becoming a New Tradition in the Bluegrass.
