October 4, 1998
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky men’s soccer team extended its win streak to six games on Sunday, edging Western Michigan 5-4 in double-overtime.
Western Michigan (3-3-2, 1-1 MAC) opened the game with goals in the second and sixth minutes to take an early 2-0 lead over the Cats. UK pulled to within one just before halftime on a Michael Stickler goal in the 42nd minute.
With just 15 minutes left in regulation, UK’s Ilkka Jantti found the net to even the score at 2-2. The tie was short-lived, however, as WMU scored just 37 seconds later to take a 3-2 lead. Three minutes later, WMU’s Scott Loewe scored his second goal of the game to give the Broncos a 4-2 lead in the 78th minute.
The Cats were not done, however, as UK rallied on a penalty kick by Lee Baker in the 80th minute to bring the score to 4-3. Then with under five minutes left, Wildcat striker Jason Bell knotted the game at 4-4 on a blast past WMU goalkeeper Eric Pogue.
The two teams battled through one scoreless 15-minute overtime period and the clock ticked down to under ten minutes remaining in the second overtime. Just as the game seemed to be destined to end in a tie, UK’s Michael Stickler found the ball in a crowd in front of the WMU goal and rocketed a shot in to the back of the net to give UK the 5-4 win.
With the win, the Wildcats extended their win streak to six, and broke the three-year-old UK record of five consecutive wins. The Cats also improve to 6-5, 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference.
The Wildcats return to action next weekend as they travel to Buffalo and Akron for conference action.
1 2 OT OT FUK 1 3 0 1 5WMU 2 2 0 0 4
Goals:
UK – Michael Stickler (Jason Bell) 42:27, Ilkka Jantti (Stickler) 74:26,
Lee Baker (none) 80:50, Bell (Baker) 85:36, Stickler (none) 109:19;
WMU – Scott Loewe (none) 2:21, Evan Fonger (none) 6:12, Pat Morrison (none) 75:03, Loewe (Morrison) 78:12.
Shots: UK 26, WMU 12
Corner Kicks: UK 13, WMU 10
Goalkeeper Saves: UK (West) 6, WMU (Pogue) 7
Fouls: UK 8, WMU 15
