No. 4 Seed Kentucky to Rematch No. 1 Seed Marshall on Friday
NORFOLK, Va. – Following a 2-0 defeat of Florida Atlantic to open the 2019 Conference USA Championship last Wednesday, No. 15 Kentucky (12-3-3, 4-2-1 C-USA) is set for a semifinal matchup versus No. 13 Marshall (13-2-3, 5-1-1 C-USA) on Friday at 4:30 p.m. ET.
Marshall’s first C-USA regular season title in program history earned the Thundering Herd the tournament’s top seed and a first-round bye, while the Wildcats enter Friday as the competition’s No. 4 seed.
The neutral-site tilt will serve as a rematch of Marshall’s 1-0 victory over Kentucky on Nov. 3 in Huntington, West Virginia. The loss marked just the third shutout against the Cats all season.
Last Wednesday, UK freshman Eythor Bjorgolfsson powered the Cats to a last-minute victory over the Owls with both a game-winning goal and an assist in a 14-second span. The 6-foot-2 forward has scored three of his four goals on the season at ODU Soccer Complex, each assisted by sophomore midfielder Marcel Meinzer.
Goalkeeper Enrique Facusse and a defense steered by C-USA Player of the Year Aimé Mabika recorded a conference-best ninth shutout of the season in Kentucky’s last outing. Facusse tied a season-high five saves in the quarterfinal win over Florida Atlantic.
Friday’s victor will move on to the C-USA Championship final on Sunday, taking on the winner of No. 2 seed Charlotte and third-seeded FIU.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
