The University of Kentucky men’s soccer team travels to Big Ten country for the Ohio State Nike Classic, as it faces nationally-ranked Ohio State and Penn State. The Cats take the field against the Buckeyes on Friday, Oct. 27, at 2:15 p.m., and the Nittany Lions on Sunday, Oct. 29, at noon. All action will take place at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio.

The Cats (8-7-0, 4-2-0 Mid-American Conference) are coming off of a disappointing loss to MAC-rival Marshall, who is now tied with Akron and Kentucky for first place in the conference. UK is led by freshman Chris Soler with eight points on two goals and four assists. Sophomore Chris McDaniel leads the team with three goals and is second with seven points, along with senior Giovani Fernandes. Junior Ilkka Jantti has tallied six points.

In goal, senior Brian O’Leary has tallied five shutouts giving up only 15 goals. He has faced 109 shots on the season collecting 31 saves for a 1.14 goals-against average.

Ohio State (7-3-4, 1-2-2 Big Ten) enters the match ranked No. 18 in the nation and No. 2 in the Great Lakes Region. The Buckeyes are led by senior Brian Feldhaus, who has scored eight goals and four assists. His 20 points are fourth in the Big Ten. Sophomore Justin Cook has 13 points on five goals and three assists.

OSU goalkeeper Kerry Thompson is 10th in the nation with a 0.73 GAA and has recorded 65 saves while surrendering only 11 goals. His play between the pipes has resulted in six shutouts.