Sept. 6, 2001
The Kentucky men’s soccer team opens a four-game homestand when it welcomes No. 13 Ohio State to the UK Soccer Complex on Friday, Sept. 7. Action is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.
The Cats (1-1-0) are coming off a 2-1 win over Butler and a disappointing 1-0 overtime loss to No. 4 Indiana last weekend at the adidas/IU Credit Union Classic. UK played the Hoosiers tough throughout the night, holding them scoreless until the 113th minute despite playing a man down for the final 75 minutes. The loss dropped the Cats out of the national rankings where they were 23rd a week ago.
“This is a great opening home game for the fans,” Coach Ian Collins said. “After losing 1-0 to the 4th-ranked team in the country (IU) on the road playing a man down for 75 minutes, we were surprised and disappointed to fall out of the polls. OSU, which won the Big Ten in 2000, carries a hefty reputation. This will be a tough game, but if we take care of business, this game can show the pollsters that we truly belong among the nation’s elite.”
The Buckeyes arrive in the Bluegrass with a 2-0-0 record after a 1-0 win over West Virginia and a 2-1 triumph over Big Ten-foe Northwestern. OSU outshot its opponents 32-13 in its first two games while holding an 18-2 advantage in corner kicks, and goalkeeper Kerry Thompson recorded seven saves last weekend while keeping the net empty for 135 minutes. Andy Rosenband scored both OSU goals against Northwestern, while John Tomaino tallied a goal against WVU and an assist against NU.
All-America candidate Ilkka Jantti not only led the defensive corps for UK but also contributed an assist and the game-winning goal against Butler to give the Cats a third-place finish in the tournament. Chris Soler also found the net with his first goal of the season coming against Butler.
Collins faced a tough task to begin this season by having to replace goalkeeper Brian O’Leary who recorded four postseason shutouts in 2000, but Brad Samelko is stepping up to the challenge. Samelko surrendered just two goals in 203 minutes last weekend for a 0.89 goals-against average. He also made a career-high eight saves against IU.
The first 250 UK students through the gates will receive a free UK Soccer t-shirt. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students in eighth grade and lower, and free for UK Students presenting a student ID.
