See Friday’s recap: #20 UK Ties #1 Indiana
Aug. 25, 2002
Fort Wayne, Ind. – The 20th-ranked University of Kentucky men’s soccer team dropped their final exhibition match of the year when they lost a 1-3 decision to the Michigan State Spartans Sunday in the IPFW Soccer Showcase at Hefner Soccerfields in Fort Wayne, Ind. Both teams utilized the exhibition atmosphere to give a number of non-starters playing time, with Kentucky sharing time in goal between senior Greg Raber and freshman Andy Gruenebaum.
The first half was statistically even, with the teams combining for 11 shots in the half and both goalkeepers making three saves. Michigan State found a break in the 27th minute when John Minagawa-Webster put the first goal on the board. The Spartans took a 1-0 advantage into the half.
UK got on the board in the tenth minute of the second half when senior John Monebrake found the back of the net off assists from senior Scot Shewey and junior Nathan Fleetwood. Michigan State’s Craig Hearn scored two consecutive goals to give the advantage back to the Spartans, who held on to the two-goal lead through the end of regulation.
On a hot, humid day, the two teams played a very physical match. UK and Michigan State combined for 35 fouls and eight cards, including one red card. On the weekend, junior Nathan Fleetwood had a pair of assists for the Wildcats, while senior John Monebrake and sophomore Olli Lehtimaki each contributed one goal.
“This was a good game for us to see what a lot of different players could do,” UK Coach Ian Collins said. “We changed some things up and tried a few new looks. Now we know what we need to work on before the regular season starts next weekend.”
The Wildcats open the regular season next weekend at the Virginia Invitational in Charlottesville. UK will face fifth-ranked Virginia on Friday, Aug. 30, and tenth-ranked Maryland on Sunday, Sept. 1.
1 2 FKentucky 0 1 1Michigan State 1 2 3
Scoring SummaryMSU John Minagawa-Webster 26:08UK John Monebrake (Scot Shewey, Nathan Fleetwood) 54:58MSU Craig Hearn 69:47MSU Craig Hearn 77:52
Shots: UK 7; MSU 14Saves: UK Greg Raber 3, Andy Gruenebaum 0, Team 1; MSU 4Corners: UK 3; MSU 8Fouls: UK 24; MSU 11Cards: UK 4 (3Y, 1R); MSU 3
