Sept. 3, 2003
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s soccer team’s season opener against Louisville, originally scheduled for Tuesday evening, will kickoff tonight at 7:30 p.m. Both Kentucky and Louisville are ranked in this week’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America Great Lakes Region top 10 poll. The Wildcats are No. 10 and Louisville comes in at No. 9.
“What a great game for us to open the season with,” head coach Ian Collins said. “We are looking forward to playing our first game of the season at the UK Soccer Complex and getting the ball rolling in front of our home fans.”
UK played two exhibition games to prepare for the regular season in Ft. Wayne, Ind., at the IPFW Soccer Showcase against No. 7 Indiana and Michigan State. The Cats defeated the Hoosiers, 2-1, in their first game and fell to the Spartans, 2-0, in the second.Kentucky is 6-2 all-time against the Cardinals, winning last year’s match, 1-0, at Cardinal Park. UK hopes to improve on last season’s 10-9 record and semifinal Mid-American Conference tournament finish. Louisville finished with a 9-11-2 record, returning nine of 11 starters from its 2002 squad.
“Louisville is a very well coached and talented team that finished last season on a tear,” Collins said. “They return almost all of their starters and will be formidable opposition. We will have to be at our best to get a win and I think it will be a very entertaining game of soccer for the fans.”
The Cats return four starters and feature a host of talented newcomers. Junior Jamal Shteiwi, Kentucky’s leading scorer last season, received third-team NSCAA honors in 2002 as well as first-team all-MAC recognition. Collins expects him to be an all-American candidate this season.
