Oct. 9, 2003
Tournament Notes in PDF Format
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UK (6-3-1, 1-0-0 MAC) will travel to Greensboro, N.C. for the addidas/Spartan Classic this weekend. The Cats will face UNC Greensboro (4-2-2, 3-0-2 Southern) Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. and No. 3 North Carolina (8-1-2, 2-1-0 ACC) Sunday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m. Both games will take place at the UNCG Soccer Stadium.
UNC Greensboro enters the match fresh off a 3-1 victory over Southern Conference foe, Davidson. The Spartans’ head coach Michael Parker will go for his 300th career victory against the Cats.
No. 3 North Carolina has been dominant all season. The Tar Heels have posted six shutouts and have outscored their opponents, 17-6. UNC defeated then No. 1 Maryland, 1-0, this past weekend. The Heels will face Mercer at 5 p.m. on Friday before facing the Cats, Sunday.
Kentucky won both of its contest last weekend against Appalachian State and Bowling Green State and re-entered the NSCAA Great Lakes Region top-10 at No. 9.
Against the Mountaineers, freshman Riley O’Neill scored the first two goals of his collegiate career to lead the Cats to a 2-1 victory. The Campbell River, British Columbia native, scored his third goal and recorded an assist in Kentucky’s 3-0 shutout over the Falcons.
The Last Time …
… on the field – Kentucky blanked Mid-American Conference foe, Bowling Green State, 3-0, on Sunday. The Cats outshot the Falcons, 20-8, in the match and scored their first goal four minutes into the game.
… on the road – Kentucky’s victory over Bowling Green State pushed its road record to 4-1-0. All four of UK’s shutouts have come on the road with Kentucky outscoring its opponents 8-0.
… against UNC Greensboro – UK will go for its first victory over the Spartans Friday after going 0-2-0 in its first two meetings. UNCG downed the Cats, 2-1, in the Nike Carolina Classic Sept. 15, 2000.
… against North Carolina – North Carolina defeated Kentucky, 2-1, in their only meeting, Sept. 16, 2000 at the Nike Carolina Classic.
Stats of Interest 2003
O’Neill Named Player of the Week – Freshman forward Riley O’Neill was named Mid-American Conference Player of the Week for his performances against Appalachian State and Bowling Green State over the weekend. O’Neill scored both of Kentucky’s goals in UK’s 2-1 win over Appalachian State and contributed a goal and an assist in the Cats’ 3-0 win over MAC foe, Bowling Green State. The Campbell River, British Columbia native, is the second UK player to win the honor this season. Junior Jamal Shteiwi received the award for the week of Sept. 15-21.
Kentucky In The National Rankings – Jamal Shteiwi is tied for 11th in the nation in assists per game, 0.70. Goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum is 30th in the nation with a 0.768 goals against average. Kentucky ranks 26th as a team with its 0.768 goals against average.
A Team Effort – UK has received contributions from a number of players thus far this season. 14 Kentucky players have scored a goal or contributed an assist in the Cats first 10 games. Jamal Shteiwi leads the Cats in assists (7) and points (13) and is tied with freshman Riley O’Neill for the most goals (3). Shteiwi’s 31 career points is 12th all-time at UK.
