Oct. 17, 2003
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s soccer team (8-4-1, 2-0-0 MAC) blanked Western Michigan (9-5-0, 2-2-0 MAC), 3-0, at the UK Soccer Complex Friday evening.
Freshman Nathan Li scored his second goal of the season off a header from a Christopher Lefferts cross to put Kentucky on the board in the 19th minute of play. Sophomore Brandon Stewart netted UK’s second goal off a Jamal Shteiwi direct kick and Shteiwi added a third goal for the Wildcats in the 33rd minute. The scoring outburst marked the first time this season the Cats have scored three goals in one half of play.
Shteiwi’s assist on Stewart’s goal in the 29th minute set a new Kentucky men’s soccer single-season assist record (10). The Cincinnati, Ohio native, now has 36 career points, the eighth-most in Kentucky history.
“We wanted to come out and send a message to the MAC that we are a team to be reckoned with,” Shteiwi said. “It’s always good to get individual records, but I just try to put the ball in the box and my teammates do a great job scoring from there.”
The Wildcats out shot the Broncos 11-4 in the first half and finished the game with a 15-12 advantage.
“We wanted to come out strong and we finished our chances well,” head coach Ian Collins said. “Our plan at halftime was to kill the game and not give them a lot of opportunities. Western Michigan is a good team and I ‘m happy for our guys.”
Kentucky returns to action on Sunday at the UK Soccer Complex against the Akron Zips (10-3-1), who defeated Northern Illinois, 1-0, on Friday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
