UK enters with a five-game win streak.
BLOOMINGTON, IN — The No. 24 Kentucky Wildcats (12-4-1, 6-0-0 MAC) look to extend their five-game win streak when they head to Bloomington, IN., to face the No. 11 Indiana Hoosiers (9-3-4, 4-0-1 Big Ten) Sunday at 2 p.m.
UK relies on a tough defensive unit that has recorded nine shutouts on the season, including six in its last eight games.
Sophomore goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum currently has a 0.63 goals against average, which is the 18th best among NCAA Division I goalkeepers, and has not given up a goal in 485 minutes, since UK’s Oct. 12 match against then No. 3 North Carolina. The Wildcats blanked Northern Illinois, 1-0, Friday afternoon to record their fifth consecutive shutout for the first time in school history.
During the month of October, Kentucky amassed an 8-1-0 record and outscored its opponents 17-3. The Wildcats went undefeated in Mid-American Conference play for the second time in three years and became the first team in conference history to complete regular season play without relinquishing a goal.
Meanwhile, the Hoosiers are riding a seven game win streak after dropping Louisville, 2-0, at UofL’s Cardinal Park, Thursday evening. The Kentucky-Indiana match will mark the final regular season match for the legendary IU head coach Jerry Yeagley, who is set to retire after 31 seasons at the helm.
“We are honored to have been invited to participate in Jerry Yeagley’s final home game at Indiana,” head coach Ian Collins said. “IU has always been one of our biggest rivalries and the circumstances surrounding this year’s game will make it even more electric. We always have a lot of fans that make the short trip to Bloomington and this year they will be treated to an unbelievable soccer event.”
Kentucky and Indiana have consistently been recognized as two of the Top-10 teams in the Great Lakes Region according to the NSCAA. Indiana enters the game ranked No. 2 in the region, while the Cats enter tied with Michigan at No. 5.
UK defeated IU, 2-1, in a preseason IPFW Soccer Showcase thriller. Freshman Nathan Li scored the game-winner for the Cats with 26 seconds remaining in the match.
Collins and his team are 2-2 against teams who are currently ranked in one of the four college soccer polls. UK blanked then No. 12 Akron (1-0) and Cincinnati (1-0), who are currently ranked No. 16 and No. 18, respectively, and fell to then No. 3 North Carolina (2-1) and No. 19 Washington (2-1), who are ranked No. 6 and No. 8, respectively.
