With the first competition of the 2004 men?s soccer season less than a week away, senior Jamal Shteiwi will return to camp with a summer of success under his belt.

Shteiwi, the 2003 Mid-America Conference Player of the Year and All-American candidate for the upcoming season, starred in the Premier Development League where he led the Carolina Dynamo to the Eastern Conference championship.

A Cincinnati, Ohio, native, Shteiwi started at midfielder for the Dynamo and logged the third most playing time on the squad.

After finishing first in the MAC and 11th in the nation in assists for Kentucky in 2003, Shteiwi also paced his Carolina team with eight assists. His total was easily the highest on the team.

Shteiwi was at his best in crunch time as he notched a game-winner in the 89th-minute for the team?s first playoff win. He also scored a goal before assisting on the game-winner in the 90th minute to seal the conference championship game. His team was knocked out to eventual league-champion Central Florida.

In week 13, Shteiwi was named to the PDL Team of the Week after notching a goal and three assists to lead Carolina to wins over the West Virginia Chaos and the Richmond Kickers Future.

Shteiwi will lead Kentucky into its action on Friday when the Wildcats travel to Fort Wayne, Ind., for an exhibition against Michigan State. The game, part of the IPFW/adidas Classic, is slated for 7 p.m. ET.