LEXINGTON ? Winners of seven of their last nine, the Kentucky men?s soccer team welcomes second-ranked Indiana to the UK Soccer Complex on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. match up.
The Wildcats and defending national champion Hoosiers have a history that dates back to the inception of the Kentucky program in 1991. Indiana owns the all-time series 12-1, but five of the last six meetings have been decided by one goal or less, including three in double overtime.
?This is a game that I enjoy,? said Kentucky coach Ian Collins. ?I enjoy the IU players and the IU coaches, but I want to beat them. They know that and they know when they come to Lexington we?re going to give it our best shot.
?Their talent level is very high and their very prepared. That?s why they are six time national champions. It?s not by accident. We don?t have that tradition yet. But, they understand that, in this region, they won?t get a more difficult game than they will from us. We?re going to go out and do our best and we?ll have to be at our best to get into it.?
Last year, the Hoosiers ended the Wildcats season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a dramatic 2-1 double overtime victory en route to their sixth national championship. Kentucky played a man down for nearly all of the extra time.
?We?re not much on revenge and talking about that stuff. This isn?t for the guys last year. This year is this year,? said Collins. Last year?s loss was heartbreaking ? one of the most difficult I?ve been apart of as a coach. But those things happen. We have to focus on this year and understand the real reason we?re playing the game. It?s not to avenge last year, it?s to try and advance our program this year.?
It was the second time (1999) that Indiana ousted the Wildcats from the NCAA Tournament with a victory in the second overtime.
The rivalry is something that is ingrained the in minds of the veteran Kentucky players. However, many of the freshman will be playing against the Hoosiers for the first time. Playing at home will be a huge advantage for the Wildcats. Two seasons ago, more than 1,600 fans came out to witness the contest.
?We have a lot of players who have never played in this game. They?re going to understand real quickly what this game means,? said Collins. ?When they show up an hour before the game and there are already 800 people there, they will understand really clearly what this game is all about. Just like any rivalry, there is something special about this game.?
Kentucky?s last win over a ranked opponent came last October when the Wildcats downed No. 12 Akron, 1-0, at home.
