The following is the first of a three-part series previewing the 2007 Kentucky men?s soccer team, leading up to the season-opening UK Invitational on Friday. The focus in today?s feature is on the forwards, while Tuesday will feature a preview of the midfield
Over the past 16 years, the Kentucky men?s soccer program has established itself as a fixture on the national stage. The team?s conductor, head coach Ian Collins, orchestrated his team to a dynamic performance in 2006, to the tune of a program-best No. 13 national ranking and an impressive 44 goals.
And while the Wildcats have proven to be a force to contend with in the rigorous Conference USA, which Kentucky joined prior to the 2005 season, they are looking to ascend to soccer?s version of the Big Dance. Despite finishing second in its league to top-ranked Southern Methodist and winning a school-best 14 matches, Kentucky was denied the right to punch its ticket to the concert of the year.
?We?ve got to look forward to our third season in Conference USA and continue to make strides there,? Collins said. ?We are starting to become familiar with all the conference teams. We never really had any rivals in the conference and we are starting to develop them. It is a great conference this year and we play a very difficult schedule, both in conference and non conference.?
For the Wildcats, who dominated the Mid-American Conference from 1995-2004, the 2006 campaign was an historic one. Still, Kentucky players hung up their cleats last season with a hunger for more. Perhaps the players were left with a bitter taste in their mouths because they could sense how close they were to potentially the most remarkable season in school history.
Though often starting a match with as many as five newcomers and regularly placing eight rookies in the lineup during the course of a match, the Wildcats hung tough with the nation?s elite. Of the squad?s five losses, three came in overtime and one tie came after a Kentucky goal was waived off in the waning seconds.
Collins will be forced to pull out the eraser when he makes out the lineup card for Kentucky?s season opener Aug. 31 against Cornell. Gone are mainstays Michael D?Agostino and Riley O?Neill, both of whom are shining in European professional leagues. The dynamic duo combined to net 23 of UK?s 44 goals last season. Despite the loss of three top players, including midfielder Nathan Li, Collins is optimistic about his nucleus of returning players of the 2007 season.
?I feel like we will be a little bit more experienced then last year,? Collins said. ?Last year we started about five or six freshmen most of the year and I think this year we have some guys going into it with their eyes open a little bit more in terms of what to expect. We will have good depth barring injuries and we are cautiously optimistic.?
The large question mark entering the season is where the goal production will come from with the losses of D?Agostino and O?Neill, but UK returns a talented young nucleus of players likely to step into the void created by the dynamic duo.
Among the faces likely to step up is former High School All-American Mark Halma, a product from Des Moines, Iowa. Halma played in 20 games last year, registering 13 starts. Halma netted three goals and contributed three assists.
?Mark had a great fall at the end of the season, started a little slow but you expect that out of a freshman,? Collins said. ?He really caught fire at the end and really played great. I am expecting big things out of him. He is going to have to learn to carry the load. Last year he was kind of able to find his way as Riley O?Neill and Michael D?Agostino drew all the attention, giving Mark a little more time and space. This year he is going to have to play with a little less time and space. The demands on him are going to be higher and I am pretty sure he will rise to that challenge.?
Several other faces are likely to make a push for a spot in the front, including newcomers Luke Maitland, Aaron Swanson, and Lucas Carden.
?We are going to have to be ready,? Collins said. ?Obviously, we need to find someone to replace Riley O?Neill and Michael D?Agostino in terms of goal production. I feel comfortable that we have some players who will step up and score goals. Some of our young players are going to need to grow into impact players. Halma obviously has the experience and Luke Maitland has the talent. Those are two that standout to me as guys right away who can step in and play.
?We aren?t sure what type of formation we will play or what type of system yet, all depending on what happens in the preseason. We are hoping one or two other guys can really step up, but obviously it is difficult to replace a guy who scored 17 goals and is playing professionally in Germany and a guy that scored six goals from midfield and is now playing professionally in England. It is going to be difficult but we have some quality talent and we need some guys to step up.?
