Sept. 4, 2008
LEXINGTON
, Ky. —
Off to the best start in program history, the Kentucky men’s soccer team hits the road in a west-coast swing, traveling to face No. 7 UC Santa Barbara in a nationally-televised game on Friday at 11 p.m. ET at UCSB’s Harder Field.
Televised by the Fox Soccer Channel, Kentucky will face the 2006 National Champion Gauchos on Friday, before facing No. 24 Cal Poly on Sunday.
The Wildcats are off to the best start in school history, setting new marks for goals scored and largest margin of victory in the first two games in program history. UK pounded Central Arkansas in the opener 6-0, before securing the UK Invitational title with a 5-0 beating of Detroit on Sunday. Kentucky, which dealt with significant injury issues last season but still managed a third-place finish in Conference USA, will face a significant challenge on the road trip, facing two of the best programs in the nation in two of the better collegiate soccer environments in the country.
Several players have stepped up to provide sparks for Kentucky just two games deep in 2008, including freshman forwards Marco dos Santos and Taylor White. White has totaled two goals and two assists in two starts, while dos Santos has scored goals in both of his first two collegiate games. Senior forward Michael Strong, the C-USA Offensive Player of the Week, leads the way, scoring three goals and adding an assist, totaling just 50 minutes of action in the opening two games.
In between the pipes, UK’s junior goalkeeper Dan Williams has worked 163 scoreless minutes, posting his eighth career shutout in UK’s win over Detroit. UK defender Barry Rice, on the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy watch list, has won 17-of-17 contested header attempts on the year.
Just two games deep in 2008, UK has outshot opponents 30-5 and posted a 15-2 advantage on corner kicks.
UCSB has been led by senior forward Chris Pontius, who led the Gauchos with 11 games last year. Pontius totaled both goals of the season-opening 2-1 win over Air Force, firing eight total shots in the match.
