Sept. 13, 2008
CINCINNATI
—
Junior Tim Crone netted his first two goals of the season and senior Michael Strong notched his fifth goal in as many games, to lead the Kentucky men’s soccer team to a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Bearcats, on a beautiful Saturday evening at Gettler Stadium.
Kentucky
(3-2) bounced back with a pivotal road win over the Bearcats, after dropping two highly contested matches in California to No. 7 UC Santa Barbara and No. 24 Cal Poly last weekend. The Wildcats got their first road win of the season with Crone’s first two goals of the season, Strong’s fifth goal of the year, a penalty-kick goal from Jason Griffiths and clutch goalkeeper play from UK co-captain Dan Williams.
UK
has now scored four or more goals in three of its first five games on the season for the first-time in program history. In 2006, UK opened the season with at least three goals in three of its first five games.
UK
keeper Dan Williams finished with three saves while facing 12 shots. Williams, a junior from Fairfax Station, Va., kept UK in the game with two critical first-half saves. UK fired eight shots to UC’s 11, with Cincinnati attempting eight corner kicks to Kentucky’s one corner attempt.
Kentucky
improves to 5-6-2 in the all-time series with Cincinnati (2-2), with wins in five consecutive meetings, dating back to 2001.
The Wildcats got on the board in the third minute, as Griffiths lofted a ball over the UC defense to a streaking Strong. Strong, a native of San Antonio, Texas, beat the UC defense to the ball, as well as a charging UC keeper. Strong arched the ball over the sprinting keeper’s head, tapping it in past a contesting defense.
Masumi Turnbull had a good opportunity in the eighth, finding himself in an opening from about 18 yards out. The senior midfielder displayed some skilled footedness fired a low-lining shot that was swallowed by Williams in the UC net.
In the 23rd minute, UK defender Barry Rice, attempting to clear the ball from the UK box, executed a slide tackle on UC’s Branden Stelmak, setting up a penalty kick. UC’s Brad Simpson evened up the game with a shot into the right-hand corner of the net, past a diving Williams. The goal marked Simpson’s first of the season.
In the 30th minute, UK’s keeper made a pair of goal-saving saves to keep the score even, leaping to clear the ball from an attempted cross and sliding back into position to save a low-screaming shot aimed for the left post.
In the 35th frame, Dan Williams again came up with a clutch save, defending a shot on a breakaway from freshman forward Colby Catlett.
UK
took the lead in the 38th minute as Issam Sawtarie broke through the UC defense showcasing game-changing speed. Sawtarie, labeled by coach Ian Collins as one of the fastest players in Conference USA, sailed through the defense and crossed a ball into the middle of the 18-yard box where Crone fired a shot that bounced off the Cincinnati keeper and skidded into the net. The goal marked Crone’s first of the season and Sawtarie’s first assist of the season.
In the 43rd, UK tacked on to its lead as Mark Lavery lofted a throw in from about 25 yards away that C.J. Tappel controlled and fired to the left post, where a waiting Crone tapped it in past the keeper. The goal was Crone’s second of the game and season, while Lavery and Tappel notched their first assists of the campaign.
In the 66th, Sawtarie broke through the defense and was tackled from behind by D.J. Albert, just inside the box. Griffiths improved for 2-for-2 on penalty kicks this season, beating the keeper to the right corner of the net for his second goal of the season. In his career, Griffiths – a junior midfielder – is 4-for-4 in penalty kick attempts.
UK
preseason All-America defender Barry Rice upped his headers won/lost count on the season, winning 12-of-12 contested header attempts. On the year, minus the game at Cal Poly, Rice has won 35-of-35 contested header attempts, a remarkable stat for one of the better defenders in collegiate soccer.
UK
returns to action on Wednesday, hosting Michigan in one of its biggest home non-conference games of the year. The Wildcats face U-M at 7 p.m. ET at the UK Soccer Complex.
