Sept. 22, 2008

LEXINGTON


, Ky. —

Kentucky
junior defender Barry Rice – a preseason All-American and member of the Hermann Trophy National Player of the Year Watch List – has been named a member of the CollegeSoccerNews.com’s Team of the Week, it was announced on Sunday.

Rice, a native of Parma, Ohio, netted the game-winner in UK’s upset win over Michigan on Wednesday. The physical and supremely athletic defender twisted a free-kick goal from 22-yards out, bending it around the Wolverine wall of defenders and into the net. On Sunday, Rice was a vital part of a UK defense that did not surrender a goal to the Alabama A&M Jaguars in a scoreless tie, an athletic team bolstered by a total of nine international players on its 17-man roster.

During the two-game week, Rice won 6-of-6 contested header attempts in the game vs. Michigan and 6-of-7 in the Alabama A&M contest. Considered one of the better defenders in collegiate soccer, Rice has won 47-of-48 contested header attempts in six of UK’s seven games on the season, minus UK’s road contest at Cal Poly.

“Rice won every ball in the air that came his way and scored the game winner from twenty-two yards away out of a free kick in the Wildcat’s 2-1 win over Michigan on Wednesday,” Collegesoccernews.com reported in its national team recap. “On Sunday he was part of a solid Kentucky defensive effort in a 0-0 tie with Alabama A&M.”

The preseason Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year and reigning conference defensive player of the year, Rice has totaled a goal and an assist on the year in 2008, starting all seven games, with 11 shots fired.

Kentucky
(4-2-1) returns to action on Saturday, traveling to face UNC-Asheville in a 2 p.m. ET matchup. The match in Asheville, N.C., will mark UK’s final non-conference tune-up before conference play begins.

¡ñ Sam Arthur – South Carolina

¡ñ Aaron Markowitz – Fordham

¡ñ Collen Warner – Portland

¡ñ James Jaramillo – Saint Louis

¡ñ Alejandro Bedoya – Boston College

¡ñ Dylan Curtis – UC Davis

¡ñ Corben Bone – Wake Forest

¡ñ Ryan Swaim – Charlotte

¡ñ Omar Gonzalez – Maryland

¡ñ Neal Kitson – St. John’s