Oct. 7, 2008
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky men’s soccer team – bolstered by the 12th-best scoring offense in the NCAA – travels to No. 15 Tulsa for a mid-week Conference USA matchup, set for 7 p.m. ET Wednesday at the Hurricane Soccer and Track Stadium.
Kentucky (5-3-2, 1-0 C-USA) is coming off a week of mixed emotions, as the Wildcats posted a dominating 4-0 league-opening win at Marshall on Wednesday, before dropping a match to Xavier 1-0 on Saturday.
UK senior forward Michael Strong led the way in the win at Marshall, setting the school record for the fastest two goals in a game, needing just 15 seconds to net two goals. Sam Vernalls and Jason Griffiths each added a goal for the final margin.
In the loss to Xavier, UK was missing several key players due to injury, including Strong, who played only the first 20 minutes of the game. Despite outshooting the Musketeers 20-9 and holding a 10-0 advantage in corner kicks, the Wildcats allowed a goal in the 81st minute for the difference, a goal that occurred seconds after the UK defense stopped attacking, thinking an offsides penalty was called.
The Wildcats, which rank 12th nationally in scoring offense, are among the C-USA leader in nearly every category, including fourth in shots (135), second in points (63), first in goals (22), first in goals per game (2.20), second in assists (19), second in assists per game (1.90), first in goals allowed (7) and first in goals against average (0.67).
Individually, Strong ranks third in shots (25), fifth in shots per game (2.50), second in points (15), second in points per game (1.50), second in goals (0.70) and second in goals per game (0.70). UK’s three-year starting goalkeeper Dan Williams – regarded as one of the best keepers in collegiate soccer – leads the league in goals against average (0.68). Williams, a native of Fairfax Station, Va., ranks 31st nationally in goals against average, while Strong checks in 38th in points per game and 25th in goals per game.
Griffiths and Marco dos Santos rank second on the team with seven points each, both coming with three goals and one assist. Griffiths has burred 3-of-3 penalty kicks on the season, making him a perfect 5-of-5 in his career. Vernalls, Taylor White and Tim Crone had each added two goals on the season.
Tulsa (6-3-1, 2-0 C-USA) has opened C-USA play in impressive fashion, posting an opening-win at No. 6 SMU, a 4-1 result in front of 1,178 fans in Dallas, Texas. Last Saturday, Tulsa got its second win in league play, beating UAB 2-1 on the road. After opening up its season 2-0-1, with a win over Penn State and a draw with No. 2 Connecticut, the Golden Hurricane suffered three consecutive losses, to No. 10 Ohio State, No. 30 Oakland and George Mason.
The Golden Hurricane has been led offensively by Austin Neil, who has totaled eight points (3 goals, 2 assist) in eight games played. Jeovahnni Sandez and Eric Defreitas rank second on the club with two goals each, both with four points. In goal, Tulsa has had to replace Dominic Cervi, its keeper from 2008, who is currently playing professionally in Europe for the Celtic. Tyrel Lacey has seen every second in between the pipes for Tulsa, allowing only nine goals and a 0.87 goals against average, posting two shutouts.
The Wildcats own a 3-2 advantage in the all-time series with Tulsa, dropping the first-ever meeting between the two schools in 2004 and suffering a home 3-0 defeat in 2007. UK is 2-0 all-time in games played at Tulsa.
