Nov. 20, 2008

LEXINGTON, Ky. — All-America defender Barry Rice, the 2008 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year, has been selected to the Top Drawer Soccer National Team of the Week, it was announced.

Rice, the only player in conference history to win C-USA Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive seasons, had a solid week while leading the No. 21 Wildcats to the league championship game, suffering a loss on penalty kicks to No. 7 Tulsa. Rice, a junior defender, totaled a game-winning goal in the semifinal win over UCF, a header goal to lift the Wildcats into the championship game.

A native of Parma, Ohio, Rice has totaled two goals – both game winners – on the year, adding one assist, while leading UK with 33 shots taken. A force in the air, Rice won 189-for-218 contested header attempts on the year, an 87-percent clip. A year after leading an injury-depleted UK roster with seven goals – six off headers – Rice helped anchor a Wildcat defense that posted a 0.80 goals-against average, the fifth-best total in the 18-year history of the program.

Kentucky (12-4-5) finished the season as the lone top-25 team not included in the field of 48 for the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats finished the season riding a school-record 10-game unbeaten streak, with its last loss coming at Tulsa on Oct. 8.

TopDrawerSoccer.com National Team of the Week

Tyrel Lacey, GK, Tulsa


Barry Rice, D, Kentucky


Yohance Marshall, D, South Florida
Jeremy Hall, M, Maryland
Samson Malijani, F, Fairleigh-Dickinson
Doug DeMartin, F, Michigan State
Florian DeCamps, F, Dayton
Kwame Adjeman-Pamboe, F, George Mason
Brian Ownby, F, Virginia
Mike Stephens, F, UCLA
Conor Chinn, F, San Francisco

Player of the Week: Conor Chinn, San Francisco