Sept. 6, 2009
Box Score | Photo Gallery | Coach Collins Postgame Interview 
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Behind 24 total shots – including goals from Matt Lodge, Tim Crone, Tyler Burns and Jason Griffiths – the Kentucky men’s soccer team posted a dominating 4-1 win over Bowling Green State University in the finale of the 2009 UK Invitational, Sunday afternoon in front of 1,475 fans at the UK Soccer Complex.
Kentucky (2-0-0) wrapped up the UK Invitational with a pair of dominating performances, besting IUPUI in the season-opener Friday, 2-1. Earlier Sunday, No. 23 Louisville notched a 2-0 win over IUPUI. Friday, Louisville topped Bowling Green, 3-0, in the opening game of the UK Invitational. UK drew a total of 1,412 fans for the game with IUPUI Friday and 1,475 for the contest Sunday.
The Wildcats owned a 24-4 advantage in shots and a 7-2 advantage in corner kicks in the game with BGSU. The Wildcats controlled the game from the beginning, firing 13 shots in the first half and 11 in the second half, despite playing several reserves. UK played a total of 20 players in the game, with Mark Lavery, Kyle Smith, Byron Vega and Thomas Zimmerman all seeing their first action of the season.
Kentucky returns to action next weekend, traveling to play in the University of Louisville Invitational. UK will face top-25 foe Illinois-Chicago Friday at 5 p.m. ET, before facing SIU-Edwardsville at noon Sunday. UK’s next home game will be against Alabama A&M Sept. 16.
UK keeper Dan Williams, a 2008 National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-Region selection, made only one save, with BGSU mustering just four shots. Williams, a 6-foot-2 native of Fairfax Station, Va., allowed one goal in the 84th minute.
Lodge got the Wildcats on the board first with a world-class goal, as Tim Muessig played the ball to Lodge in the center of the box. Lodge put on some fancy footwork, beating the defender and firing a beautiful shot just out of the diving goalkeepers reach. The assist marked the first career point for Muessig, a Paul Dunbar graduate and former standout defender at Western Kentucky University. After WKU disbanded its program following the 2007 season, Muessig transferred to UK, starting all 21 games for UK in 2008, helping the Wildcats rank 31st in the NCAA in goals-against average. The goal was Lodge’s first of the year.
In the 41st minute, UK took a 2-0 lead as senior forward Tim Crone – a transfer from Bowling Green – hooked up with Williams on the goal. Williams booted the ball deep into BGSU territory and the quick and crafty Crone lofted the ball up over the head of the defender and goalkeeper, with the ball trickling into the goal. The goal was Crone’s first of the season, the 11th over his career and now with five game-winning goals, Crone ranks tied for eighth all-time in UK career history. The assist marked the first career points for Williams, playing in his 56th career match at UK Sunday.
After the half, UK got a goal from Tyler Burns in the 57th minute, taking a 3-0 lead. Burns’ goal was the second in as many games during the 2009 season. Last year, Burns totaled two goals in 20 games. C.J. Tappel played the ball down the far sideline, flicking it to freshman Cameron Wilder, who passed it to Burns in traffic. A native of Aura, Colo., fired two shots in the game, both on target.
In the 73rd frame, senior Jason Griffiths netted his first goal of the year and his first non penalty-kick goal since the 2006 season, his freshman campaign. The goal was set up on a terrific bicycle kick attempt from senior forward Marco dos Santos, with Griffiths scooping up the misfire and pounding it home.
BGSU (1-2-0) got on the board in the 84th minute, as Joey D’Agostino found Byard Ebling for a goal on a cross. Ebling fielded it from about 15 yards out, netting it home.
Lodge and dos Santos led UK with four shots each, with Drew Midkiff – making his second career start – Crone, Burns, Griffiths and Barry Rice each adding two shots.
Rice, a preseason first-team All-America defender, won 10-of-12 contested header attempts in the game. Rice, a native of Parma, Ohio, won 16-of-18 contested header attempts in Friday’s opener with IUPUI. Last season, Rice won a staggering 87-percent of contested header attempts, creating a new statistic kept by the UK soccer stat crew. Rice is a member of the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List, an award annually given to the top player in college soccer.
Burns, Lodge, dos Santos and Griffiths were each named to the UKIT All-Tournament team. Louisville’s Phil Edginton, Andre Boudreaux, Othaniel Yanez and Austin Berry made up UL’s representatives, while Bowling Green’s Tyler Deal and Byard Ebling and IUPUI’s Derek Craig and Michael Wignot rounding out the honorees.
UKIT All-Tournament Team
Louisville – Phil Edginton, D
Louisville – Andre Boudreaux, GK
Louisville – Othaniel Yanez, MF
Louisville – Austin Berry, MF
Kentucky – Tyler Burns, MF
Kentucky – Matt Lodge, MF
Kentucky – Marco dos Santos, F
Kentucky – Jason Griffiths, MF
Bowling Green – Tyler Deal, D
Bowling Green – Byard Ebling, F
IUPUI – Derek Craig, D
IUPUI – Michael Wignot, D
