Sept. 28, 2009
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LEXINGTON, Ky. — Off to a 7-0-0 start to non-conference play in 2009, the 20th-ranked Kentucky men’s soccer team travels to face No. 6 Indiana Tuesday, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET at Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
Kentucky (7-1-0, 0-1-0 Conference USA) has lost only once in its last 17 matches, including a school-record 15-game streak that dated back to 2008 and ended with UK’s loss in double overtime against conference foe Marshall. The Wildcats are coming off a win Wednesday at Xavier and a comeback win Sunday against UNC Asheville. UK’s last non-conference loss came Oct. 4, 2008, a 1-0 result vs. Xavier, a span of 360 days or 51 weeks, with UK owning a 7-0-1 non-conference record since the loss.
Last season, UK allowed a goal an NCAA-record six seconds into the game, with Marco dos Santos giving UK the equalizer in the 22nd minute, as UK held on to tie the NCAA’s RPI leader in Bloomington, 1-1. IU fired 20 total shots in the 2008 meeting, with UK finishing with 14 shots. UK keeper Dan Williams was magnificent in the contest, saving seven shots and keeping UK in the game throughout.
The Wildcats have a 1-14-2 all-time record against Indiana, in a series that dates back to 1991, with UK totaling a 1-8-1 record in games played in Bloomington. The Wildcats last win over IU came in 1995, a 1-0 result in Bloomington.
UK has been led offensively by freshman midfielder Matt Lodge, who has netted four goals and added an assist in his first eight college games. Senior co-captain Jason Griffiths has charted two goals, with Tyler Burns and senior Chad Hagerty each notching two goals. Dos Santos and C.J. Tappel lead the Wildcats with two assists, with both players adding one goal. Griffiths, a native of Bracknell, England, leads UK with 20 shots, with Lodge (18 shots) and dos Santos (19 shots) helping lead the Wildcat offensive attack.
Williams, a native of Fairfax Station, Va., has led UK in between the pipes, totaling a 0.61 goals-against average in 731 minutes, saving 15 shots and totaling three shutouts. In his 62-game career, Williams has a 1.09 goals-against average, a 33-19-9 record and 17 clean sheets.
Fans can follow the game through live stats and an interactive live blog through UKathletics.com. Cat Scratches, the official blog of UKathletics.com, will host the comprehensive live blog from Bloomington. Cat Scratches columnist Eric Lindsey will call the action, with the live blog beginning around 6:45 p.m. ET.
Indiana (4-2-1, 1-0 BIG TEN) is coming off back-to-back wins, including a 1-0 win at Wisconsin in the conference opener Friday. The Hoosiers have lost only twice on the season, a 2-1 setback at No. 3 Wake Forest and a 1-0 result at No. 1 Akron. IU’s lone tie came in the season opener, a scoreless tie against No. 5 St. Johns. Indiana’s program is widely considered the top men’s program in the NCAA, with IU owning a nation-leading seven NCAA Championships since 1973, two more then Virginia. IU has won a NCAA-leading 76 NCAA Tournament games and advanced to a nation-leading 17 College Cup appearances.
Indiana is known as one of the top collegiate soccer environments in the nation, with an average of 3,210 fans per game through two home dates in 2009. In the season-opener, Indiana had a total of 3,920 fans watch its draw with fifth-ranked St. Johns. IU has not played a home game since Sept. 6.
Offensively, Will Bruin has led IU with five goals and an assist in seven games, firing 28 total shots and netting three game-winning goals. Andy Adlard and Lee Hagedorn have each added two assists, with Adlard netting one goal. Eric Alexander and Alec Purdie own the other two IU goals on the year. In goal, Luis Soffner has allowed six goals in seven games, posting a 0.81 goals-against average with 29 saves in 665 minutes. As a team, IU has totaled 10 goals and allowed six, firing 104 shots with 46 corner kicks.
