Oct. 13, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. — After notching a comeback win over Memphis Saturday night, the Kentucky men’s soccer team steps out of conference play and travels to face state rival No. 7 Louisville, with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. ET at Cardinal Park.
Kentucky (8-4-0, 1-3-0 Conference USA) will be playing at Cardinal Park for the third time this season, as UK claimed the 2009 University of Louisville Invitational Tournament title with wins in September over No. 19 UIC and SIU-Edwardsville.
UK owns a 9-3-4 all-time record against Louisville, including a 5-0-2 record all-time against UL in Louisville. The Wildcats, including the two games with UIC and SIUE, have never lost in Louisville. UK has only lost to Louisville once in the last six meetings. UK’s all-time records begin in 1991, UK’s first-year as a varsity NCAA sport.
The Wildcats have been led offensively by freshman midfielder Matt Lodge, who leads UK with five goals and one assist in 11 games. Junior midfielder Tyler Burns has three goals and an assist, while senior forward Marco dos Santos and junior C.J. Tappel lead UK with three assists each. Senior Chad Hagerty and senior midfielder Jason Griffiths have each contributed two goals. In goal, four-year starter Dan Williams has allowed only 11 goals in 12 games, posting a 0.91 goals-against average, saving 28 shots and charting three shutouts. In Williams’ four-year career, the Fairfax Station, Va., native has a 1.11 goals-against average in 66 games and 6142 minutes, totaling 17 clean sheets.
UK is coming off a 2-1 comeback win over Memphis Saturday night, falling behind 1-0 in the second half, before Lodge and Burns each tallied goals to lead UK to the win. The win and two goals snapped a 347-minute scoreless streak, dating back to UK’s last goal against UNC Asheville on Sept. 27. UK has only lost four times in the last 20 matches, which included a school-record 15-match unbeaten streak that spanned 2008 until a setback against Marshall on Sept. 20.
Louisville (8-1-2, 5-1-1 Big East) is coming off a 2-0 week that saw UL claim a 1-0 win over No. 3 South Florida. The Cardinals have won three straight and have only one loss on the year, a nationally televised 4-0 loss at No. 21 Notre Dame. Saturday, UL posted a 4-0 win over Syracuse at Cardinal Park.
The Cardinals have been led offensively by Mark Knight, senior Freddie Braun and Colin Rolfe, who have each scored five goals. Knight leads UL in scoring with three assists and his five goals. Braun, Paolo Delpiccolo, Kenney Walker and Gerardo Chavez have each tallied a team-high two assists. In goal, Andre Boudreaux has worked in all 11 games and 1030 minutes, allowing only seven goals and a 0.61 goals-against average, with eight shutouts.
Fans fan follow along with a live interactive blog on UKathletics.com Wednesday from Louisville, beginning at 6:45 ET from Cardinal Park.
