Dec. 30, 2009

LEXINGTON, Ky. — After leading the Kentucky men’s soccer team in scoring as a true freshman, midfielder Matt Lodge has been named second-team Freshman All-America by Soccer America, becoming the first player in school history to earn freshman All-America accolades, it was announced.

Lodge, a native of Rossington, England, had a breakout campaign in his first collegiate season, pacing the Wildcats in scoring. Just a few months after moving to the United States, Lodge played in 17 games, totaling six goals and two assists, leading the team in shots (43), shots on goal (19) and game-winning goals (three).

Soccer America announced a first and second team, consisting of 11 players on each team. Lodge was selected to the second team, one of three midfielders on the second team. Lodge is the only player in Conference USA to earn first- or second-team accolades.

A major factor in leading UK to a school-record start to the season, Lodge opened the year on a blistering pace, totaling four goals and an assist in the first five games, including points in four consecutive matches. He charted his first career goal in a 4-1 win over Bowling Green, adding his first career assist in a win over then-No. 19 ranked Illinois-Chicago. He netted both of UK’s goals in a clinching win of the Louisville Invitational Tournament, his first multiple-goal game. During UK’s must-win stretch late in the year on the road, Lodge added goals at Memphis and South Carolina.

Lodge is the first UK player in school history to earn freshman All-America accolades. Five times in UK annals has a player earned conference Newcomer of the Year honors, most recently Marco dos Santos in 2008.