All the men’s soccer team has asked for this year is a chance to make it to the NCAA Tournament. Coaches and players alike have said all along that, after recent NCAA Tournament snubs, the best chance to get in is to take their fate out of the NCAA committee’s hands and earn an automatic bid with a Conference USA Tournament championship.

Well, the Cats now have that chance.

After an up-and-down season marred with injuries, inexperience and a lack of depth, UK has made a late push and clinched itself a spot in the C-USA Tournament. UAB’s victory over Marshall on Wednesday night assured the Cats a spot in the six-team tournament.

Now, instead of Kentucky playing a must-win game on Sunday against South Carolina to get into the tournament, UK will be playing for a higher seed. The Cats (3-2-2), currently fifth in the conference with 11 points, can finish as high as the No. 3 seed with a win over the Gamecocks.