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LEXINGTON, Ky. — The 21st-ranked Kentucky men’s soccer team wraps up a brutal travel stretch with its second Conference USA game of the season, traveling to Miami to face FIU, with kickoff set for 12 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Kentucky (7-4-1, 0-1-0 C-USA) is coming off a 2-1 overtime loss at No. 10 Central Florida on Wednesday and the trip to FIU wraps up a stretch that has seen the Wildcats travel over 9,700 miles in a 15-day span. Included in the span have been trips to California, South Carolina, Nebraska, Orlando and Miami.
The Wildcats have been led by a prolific offensive attack that in the last NCAA statistical rankings had UK tied with No. 2 Maryland with the most goals scored in the nation. UK’s offensive attack has been spearheaded by forwards Tyler Riggs and Matt Lodge, with Riggs leading the team with nine goals scored and four assists, while Lodge has added seven goals and seven assists. Charles Pettys has added a goal and seven assists, while senior Josh Mulvany has two goals and two assists. Senior C.J. Tappel has tallied four assists and one goal, while Sam Brooks owns two goals and one assist.
In goal for UK, sophomore All-Conference USA keeper Tyler Beadle has posted a 1.66 goals-against average in 10 games, saving 30 shots. Backup keeper Jack Van Arsdale has started two games and logged a 2.00 goals-against average with four saves.
In the game at UCF, the Wildcats got an early tally from Riggs, before a 70-minute rain delay halted the game. After resumption, UCF and C-USA leading scorer McKaully Tulloch netted the equalizer before the half. After a scoreless second frame, UCF struck as time wound down in the first overtime period, getting the golden goal for the win.
FIU (3-4-2, 0-1-0 C-USA) enters the game averaging 1.44 goals scored per game, taking 17.7 shots and owning 1.33 goals-against average. FIU has been led offensively by Quentin Albrrecht, who has four goals and two assists, while Lucas Di Croce owns three goals and two assists. Colby Burdette has added a goal and two assists, with Sebastian Frings, Nicholas Rodriguez and Jahbari Willis adding a goal. Netminder Eric Reyes has started all nine games, totaling a 1.43 goals-against average and 29 saves, allowing 14 goals.
In the meeting between the two schools last year, UK posted a 1-0 win, getting a shutout from Beadle and the game-winning goal from Riggs off the bench. The Wildcats owned a 9-8 advantage in shots and a 5-2 mark in corner kicks, with Beadle collecting four saves. Veteran FIU keeper Shane Lopez saved two UK shots.
Fans can follow all the action with the interactive live blog on UKathletics.com.
