LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s soccer senior midfielders Matt Lodge and Cameron Wilder have been named team captains for the 2012 season, UK head coach Johan Cedergren announced on Monday afternoon.

 

“Matt and Cam are going to be excellent team captains in 2012,” Cedergren said. “They are both tremendous leaders and have different styles of leadership. They set great examples with their work ethic, positive attitudes on and off the field, and competitive mentality. Both are veterans who have been tested throughout their careers and are poised for big senior seasons.”

 

The senior co-captains will help lead a UK club that opens its 2012 season on Saturday at 5 p.m. ET Dayton. Lodge, a native of Rossington, England, is a three-time All-Conference USA honoree and a 2009 freshman All-America honoree and is coming off a dynamic offensive season in 2011. Wilder, a native of Kennesaw, Ga., is a versatile 5-foot-7, midfielder who has played in 49 career games with three assists.

 

A 5-foot-10 midfielder, Lodge became the first UK player in program history to earn freshman All-America honors in 2009. He has played in 53 career games with 47 starts, owning 17 goals and 15 assists (49 points). In 2011, Lodge totaled seven goals and 10 assists, firing 62 total shots, the second-most in UK single-season history. Lodge recorded the seventh hat trick in UK history in 2011, and he ranks eighth in UK career history in goals, seventh in points, fifth in assists, fifth in shots (137) and eighth in game-winning goals (six). 

 

Wilder has played in 49 games with 27 starts in his three-year career, with an assist in each season. After serving as an attacking player his first two seasons at UK, Wilder shifted to a defensive midfield post in 2011 and excelled. Under Cedergren, Wilder has moved back to a more attacking midfield position for 2012. He was named to the 2011 UK Invitational All-Tournament Team after helping lead UK to a 2-1 comeback win over No. 9 Michigan.