Four days following the big upset of No. 18 Louisville, the
University of Kentucky men’s soccer team has wasted no time shifting the focus
to its next opponent: East Tennessee State on Wednesday.

The Wildcats dropped four one-goal games in their first five
games before pulling out a 1-0 victory over the Cardinals last Friday evening
at Cardinal Park in Louisville, Ky. Not only did the Cats start the 2012 season
with an uphill climb after four losses in their first five games of the year,
but they had played three ranked opponents in those contests.

Louisville was next up on the brutal schedule, but UK found
a way to win and may have turned their season around. Kentucky has a stretch
where they have an opportunity to roll off a winning streak and get some
confidence built.

In their next three games the Cats will face ETSU at home,
and Evansville (Sept. 22) and IPFW (Sept. 25) on the road. Head coach Johan
Cedergren sees this as an opportunity to right the ship and get back to an even
record.

“We are 2-4 so we need a couple to get back to .500,” Cedergren
said. “I think we are ready for it. Like I’ve have said all along, it’s a good
team and it’s just a matter of putting it all together. Now we know that we can
do it in a hostile environment against a very good team. So let’s show our home
fans on Wednesday that we can do it back-to-back.”

However, East Tennessee will be no slouch when the Buccaneers come
to the UK Soccer Complex on Wednesday. They own a 4-2 mark on the year, including
a 1-0 victory in double overtime over Conference USA foe, No. 17 UAB.

Cedergren is aware of ETSU and what it can bring, but knows that
if his team plays with the same energy that it brought against Louisville, the
Wildcats can beat anyone in the country.

“We have a brutal schedule, and ETSU and their coaching staff have
a very good program,” Cedergren said. “They have had success, been to the
tournament (2010), have a wonderful facility down there and have some very
special players going forward. We are definitely going to have to be on our
toes, but at the same time if we can beat Louisville and can put that kind of
performance together on Wednesday then I will feel pretty good about our
chances.”

After recording his first shutout of the season against
Louisville, junior goal keeper Jack Van Arsdale received two weekly awards for
his performance. Van Arsdale was named to the national team of the week by
College Soccer News and the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Week.

Van Arsdale and the defense are taking that step forward that
Cedergren has been preaching all season. Along with the Louisville match, the
defensive unit has posted a shutout against St. Joseph’s and held No. 4
Charlotte scoreless in the second half in its last three contests.

The Wildcats took a beating with the early schedule but Van
Arsdale likes his team’s chances the rest of the season.

“It gives you confidence
that if you are playing the best teams in the country to start out with,
theoretically it gets easier from here,” Van Arsdale said. “Our conference is
really tough with really good teams. Basically, we need to take what we have
learned from these games and use them going forward.”

Senior forward Matt Lodge
scored the winning goal against the Cardinals on Friday and was awarded the
Conference USA Offensive Player of the Week. The win over Louisville was huge
for Lodge in particular, considering it was the first time he had tasted a
victory over the archrivals.

Lodge was pleased with the
UK fan turnout in Louisville and is excited to play in front of the home crowd
on Wednesday. The Rossington, England native believes that Friday’s win will
persuade the fans to keep supporting the Cats this season.

“Yeah, especially after the Louisville game,” Lodge said. “We had
a lot of fans there and they saw us win, so hopefully they will be at our home
game against ETSU. I don’t know a whole lot about them but I know they are a
solid team. They beat UAB so it’s going to be a test.”

Cedergren has been consistent since the offseason and the kickoff
to the season. He has constantly talked about his team getting better every day
in training and games. The record didn’t always show it, but only he and the
rest of the team have really been able to see what’s going on day in and day
out.

After topping the Cardinals, the Cats now can show the rest of the
world what they are made of and how much they have improved since the start of the
season. No more playing well for stretches at a time or for just one half and then
having the wheels fall off. This team appears to have grown in maturity and
experience that is ready for the long haul.

“We are at the point now
where we can put together a good performance for ninety minutes,” Cedergren
said. “The guys were really passionate, and we came out on fire against
Louisville. That surprised us a little bit, and that gave us confidence. Then
from that point we were just trying to sustain what we had done. I think we are
a really good team. We just need to realize that ourselves and put it together
now for several games in a row.”