Oct. 2, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Riding a five-match unbeaten streak, the Kentucky men’s soccer team breaks from Conference USA action for its final non-conference game of the year, hosting No. 11 Indiana, with kickoff slated for Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET at the UK Soccer Complex.
Kentucky (5-4-1, 0-0-1 C-USA) enters the non-conference regular season finale on Wednesday owning a five-match unbeaten streak. The Wildcats started the streak with a 1-0 win at No. 18 Louisville, on Sept. 14 at Cardinal Park. During the five-game streak, UK has four wins and a tie, charting a 13-4 goal differential during the stretch.
The Wildcats are coming off a 2-2 double-overtime tie with Memphis in the C-USA opener on Sunday afternoon. UK got goals from Tyler Riggs and Charley Pettys and a five-save outing from keeper Jack Van Arsdale vs. the Tigers. Riggs netted a dramatic, would-be golden goal as time expired in the second overtime period but the goal was taken off the board on an offsides call.
Kentucky will be facing its fifth top-25 opponent of the 2012 season, with UK owning a 1-3 record against ranked foes this season. The Wildcats have faced No. 25 Northwestern (1-2), No. 15 St. John’s (1-2), No. 4 Charlotte (0-1) and No. 18 Louisville (1-0) to open the season.
UK enters the game owning the 23rd-most goals in the NCAA, with its offense ranked No. 30 in scoring. The Wildcats are averaging two goals per game and holding opponents to 1.26 goals per game. UK has averaged 13.1 shots per game and owns a 66-52 advantage in corner kicks.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Riggs has led UK offensively in 2012, with six goals and four assists. Senior Matt Lodge, who on Sunday broke the UK career record for shots, has five goals and a team-best 31 shots to open the season. Pettys, a native of Los Angeles, Calif., has four goals and two assists, while senior Gabriel Conelian has three goals. Freshman Bryan Celis has a goal and an assist, while senior Jacob Kemper has three assists and freshman Kristoffer Tollefsen has two assists. Defender Steven Perinovic, who has shined at center back for the UK backline, has a goal.
Van Arsdale, a native of Richmond, Va., has a 1.03 goals-against average in eight games, saving 24 shots in 700 minutes. Freshman keeper Callum Irving has a 2.00 goals-against average with seven saves in three starts and 225 minutes.
Indiana (7-2-1, 2-0 Big Ten) has been ranked No. 11 in the national rankings as of Monday, after a 1-0 loss to No. 8 Notre Dame and a 1-0 overtime win at Penn State. IU has netted 16 goals in 10 games, with 12.9 shots per game and a staggering 74-40 advantage in corner kicks and facing three top-25 foes. IU has wins at St. Louis, vs. Cincinnati, vs. Clemson, Oregon State, No. 22 SIUE and at Ohio State. IU has suffered losses to Notre Dame and No. 4 Akron, tying San Diego State in double overtime.
The Hoosiers have been led by Eriq Zavaleta, who has seven goals and 34 shots. A.J. Corrado has a goal and three assists, while Caleb Konstanski has two goals. Jacob Bushue has a goal and two assists, while Harrison Petts has a goal and an assist. Andrew Oliver and Kyle Sparks each have a goal. Keeper Luis Soffner has a 0.48 goals-against average in 10 games and 935 minutes, saving 43 shots with six shutouts.
In the meeting last year with Indiana, the Hoosiers broke open a scoreless game with two goals in the second half in Bloomington. In a steady, driving rain throughout the game, UK battled the Hoosiers without traveling several of its key players, including Lodge, Riggs and All-America defender Dylan Asher. Zavaleta got the scoring started for IU with a penalty kick goal in the 56th minute and Nikita Kotlov netted his third of the year in the 82nd frame on a shot from 35 yards out. Soffner saved two shots in the clean sheet.
Indiana has a 1-16-3 overall lead in the series with the Wildcats, including a 0-6-2 mark in games played in Lexington. UK’s win against the Hoosiers came in 1995, a 1-0 result in Bloomington, as UK got a goal from Sean Mondelli off the bench as Chris West worked the clean sheet with three saves in the win.
