Oct. 16, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Fresh off a thrilling comeback 2-1 win at No. 25 UAB on Saturday night, the Kentucky men’s soccer team returns to the road on Wednesday, traveling to face the red-hot Marshall Thundering Herd at 7 p.m. ET at Hurricane High School.
Kentucky (6-6-1, 1-1-1 Conference USA) is coming off its second road win over a top-25 foe in 2012, also besting No. 18 Louisville on Sept. 14. UK faced UAB in its seventh-ranked opponent in the first 13 games of the year and as UK’s third consecutive ranked foe.
The Wildcats fell behind after UAB netted an early goal in the first half. Senior Charley Pettys netted the equalizer in the 66th minute before senior Matt Lodge connected on his sixth goal of the year as a penalty kick strike to lift UK to the 2-1 comeback win. Junior keeper Jack Van Arsdale saved five shots in the game, leading UK to its fifth win over the last eight games.
UK has been led offensively by junior forward Tyler Riggs, who has seven goals and four assists through the first 13 games. Pettys has five goals and three assists, Lodge has six goals, with senior Gabriel Conelian adding three goals and senior defender Jacob Kemper leading the team with five assists. Freshman Bryan Celis has a goal and an assist, with freshman Kristoffer Tollefsen adding two assists. On the backline, Steven Perinvoic and freshman Jacob Speed have helped anchor the UK defense.
Van Arsdale has started 10 games with 32 saves in 970 minutes, owning a 1.39 goals-against average with two shutouts. Freshman Callum Irving has a 2.00 goals-against average in three starts, with seven saves and one shutout.
Marshall (10-1-1, 2-1-0 C-USA) enters the game with the second-best defense in the NCAA, owning a 0.32 goals-against average in 12 games. The Herd has a 27-4 goal differential in 2012, allowing only goals to UNC Asheville, at Tulsa and vs. South Carolina. The only loss on the schedule for Marshall came in a 2-0 defeat at Tulsa, also tying Bowling Green on the road. Marshall has wins over Wright State, IPFW, Liberty, VMI, UNC-Asheville, Radford, Memphis, Asbury, Evansville and South Carolina.
The Herd has been led offensively by veteran Tom Jackson, who has seven goals and three assists. Andrew Ferguson has three goals and three assists, while Jack Hopkins has four goals. Eddy Purgh has charted three goals and two assists, while Anthony Virgara, Nick Edginton and Jesus Mafouta each have two goals and one assist. In goal, Daniel Withrow ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in save percentage and second in goals-against average (0.33).
The Wildcats own a 14-7-3 overall record in the series with Marshall, winning three of the last five meetings with the Herd. Kentucky suffered a 2-0 loss to Marshall in Lexington in 2011, as Diego Ayala netted a goal in the 40th minute and Jackson added a tally in the 49th. UK finished the game with a 17-9 advantage in shots, with Marshall saving four shots. In the last meeting at Marshall, UK posted a 2-1 overtime win in Huntington.
