Oct. 12, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky men’s soccer team will return to conference action with a matchup against South Carolina, with kickoff on Sunday slated for 1 p.m. ET at the UK Soccer Complex.
Kentucky (3-6, 1-1 Conference USA) is in the midst of a season-long, three-game homestand that kicked off with a 2-1 loss to Evansville on Tuesday night. UK will host the Gamecocks on Sunday, before welcoming Valparaiso next Tuesday.
The Wildcats got the first goal of the year from Tyler Riggs on Tuesday in the game with Evansville, with the Purple Aces using a pair of first-half goals for the win.
Kentucky has 11 goals in its first nine games, surrendering 13 tallies and owning a 148-77 advantage in shots and a 65-31 mark in corner kicks.
The Wildcats have been led offensively by senior Brad Doliner, who has four goals and one assist, leading the team with 23 shots and 11 on goal. Sophomore Isak Krogstad has three goals and two assists, with freshmen Napo Matsoso, Charlie Reymann and Kaelon Fox contributing one goal and one assist each. Riggs, a native of Louisville, Ky., has one goal in 2013 and 24 on his career, with Justin Laird and Sam Miller each charting two assists. Sophomores Bryan Celis and Jacob Scearce each have an assist. In goal for the Wildcats, sophomore Callum Irving has a 1.31 goals-against average in six starts, with 10 saves and two shutouts. Senior Jack Van Arsdale has a 1.67 goals-against average in his three started, saving four shots.
South Carolina (4-5-2, 1-1 C-USA) has posted wins over East Tennessee State, High Point, No. 27 Charlotte and Presbyterian, suffering losses to Clemson, Coastal Carolina, St. John’s, Rutgers and No. 23 Tulsa, with draws with South Florida and Dartmouth. The Gamecocks have totaled 15 goals in their first 11 games, surrendering 15 goals and average 12.5 shots per game.
Individually, the Gamecocks have been led by five goals from Mahamoudou Kaba, with J.P. Rafferty netting two goals with an ssist and Jeffrey Torda netting a pair of goals. Ryan Armbula leads the team with four assists, with Kurtis Turner notching three. In goal, Robert Beebe has a 1.32 goals-against average in four games, with Marco Velez notching a 1.32 goals-against average in nine games.
Kentucky and South Carolina faced off in 2012 in a C-USA clash in Lexington, with UK ranked No. 25 entering the game and the Gamecocks sprung a 1-0 win over the Wildcats. UK dropped to 9-8-1, 4-3-1 in conference, while USC improved to 5-11-2, 2-5-1 in C-USA. UK finished with an 18-10 advantage in shots and a staggering 10-0 advantage in corner kicks. The Cocks got a goal in the 44th minute, from senior Bradlee Baladez, coming on a penalty kick. UK got six shots from Matt Lodge in the game, with UK keeper Jack Van Arsdale making two saves.
South Carolina leads the all-time series, 5-4-1, with UK holding a 3-2 advantage in games played in Lexington. UK’s last win in the series came in 2010 in Lexington, a 2-1 result. UK has lost just once in its last five meetings with the Cocks.
