Stockton Set to Face Former Squad
Kentucky men’s soccer junior Sam Stockton will find himself in a strange position this week. Stockton, a native of Louisville, started his collegiate career playing for Indiana before transferring to Kentucky after one season in Bloomington.
Transferring is not unusual, but a player facing his former team is somewhat out of the norm. That’s something Stockton will experience this on week as the Wildcats travel north to face the Hoosiers on Wednesday.
For Stockton, Indiana just didn’t feel like the right fit.
“I felt a little isolated being an out-of-state athlete,” Stockton said. “I wouldn’t say that soccer was the whole reason why I left.”
Stockton, who played for Trinity High School and was Kentucky’s Mr. Soccer in 2014, still has friends at IU, and he is in regular touch with them, and the IU team.
“I keep in touch with a core group of the freshman class that was with me,” Stockton said. “I obviously still follow their Twitter account so I keep up with their season as well. So yeah, I’m definitely still friends with a lot of guys on the team.”
Knowing he will see many of his former teammates in the upcoming game, Stockton holds a level of excitement that he may not typically have when playing any other game. There comes another level of personal importance to play well due to the personal relationships he has already.
“I’m definitely looking forward to the game. I’m really excited to get to go back up there just because it’s been a while, and also to play against some familiar faces,” Stockton said. “I think while every game is important, this one will just have a little bit more of an individual meaning to me just knowing that I’ve been there and I’m playing against a lot of guys that I know.”
Stockton has started all 11 matches for the Wildcats this season, taking six shots in the process. He notched an assist in Kentucky’s 4-0 win over Florida Atlantic on September 24. And while the stats may not be the flashiest, his value to the team is innumerable in the deep-lying central midfield role so crucial to UK’s system.
With emotions high for the game against Indiana, Stockton realizes there will be an extra level of personal importance in how he plays. Though he may no longer attend Indiana, the relationships that he has made, and maintains, will help make this game one Stockton will never forget.
