UK Men’s Soccer Remains Home Friday v Columbia
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky men’s soccer team, winner of its season opener by a 1-0 scoreline a week ago, will return to the pitch Friday night against Columbia with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. ET at The Bell.
SEC Network+/WatchESPN will broadcast the match.
The setup
Kentucky was victorious in its season opener last week against DePaul thanks to a goal by sophomore Kalil Elmedkhar, the first of his collegiate career.
Kentucky will be hoping to earn its second win of the season on Friday. The Wildcats will be chasing a 2-0 start to the campaign for what would be the fourth year in a row.
Sophomore goalkeeper Enrique Facusse is coming off his eighth career shutout in his 19th start, playing behind a back line of (from left to right) freshman Cole Guindon, sophomore Leon Jones, sophomore Keyarash Namjoupanah and senior Tanner Hummel last week v DePaul.
The opponent
Columbia opens its 2018 season with the trip to Lexington. Columbia returns eight seniors from the 2017 season when the Lions finished with a record of W12, L3, D3 (5-1-1 Ivy League) and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, reaching the second round.
The Lions bring with them eight experienced seniors, most of which started all of their 18 games last season. They will be led by senior team captain goalkeeper Dylan Castaheira, who earned First Team All Ivy-League last season.
Columbia’s junior class will also bring top-notch competition to the Wildcats. Vana Markarian, considered one of the nations top players, is expected to start on Friday. Markarian and fellow junior teammate John Denis were also members of the First Team All Ivy-League last season.
Heading up the Lions coaching staff is Kevin Anderson, who is a five-year veteran of Major League Soccer and is entering his ninth season as head coach at Columbia.
The precedent
The two sides have never played a competitive match before.
Kentucky is 0-1-1 all-time in games against Ivy League competition, most recently drawing an NCAA Tournament-bound Dartmouth in 2016.
The logistics
Gates will open at 6:30 p.m.
Fans are encouraged to sport their blue attire, as Friday is National College Colors Day. The first 300 in the door in blue get a BBN Wristband.
Tickets are $8 for the general public and $5 for youth and seniors. Wildcat supporters five-years-old and under get in for free.
Fans can purchase tickets online via Ticketmaster or by calling (800) 928-2287, or at the ticket window at The Bell.
Kentucky Athletics is excited to continue ticket scanning at The Bell this season. Season ticket holders can use their provided digital bar codes on their mobile device to gain entry. The easiest way to manage mobile tickets is through the UK Athletics App.
Season ticket holders still receive a 2018 Kentucky Soccer scarf as a gift for their season ticket purchase (based on availability). Season tickets are still available for $42 through UKAthletics.com/tickets.
Season ticket holders can pick up their scarves at the marketing gazebo on match day.
Parking for the match is first come first served located outside the stadium’s main entrance and in the Kroger Field blue and green lots with continuous shuttle service running from car parks up to the front gates of The Bell beginning at 6:30 p.m.
The shuttle will continue until one hour after the match.
Students may ride a campus shuttle to and from the match, which begins running one hour prior to kickoff and includes stops at The 90 and the wildcat statue on north campus.
UK players will sign autographs on the side of the pitch following the match weather permitting.
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For the best coverage of UK men’s soccer follow the team’s social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in addition to on UKathletics.com
