No. 3 UK Men’s Soccer Set for Sunday Matinee Against New Mexico
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 3 Kentucky men’s soccer team will vie for three more Conference USA points when it faces New Mexico at 1 p.m. on Sunday at The Bell.
That match will be streamed live on SEC Network+/WatchESPN.
The setup
Kentucky (11-1-1, 4-1-0 Conference USA) goes into the weekend in a two-way tie alongside Old Dominion for second place in the Conference USA standings on 12 points from five matches.
Florida International tops the table on 15 points from six. FIU came from behind twice and then won in the second overtime, by a 3-2 scoreline against Florida Atlantic in Miami on Friday. ODU is scheduled to play at UAB on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Three rounds remain in UK’s Conference USA regular season.
Kentucky will play Sunday, then have its non-conference finale home against Evansville midweek.
The Wildcats will conclude the regular-season road slate at FAU on Sunday, Oct. 28 before finishing the regular season at The Bell on Friday, Nov. 2 in a match against ODU that could have huge ramifications atop the C-USA table.
Kentucky has won two matches in a row following its first loss of the season at FIU on Oct. 7.
UK won its last league outing, 1-0 at The Bell against Marshall last Saturday, and then 3-0 at Ohio State in a non-conference match Tuesday..
The closer look at Kentucky
The Wildcats are ranked a program-record No. 3 by the United Soccer Coaches and College Soccer News. UK is No. 8 in the most recent NCAA Ratings Percentage Index.
Kentucky’s team goals-against-average of 0.45 ranks No. 3 in the nation. The Wildcats have kept shutouts in 10 of 13 games, second only to St. Mary’s (Calif.) in the nation.
Goalkeeper Enrique Facusse has stopped 35 of the 41 shots he’s faced this year, good for an 85-percent save percentage, which ranks No. 5 in the nation.
Junior forward JJ Williams has a conference-leading 11 goals including one from each of the last two. He has five game-winners, which is tied for third most in the nation.
Williams is in a five-way tie for second most-ever goals by a Wildcat in a single season. He’s the first Wildcat to score 11 goals since Tyler Riggs in 2011.
His 17 career goals rank eighth on the UK all-time list.
The opponent
New Mexico currently occupies sixth spot on the nine-row C-USA table. The Lobos have a won-lost-drawn record of 4-9-0 (2-3-0 in C-USA play). The Lobos defeated South Carolina last Saturday 2-1.
New Mexico is 2-3-0 on the road this season.
The quote
“It’s always a tough game against New Mexico,” UK head coach Johan Cedergren said. “They have some really good players … There’s only a few conference games left and three teams in with a shot so every game is going to be really important. We had a good performance at Ohio State, the guys were really good going forward and now we have a few days to get ready for the game on Sunday.”
The history
Kentucky leads New Mexico in the overall series 4-1-1 and 2-0-1 in Lexington.
Kentucky has a four-game regular-season (not including conference tournament) win streak against the Lobos. UK defeated the Lobos at the Bell in 2014 and 2016, and in Albuquerque in 2015 and 2017.
New Mexico and UK drew 2-2 in the C-USA Tournament in 2016 with the Lobos advancing on penalties although that match was recorded as a draw by the NCAA.
The logistics
Gates will open at noon.
Tickets are $8 for the public, $5 for seniors and $3 for youths. 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 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 latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.
