Cats Not Wavering in Confidence before Elite Eight

Snow was falling, wind was whipping and Johan Cedergren walked onto the pitch wearing shorts and short sleeves.
 
Seeing what their coach was wearing for practice on a frigid Tuesday, Cedergren’s players couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. The answer didn’t have anything to do with the fact that Cedergren is a native of Sweden.
 
“I said I had California on my mind,” Cedergren said.
 
What Cedergren meant, of course, is that Kentucky is just one win away from a trip to Santa Barbara, California, for the College Cup semifinals. To set the tone for one of the most important weeks in the history of UK men’s soccer, Cedergren had to do something big.
 
“He’s crazy for doing that,” senior captain Tanner Hummel said. “I don’t like the cold weather that much. I’m from the South, so I was obviously wearing a lot of warm gear and I see Johan. I’m like, it’s going to be one of those days where he’s going to be wild.”
 
By all accounts, he was. The third-seeded Wildcats (19-1-1) weren’t much different as they prepared for an Elite Eight matchup with No. 11 Maryland (10-6-4) Friday at 6 p.m.
 
“All the boys are amped up,” Hummel said. “They’re ready to go. It’s just trying to keep a lid on us. … We just need to stay humble, stay relaxed and our time will come. We’re going to get a great opportunity tomorrow night. I think we’ll be ready.”
 
The Cats are confident they will be ready because they have been preparing for this moment since the weather was similarly snowy last winter.
 
“On Tuesday when it was really cold, that was no different than in January and February,” Cedergren said. “The difference from January and February is that there was no Elite Eight game a couple days later.”
 
Friday will mark the first time Kentucky will have played in the Elite Eight, a marked contrast with its opponent. UK might be the higher-seeded team and have the home-field advantage playing at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, but the Terrapins will have history on their side. Maryland has won three national championships and will play in the Elite Eight for the 19th time on Friday.
 
“It’s a place that they find themselves all the time, so I think they’re going to come in, be confident,” Cedergren said. “They’ve had a pretty good season. They started off with a couple of tough games and I think they turned it around after that. There are no easy games in the Elite Eight.”
 
Indeed, Maryland will present a challenge. The Terps are 6-1-1 in their last eight matches – including a pair of 2-0 victories in the NCAA Tournament – after starting the season 4-5-3. Maryland will have Kentucky’s respect and undivided attention, but the Cats believe in themselves.
 
“They’ve had the history behind it,” MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist JJ Williams said. “They’re always a quality team. They’re a good program. … You have to respect them and just know that it’s not going to be an easy game, it’s not going to be an easy performance. But at the same time, if we just focus on making sure that we’re quality in training and make sure that we take care of all the little things, the simple things, I think we’re going to be fine.”
 
That kind of confidence is well earned. The Wildcats swept Conference USA regular-season and tournament titles before tripling UK’s all-time NCAA Tournament win total over the last two weekends. They might not have the history of a program like Maryland, but they have the full confidence of their coach.
 
“Maryland is a great program,” Cedergren said. “They’ve done really, really well. I’m sure it’s going to be a tough game tomorrow. But if I got to pick squads, I’d take my squad.”
 
Cedergren wouldn’t dress in shorts and short sleeves if he didn’t believe that.