UK Men’s Soccer to Host UAB in Regular Season Finale
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After securing a double-digit win total for the sixth time in the eight-year tenure of head coach Johan Cedergren, the No. 16 Kentucky Wildcats (10-3-3, 3-2-1 Conference USA) are set to close out the 2019 regular season with league foe UAB (3-11-2, 1-4-1 C-USA) on Friday at 7 p.m. ET.
The match will serve as UK’s annual senior night, honoring defender Keyarash Namjoupanah and goalkeeper Jackson Hawthorne prior to kickoff.
Kentucky enters Friday as the guaranteed No. 4 seed in next week’s C-USA Championship, hosted by Old Dominion on Nov. 13-17 in Norfolk, Virginia. UAB, currently tied for last place in the conference standings, enters the weekend as one of four sides fighting for the final two spots in the six-team postseason tournament.
Kentucky’s most recent outing resulted in a 1-0 loss at No. 20 Marshall last Sunday, knocking the Cats out of contention for a second straight C-USA regular season title. The defeat was the third overall shutout against Kentucky this season and the first resulting in a loss since Sept. 3 at Louisville.
The Cats are led on the season by 18 points from Daniel Evans by way of a team-best seven goals and four assists. Kalil ElMedkhar follows closely with 16 points, leading the team in assists (six), shots (33) and attempts on target (14).
Namjoupanah, who serves as one of three team captains for the second consecutive season, has played in seven matches as a redshirt junior and 35 over his career. The Nashville, Tennessee, native has contributed to 18 clean sheets for the UK defense, recording a game-winning assist in the 85th minute of a 1-0 victory over Ohio State on Oct. 25, 2017.
Hawthorne saw his only on-field action in a 6-1 win over New Mexico on Oct. 21, 2018. A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Hawthorne has made an impact away from the pitch after a life-altering visit to Ethiopia last summer. The 6-foot-5 former North Raleigh Christian Academy standout has made it his mission to collect gently used sports supplies to donate to underprivileged Ethiopian children.
Though Friday will be fans’ last promised opportunity to see the Cats at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, Kentucky’s No. 13 RPI ranking leaves the door open to potentially host NCAA Tournament competition for the second year in a row if the team were to further extend its season with a berth.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
