UK Men’s Soccer Unveils Spring 2021 Schedule
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following an abbreviated fall slate that concluded with a 5-1 record, the University of Kentucky men’s soccer program is set to continue its season with the unveiling of its spring 2021 schedule on Wednesday.
The Wildcats will compete in one closed exhibition, four non-league matchups and a full seven-match Conference USA agenda.
The spring season kicks off unofficially on Friday, beginning with a friendly in-state battle that is not open to spectators. The Wildcats will tune up with Bellarmine, competing in its first Division I season, at 3 p.m. ET.
Kentucky opens formal competition with back-to-back home matches against Xavier (Feb. 9) and Bowling Green (Feb. 13) the following week. UK’s first road trip is scheduled for Feb. 19 in Durham, North Carolina, picking back up with Duke in a match that was postponed last fall.
The Cats defeated the Blue Devils 4-2 at home last September.
After polishing off non-league play with former Mid-American Conference rival Akron on Feb. 25, Kentucky opens conference play versus Charlotte on March 6. The Wildcats will proceed with four of their final six bouts away from home, taking on Marshall (March 18) and Old Dominion (April 10) at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex and Florida Atlantic (March 13), UAB (March 27), FIU (April 3) and South Carolina (April 17) on the road.
Kentucky defeated UAB—its only opponent besides Duke scheduled for a rematch from last fall—2-0 in a non-conference tilt last October.
Kentucky returns 21 players from the fall, which ended with a five-match winning streak and a No. 3 peak in the United Soccer Coaches rankings.
GAMEDAY CHANGES
UK Athletics has taken advice from the Commonwealth of Kentucky, UK health officials, the city of Lexington and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In response, UK’s gameday operations plan includes several new measures to promote a healthy gameday experience at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex. These measures include, but are not limited to:
- Enhanced cleaning and sanitization procedures throughout the stadium prior to and during all events
- Requiring face coverings for all fans at all times, with the exception of when fans are actively eating or drinking while sitting in their seats
- Requiring fans to keep the proper physical distance
- Providing signage in common areas to assist with physical distancing
- Locating hand sanitization and washing stations throughout the stadium
- Increasing physical spacing while using elevators by reducing capacity of each elevator
- Providing concessions featuring cashless transactions
- Discouraging the bringing of bags of any sort. Only small, clear bags will be admitted.
A complete list of the new gameday regulations will be available soon at the UK Athletics Gameday website.
Fans with pre-existing health conditions, or those who are at a greater risk, should consider not attending sporting events at this time. Even with these measures in place, UK Athletics can in no way guarantee that fans will not be exposed to COVID-19.
ATTENDANCE INFORMATION
Admission to all home soccer games will be free for the spring 2021 season, and fans are encouraged to attend. At this point, attendance at Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex will be limited to 20% of overall stadium capacity and entry will be permitted on a first come, first served basis on gamedays. All plans are subject to change based on evolving information, as well as local, state and national public health developments.
Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex has been reconfigured to support physical distancing between available seating pods. All seating within the grandstand will be spaced out in pods of 2, 3, 4 and 5 seats to allow members of a family or household to sit together. Seats that are unavailable due to physical distancing guidelines will be marked as such throughout the stands. Only the unmarked seating pods will be available for spectators.
Limited seating on the berm will also be available once capacity is reached in the grandstand. Fans are reminded that physical distancing guidelines and limited group sizes must be maintained on the berm.
UK Athletics has also announced various opportunities for Big Blue Nation to continue supporting its favorite teams, regardless of attendance at games this season. Fans are encouraged to consider supporting their favorite teams by purchasing fan cutouts or making a charitable gift in support of UK Athletics and the Ev’ry Wildcat Fund, which will be used to sustain the mission of UK Athletics—serving our student-athletes—during these unprecedented times. Gifts will directly assist in supporting scholarships for more than 500 UK student-athletes. We encourage you to contact the K Fund Office at (859) 257-6300 to learn more.
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.
