Men’s Soccer to Honor Jason Bell and Jamal Shteiwi on Friday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky men’s soccer (2-3-4, 1-0-2 Sun Belt) will return home after three matches on the road to continue conference competition against Old Dominion (4-4-2, 0-2-1 Sun Belt) on Friday at The Bell Soccer Complex at 7 p.m. EST.
Friday’s match will welcome past Wildcats back to The Bell for Alumni Night. At halftime, Big Blue Nation will honor the lives and legacies of Jason Bell and Jamal Shteiwi.
Jason Bell
Bell, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, played for the Wildcats from 1996 to 1999. The four-year letter winner was an integral part of the 1999 Mid-American Conference Championship team scoring both goals to get Kentucky to the championship match. The Cats defeated Northern Illinois, 2-1 in Lexington to secure the first conference championship in UK men’s soccer program history.
In addition to making history, Bell was also a recipient of the 1999 Arthur Ashe Sports Scholar Award which honors minority student-athletes who have excelled in the classroom as well as on the athletic field. The senior co-captain was a member of the 1999 MAC All-Tournament Team and recipient of the MAC Commissioner’s Award for Excellence. Bell was named two times to the Southeastern Conference honor roll and two-time member of the MAC Academic Team.
He was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, Omicron Delta Kappa National Honor Society and Golden Key National Honor Society. In addition to bringing home the first men’s soccer conference championship, Bell also led the Wildcats to their first ever NCAA Tournament appearance.
Bell passed away at the age of 42 on May 17, 2020.
Jamal Shteiwi
Shteiwi, a native of Cincinnati, Ohio, represented the Cats on the pitch from 2001 to 2004. The 2004 NSCAA Third-Team All-American was a standout student-athlete for the Wildcats scoring 23 goals in his career and leading the MAC in every offensive stat his senior season. He was named back-to-back MAC Player of the Year becoming the only men’s soccer student-athlete to do so in conference history still to this day.
The senior captain earned first-team All-MAC honors for three straight years in addition to regional honors including First-Team and back-to-back Second-Team All-Great Lakes Region nods. His freshman season, he helped the Wildcats defeat Akron 1-0 in overtime keeping the MAC Championship title in Lexington for the third consecutive year.
He also played an integral role in Kentucky’s three straight MAC regular season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances including one second round showing. Shteiwi still ranks in the top five of numerous program individual records including goals and assists. He was named Academic All-MAC, saw two nods on the Southeastern Conference honor roll, and was named to ESPN’s The Magazine Academic All-District IV his senior year.
Shteiwi passed away at the age of 39 on November 9, 2020.
Match Preview
The Wildcats enter the contest after a loss to historic rival Indiana, 2-3. Senior Logan Dorsey was the first to score in the 23’ unassisted for his third Wildcat goal this season. He was joined by newcomer Mateo Franzotti who scored his first UK career goal in the 36’ minute assisted by fellow freshman Bertil Alban. The Hoosiers came back in the second half to defeat the Wildcats scoring a quick two goals and later the game-winning third. Back-to-back Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week, goalkeeper Ryan Jack, broke his streak of three consecutive clean sheets to bring his junior season record to 1-1-2.
Kentucky returns home after a 0-0 draw at then-ranked No. 6 West Virginia, a 2-0 victory at South Carolina in addition to falling to Indiana.
The Monarchs prepare for Friday following a 0-0 draw at home with conference opponent Georgia State last Saturday. ODU’s wins to this point of the 2024 season have come from non-conference defeats of George Washinton, Radford, William & Mary and George Mason.
Kentucky and Old Dominion hold an all-time series record of 8-2-2 (UK) with the first contest taking place in 2013 in the regular season. The conference rivals last went head-to-head in the 2023 season which ended in a 1-0 Monarch win in Norfolk, Va.
Big Blue Nation can purchase single match, group, and season tickets by clicking here. Tickets will also be available for purchase upon arrival to The Bell. Gates will open one hour prior to kick-off.
Live stats will be available for Friday’s match against Old Dominion by clicking here. Fans can also stream the contest live on ESPN+.
For the latest on Kentucky Men’s Soccer, follow @UKMensSoccer on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
