Wildcats Return to The Bell, Host James Madison on Saturday
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats (5-0-3, 2-0-0 SBC), following a two-match road trip, return to The Bell to face the James Madison Dukes (1-6-1, 0-2-0 SBC) in a Saturday night Sun Belt matchup under the lights in Lexington.
The Wildcats enter the weekend at No. 24 in the latest United Soccer Coaches Poll, featuring as one of four ranked programs in the Sun Belt Conference, including No. 6 Georgia Southern, No. 8 West Virginia and No. 22 Marshall. Kentucky has now spent six consecutive weeks in the national rankings; the programs’ longest stretch since the start of the 2023 season.
Last week’s schedule for Kentucky featured a pair of matchups away from home, beginning with a 2-2 draw against archrival Louisville and concluding with a 2-0 win in Conway, S.C. over the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, with the latter earning the Wildcats their second conference win of 2025.
In the win over the Chants, midfielder Agustin Lopez recorded the third multi-goal performance of the season for the Wildcats, converting a penalty in the 31st minute and a Josh Gordon cross in the 33rd to propel the Cats to their fifth win through their opening eight games.
As it stands, Kentucky and James Madison sit on opposite sides of the Sun Belt Conference standings, with the Wildcats currently holding on to a share of first place with Georgia Southern and West Virginia with six points from two games, and James Madison sharing the bottom half of the league table with Old Dominion, UCF and Coastal Carolina.
The Dukes travel to Lexington coming off a 1-0 loss to the South Carolina Gamecocks and an 84th minute winner from Mika Habel on Sept. 28. JMU’s lone win this season came against Iona on Sept. 23 in a 2-0 win over the Gaels at home.
On the offensive end, James Madison is led by sophomore forward Diego Ossa with two goals in seven appearances, also leading the team with four points. On the defensive side of the pitch, JMU has seen three goalkeepers split time between the posts, led by sophomore Erik Jaspers with 16 saves and a pair of clean sheets in four starts.
Kickoff for Kentucky vs. James Madison is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET at The Bell, streaming on ESPN+. Tomorrow night’s match is Alumni Night in Lexington, featuring a special presentation and a halftime honor for our returning former players and coaches. The giveaway at the gate will be a UK silicone bracelet and admission is free to all fans.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on X, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
