19th-Ranked Wildcats Face No. 17 Marshall in Top 20 Clash
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Following a brief return to The Bell last week, the Kentucky Wildcats (6-0-3, 3-0-0 SBC) are set to head back out on the road to face the No. 17 Marshall Thundering Herd (4-1-4, 2-1-0 SBC) Friday night in Huntington, W.Va. at Hoops Family Field in a top 20 SBC showdown.
After picking up their third win in Sun Belt Conference play last week in a 2-0 win over James Madison on Oct. 4, Kentucky rose five spots in the week seven United Soccer Coaches Poll to No. 19, featuring as one of four ranked SBC programs, including No. 4 West Virginia, No. 11 Georgia Southern, No. 17 Marshall and No. 19 Kentucky.
In their return to Lexington following a two-match road trip, the Wildcats remained atop the Sun Belt Conference standings with the win over James Madison. Forward Isaiah Chisolm scored a pair of second half goals, recording the fourth multi-goal performance of the season for Kentucky, one from a Marcus Andersen assist in the 54th minute and one from the penalty spot in the 79th minute to lift the Cats over JMU.
The win kept the Wildcats perfect in SBC play, and on the season through nine games, keeping pace with West Virginia for the top spot in the conference with nine points from three games. Kentucky will face West Virginia in Lexington on Sunday, Oct. 26 at The Bell.
Including Friday night’s showdown in Huntington, the Wildcats’ upcoming schedule features a ranked opponent in four of the next five games, including at No. 17 Marshall (Oct. 10), vs. No. 20 Indiana (Oct. 14), vs. South Carolina (Oct. 19), at No. 11 Georgia Southern (Oct. 22) and vs. No. 4 West Virginia.
Marshall enters week four of Sun Belt Conference play at 4-1-4 on the season (2-1-0 SBC), coming off a 3-1 win at home over Georgia State on Oct. 4. The Thundering Herd currently sit in a share of third place in the SBC standings with Georgia Southern and behind West Virginia and Kentucky.
Marshall is led by leading goalscorer Joao Roberto with three goals and two assists in eight appearances and four starts. Marshall also features six players with two goals this season, creating a balanced offensive attack and resulting in a +7-goal difference.
On the defensive end, the Thundering Herd has seen two goalkeepers earn starts between the posts, including redshirt sophomore Dan Rose with nine saves and clean sheet in seven starts and redshirt junior Eddie Demarco with nine saves in two starts.
Kickoff for Kentucky vs. Marshall is scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET tomorrow night at Hoops Family Field in Huntington, W.Va., streaming on ESPN+.
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.
