25th-Ranked Wildcats Face No. 20 Georgia Southern in Top 25 SBC Clash

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Wildcats (7-2-3, 4-1-0 SBC) are set to head back out on the road this week to face the No. 20 Georgia Southern Eagles (10-2-1, 3-2-0 SBC) on Wednesday night in Statesboro, Ga.

Following the 2-1 win over South Carolina on Sunday, the Wildcats maintained their No. 25 spot in the latest United Soccer Coaches poll, along with keeping pace with West Virginia and Marshall for the top spot in the Sun Belt Conference. Kentucky currently shares a three-way tie for first place in the conference with the Mountaineers and the Thundering Herd on 12 points from four wins heading into the final four games of the regular season.

The win over the Gamecocks also returned the Wildcats to the win column after dropping two consecutive games against Marshall (Oct. 10) and Indiana (Oct. 14), as well as improving the Cats overall record against South Carolina to 15-8-4 all-time.

Graduate attacker Alex Ruiz continues to lead the Wildcats in all major offensive categories, including six goals, three assists, 15 points, 23 shots and 12 shots on goal. After missing the game against Indiana in Lexington, the Spanish-international logged 21 minutes of play against the Gamecocks on Sunday and should continue to be available for selection for head coach Johan Cedergren.

Georgia Southern enters the week at 10-2-1 on the season, as well as 3-2 in conference play. The Eagles are coming off two consecutive wins in a 3-0 win over Mercer and a 1-0 win over Coastal Carolina.

Georgia Southern is led in the attack by sophomore forward Ricky Louis with a team-high seven goals, one assist and 15 points. On the defensive end, the Eagles have allowed just nine goals through 13 games this season, the lowest mark in the Sun Belt. Senior goalkeeper Nate Martinez has started all 13 matches between the posts, recording 37 saves and seven clean sheets.

Kickoff for Kentucky vs. Georgia Southern is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, 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.