The University of Evansville men’s soccer team (4-6-1) is back at home on Wednesday to host the University of Kentucky Wildcats in a non-conference game at Black Beauty Field. The match will be held at Arad McCutchan Stadium and is set to begin at 7:30 p.m.
UE won their last match 2-1 at the Bradley Braves on Saturday, October 11. Evansville went ahead 1-0 on a goal from junior midfielder Mark Anthony Gonzalez. On a counter attack, senior goalkeeper Eric Teppen and senior forward Dylan Terry were able to find Gonzalez cutting through the middle for the run and score. The goal for Gonzalez was his fourth of the season. Evansville maintained the 1-0 edge until halftime before adding another goal in the 60th minute. The Aces built another attack on the left flank to freshman midfielder Ian McGrath for his first goal of the year. Terry assisted both goals. Down 2-0, Bradley answered with a Cody Lofgren goal in the 75th minute but the UE defense held on late for the one goal win.
Senior defender Patrick Hodges was named Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. He played a pivotal role in the Aces 2-1 win at Bradley on Sunday, UE’s first win at Shea Stadium since 2009. Hodges played all 90 minutes for the Aces, protecting the Evansville lead and earning UE their second consecutive win.
Senior defender Charlie Macias has a team-best five goals this season for the Purple Aces. Gonzalez has also tallied four goals this year as both junior midfielder Faik Hajderovic and senior forward Nick Schroeder have each recorded two goals this fall.
Teppen has recorded 52 saves for UE this season and has a .765 saves percentage. He has played in all 11 of the Aces matches this year and holds a 1.45 goals against average.
As a team, Evansville is averaging 11.6 shots and 1.55 goals per match. The Purple Aces have also taken 42 corner kicks this season.
Kentucky (6-3-3) has won back to back matches including a 2-0 victory over Marshall on Sunday, October 12. Sophomore midfielder Napo Matsoso and redshirt sophomore Jason Pitts both notched goals in the win. Junior goalkeeper Callum Irving made two saves in the match to post another shutout.
The Wildcats have only scored 11 goals this season and three have come from senior forward Justin Laird. UK also has two goals from junior midfielder Bryan Celis.
Laird leads Kentucky with 30 shots this season and 13 on goal. Sophomore defender Charlie Reymann has a team-best three assists.
Irving has played every minute in net this season for the Wildcats. He has eight shutouts and has yielded just five goals this fall. Irving has a 6-3-2 record, a .881 saves percentage and a 0.40 goals against average.
UK is averaging 0.92 goals and 10.7 shots per game. They have attempted 58 corners compared to 51 for their opponents.
The Purple Aces and Wildcats are 5-5 in the all-time series against each other. Evansville won the last matchup on October 8, 2013, a 2-1 road victory against Kentucky.
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