Unbeaten UK named No. 1 seed in NCAA men’s soccer tournament. Here’s the path to a title.
The Kentucky men’s soccer program continues to make history during the 2022 season, this time with an eye toward postseason success.
The Wildcats — the only undefeated team left in Division I men’s college soccer — were given the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament on Monday, setting up as many as three NCAA Tournament matches in Lexington in the coming weeks.
As the top overall seed, Kentucky — which won both the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships — is positioned to host matches in the round of 32, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
The College Cup, which consists of the national semifinals and national championship match, will take place in early December at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
Kentucky compiled a 14-0-5 (W-L-D) record this season, including its three-game run to the Sun Belt Tournament title last week.
Kentucky previously played in C-USA, before moving to the Sun Belt Conference during the offseason.
UK will begin NCAA Tournament play in the round of 32 at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Bell Soccer Complex against South Florida (9-6-4), after the Bulls defeated Hofstra, 4-2, in a first-round NCAA Tournament match on Thursday night.
The winner of that match will play Pittsburgh (10-4-5) in the Sweet 16, after the Panthers won at home against Cleveland State in the opening round and on the road at No. 16 Akron in the second round.
Kentucky’s best NCAA Tournament performance came in 2018, when the Cats reached the Elite Eight for the first and only time before losing at home to Maryland.
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Kentucky to face South Florida in round of 32
Kentucky’s path to the College Cup will go through Lexington, but it won’t be without challenges for head coach Johan Cedergren’s team.
To begin, UK will host South Florida on Sunday night.
South Florida reached the championship match of the American Athletic Conference Tournament and had a standout regular season win over Tulsa, a team that held UK to a draw.
The Bulls hadn’t scored a lot this season, recording just 24 goals in 18 matches this season, until its NCAA Tournament opener.
South Florida scored a season-high four goals against Hofstra, with four different goal scorers.
Redshirt senior goalkeeper Jackson Weyman has allowed 26 goals while playing all 19 matches for the Bulls this season. He’s recorded four shutouts.
The winner of the Kentucky-South Florida match will face Pittsburgh in the Sweet 16.
Louisville was also placed into Kentucky’s quadrant of the bracket, but the Cardinals lost at home in overtime to Western Michigan, 2-1, in the first round.
The other seeded teams in UK’s quadrant of the NCAA Tournament bracket are No. 8 Oregon State, No. 9 Lipscomb and No. 16 Akron, although only Oregon State and Lipscomb remain in the tournament.
Kentucky defeated Lipscomb, 3-2, in September in Lexington.
The top four overall seeds in the field are No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Syracuse and No. 4 Virginia, but Virginia lost in the second round on penalty kicks to Marshall.
UK to begin NCAA Tournament without top scorer
Kentucky will be without its leading goal scorer for its round-of-32 match against South Florida.
Senior forward Eythor Bjorgolfsson (10 goals) received a red card for violent conduct during UK’s Sun Belt Tournament championship game win over James Madison on Sunday. Bjorgolfsson will serve a one-game suspension during UK’s NCAA Tournament opener.
Offensive versatility has been UK’s calling card this season though.
Excluding Bjorgolfsson, four Wildcats have scored five or more goals this season. Senior midfielder Nick Gutmann is the NCAA Division I men’s soccer leader in assists (16), and Kentucky’s 2.53 goals per game average was a top-six mark nationally entering the NCAA Tournament.
Additionally, ahead of the NCAA Tournament, the Cats ranked ninth nationally in shots on goal per game with 7.37.
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UK set to host throughout NCAA Tournament run
Last season, Kentucky received the No. 9 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The Cats defeated Santa Clara at home before losing at eventual national champions Clemson on a late goal in the Sweet 16.
Because UK was the No. 9 seed, the Cats had to travel to the Tigers (the No. 8 overall seed) for that match.
Playing a true road match in the NCAA Tournament won’t be something UK has to worry about this season.
The last time a No. 1 overall seed won the NCAA Tournament was in 2011, when North Carolina accomplished the feat.
The 2022 NCAA Tournament will mark Kentucky’s 12th overall appearance in the national postseason. Nine of these appearances (including this season) have come under the direction of Cedergren.
This story was originally published November 14, 2022 at 2:42 PM.
