Kentucky’s next soccer assignment a tough one. Hoosiers rarely lose at home.
After turning back a serious upset bid from a seemingly outmanned underdog in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the University of Kentucky men’s soccer team now gets its opportunity to face down Goliath.
The Wildcats (13-4-3) will take on Indiana (14-2-4), the 48-team tournament’s No. 5 overall seed, in the round of 32 in Bloomington on Sunday at noon. As one of the 16 teams that were seeded, the Hoosiers received a first-round bye.
Kentucky pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory over Loyola Chicago in Lexington on Thursday. After falling behind 1-0, the Wildcats evened the score on sophomore forward Jason Reyes’ penalty kick with eight minutes to play in regulation.
Less than a minute into the second 10-minute overtime period, Eythor Bjorgolfsson put the finishing touches on UK’s victory by bookending a spectacular play. Sophomore midfielder Robert Screen dribbled down the right side of the field and launched a beautiful pass into the box. Bjorgolfsson met the ball a few yards in front of the goal and sent a diving header into the net for the win. It was the fourth match-winning goal of the year for the freshman from Norway.
The Wildcats could use some similar heroics in their bid to knock off eight-time national champion Indiana on Sunday. The Hoosiers are riding a seven-match unbeaten streak, including a victory in the Big Ten Tournament championship, and they’ve gone 37 matches without suffering a defeat at home — a streak that dates to 2017.
Kentucky and Indiana fought to a scoreless draw in Bloomington earlier this season. Last year, UK knocked off the Hoosiers 3-0 in Lexington. Indiana leads the overall series 25-2-4.
The Hoosiers feature several All-Big Ten honorees, including Jack Maher (Defensive Player of the Year) and Aidan Morris (Freshman of the Year), both of whom were named to the All-Big Ten First Team. Three Hoosiers were named to the Second Team.
Sunday
Kentucky at Indiana
What: NCAA Tournament round-of-32 match
Where: Jerry Yeagley Field at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
When: Noon
TV: Big Ten Network
Records: Kentucky 13-4-3, Indiana 14-2-4
Series: Indiana leads 25-2-4
Last meeting: Kentucky 0, Indiana 0, on Oct. 9 in Bloomington.
This story was originally published November 23, 2019 at 4:07 PM.
