After winning their first match of the season, the men’s soccer team is in Lexington for the 19th annual University of Kentucky Invitational.
The Falcons will open the tournament against No. 25 Louisville. The Cardinals have opened the season 1-0-1 having beaten Bradley University and drawn against Ohio State.
The Falcons also enjoyed a positive start to the season, beating the Marshall 2-0 Tuesday.
‘Anytime you can win the first game of the season it’s a huge confidence booster,’ said captain Jacob Lawrence. ‘It makes us more excited to play in that next game.’
Unfortunately for Lawrence, he will most likely miss that next game as he is recovering from a strained groin.
‘If anything, I will only get a few minutes in the Louisville game, but I will play on Sunday [against Kentucky] for sure,’ Lawrence said.
The Falcons are not too worried about Lawrence’s absence, as sophomore Jake Custer has slotted in well as a replacement.
‘Jake and Tanner [Fink] played really well against Marshall,’ Lawrence said. ‘Louisville is a tough team but I have all the confidence in the world that they can do a good job.’
If either the Cardinals or the Wildcats are thinking the Falcons will play a defensive brand of soccer over the weekend, they might be in for a surprise.
Since coach Eric Nichols’ arrival, the Falcons have been playing more inspiring and creatively in the offensive half. That should not change this weekend in the Bluegrass state.
‘We want to come out and play, making sure we are not hesitant and not overly impressed with our opponents,’ Nichols said. ‘Obviously we will have to be great in the back; we can’t give these teams anything. We are going to have to create more in the attack ourselves as well.’
After a day off Saturday, it will be a quick turnaround as the Falcons will take the field against the University of Kentucky Sunday afternoon.
The Wildcats, who lost the Conference USA championship last season on penalties, boasts the nation’s 31st best goals against average at .81 goals per game.
Nichols fully understands the effort it will require to beat the Wildcats and the Cardinals.
‘They are both returning great teams from last year, with lots of letter winners,’ Nichols said. ‘Both of these teams should go on to compete for their conference titles.’
The weekend series should be a good judge of the Falcons promise on the field. If the team can compete at a high level in Kentucky, it could be a sign of good things to come.