Cats focused on conference tournament

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By Clark Brooks

In the past few seasons, the UK’s men’s soccer team has flirted with the chance to make it to the postseason, but always seems to fall short in the process.

“Every year going down the stretch, we always have our fate in our own hands,” senior defender Barry Rice said. “But, things never go according to plan.”

Senior forward Marco dos Santos scored five goals and had five assists last year in addition to C-USA Newcomer of the Year honors. Dos Santos will be looked upon to help lead the UK attack in '09. Staff file photo.

The Cats were riding a school-record 10-game unbeaten streak into the Conference USA Tournament last year, but lost in the finals on penalty kicks and missed the tournament again.

“Some analysts had us projected getting into the NCAAs and others didn’t,” said senior goalie Dan Williams. “The only way we knew for sure that we would qualify is if we won our conference tournament and receive an automatic bid.”

Last year, UK had built up an impressive resume to put them in the conversation to make an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament. The Cats defeated No. 8 Michigan, No. 18 South Carolina, No. 22 Southern Methodist University, tied against Indiana, the nation’s RPI leader, and finished 6-1-1 in C-USA play as well as being ranked No. 21 in the country.

“Obviously, being left out of the tournament was a disappointment,” Rice said. “We had an excellent track record going into the C-USA Tourney and we lost in the finals to (No. 7) Tulsa by penalty kicks. We were so close to getting a bid to the postseason and having it taken away from us so quickly was devastating. I didn’t think that would happen again after 2006 when the situation was exactly the same.”

Despite fairing well in a deep and talented conference, the Cats see little satisfaction at the end of their season.

Questions now arise as to how the Cats will treat the regular season this year. Whether they coast through C-USA play and only play serious when tournament time rolls around, banking on winning a conference title, or if they play one game at a time like in past seasons are just some of the questions surrounding the group.

“You play every game to win,” UK head coach Ian Collins said. “I feel our team mentality is one of the better ones I have seen here at UK. These seniors have been so close to making it to the postseason twice, so they know what we need to do to accomplish our goal.”

Anxious for the season to get into full swing, the Cats feel by focusing on their goal of winning a conference title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament they can meet team aspirations. Despite the speculation of plans to coast through the regular season, the Cats want to remain humble throughout the season and win a C-USA title.

“We play every game the same regardless who it is,” Rice said. “In this conference, any team can win on any given day. We have to stay focused one game at a time, and I feel this team will be capable of doing so.”