By Clark Brooks

The No. 20 UK men’s soccer team came from behind Sunday afternoon to defeat the UNC-Asheville Bulldogs 3-1 despite sloppy field conditions at the UK Soccer Complex.

After a scoreless first half from both teams, UNC-Asheville broke the deadlock with a goal from Bryan Bartels in the 51st minute, and the Bulldogs looked as though they could steal one away from the Cats.

“At that point, we knew someone needed to step up and make a play,” senior co-captain and goalie Dan Williams said. “We didn’t want this game to slip away.”

Three minutes later, senior midfielder Jase Griffiths had a chance to make a play. After an UNC-Asheville foul in the box, Griffiths took the opportunity to tie the game on a penalty kick and netted his second goal of the season. He is 7-of-7 in his career on PKs.

“He’s really good at penalty kicks,” UK head coach Ian Collins said. “Hitting that PK was absolutely clutch. No doubt about it.”

Junior midfielder Josh McCrary put the Cats (7-1, 0-1 Conference USA) on top 39 seconds later off a Griffiths assist on a 35-yard strike, making his first goal as a Cat.

“It was a real big moment for him,” Collins said. “Especially for a young guy, getting that first goal is always a confidence booster.”

With the lead and the game coming to an end, the Cats continued to pressure on the defensive end and remained hungry on offense. In the 83rd minute, senior midfielder Chad Hagerty scored off a corner kick, giving the Cats a 3-1 lead.

“Lately, we have been having problems finishing chances at home,” Collins said. “But, I’m proud of the way we were able to score today.”

The Cats were able to come back even though senior All-American defender Barry Rice missed a game for the first time since 2007 for an unknown injury. Star freshman midfielder Matt Lodge was relieved late in the game due to injury.

“We would like to continue getting better,” Collins said. “Winning is always good, but we need focus on fixing our mistakes, but I’m confident our guys can get it done. We need to use the next few days to rest and get healthy.”

With Rice and Lodge questionable for Tuesday’s match against No. 13 Indiana, the Cats will be looking on some newcomers to step up in their stead.

“Unlike in years past, we can afford to have a couple guys out due to injury,” Collins said. “Our team depth is excellent and I look for our young guys to do well against Indiana.”