By Arpan Dixit

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The UK men’s soccer team looks to rebound from a tough loss by facing the Marshall Thundering Herd in Huntington, W. Va. Saturday at 11 a.m. The Cats were off to a great start this season with two comeback wins, but the last three games haven’t gone their way. UK has suffered two losses and a tie in a three-game span and look to get back to its winning ways against the Herd.

UK

2-2-1

Ranking: N/A

Goals scored: 5

Goals allowed: 7

Average shots per game: 8.4

Average shots on goal: 3.6

Player to watch: Kristoffer Tollefsen

Over the last few games, senior Tollefsen has constantly been trying to set up his teammates for scores, which led to an assist against ETSU in the team’s last game. Although that has come at a difficult cost lately, the midfielder from Norway will continue to attack in order to set up his running mates. Tollefsen has yet to score a goal this season, but is determined to follow Coach Johan Cedergren’s philosophy by keeping the chest out, head high and not giving up on the play. After two losses and one tie in the last three games, look for Tollefsen to help UK turn up the aggression as the team heads out on the road against Marshall.

Preview:

The Cats will look to cap off this short road trip with a win against the Thundering Herd. Look for UK to come out more focused and aggressive than usual in order to avoid three losses in four games. There is no doubt that the aggressiveness on both sides of the ball will need to be there for the Cats to pull of the road win. Marshall averages 12 shots per game, with half of these opportunities being on goal. The Kentucky defense needs to be on their toes against a very quick and feisty Thundering Herd club. No team wants to lose three out of four games, so look for the Cats to come out more assertive this Saturday.

 

MARSHALL

 4-2-0

Ranking: N/A

Goals scored: 8

Goals allowed: 5

Average shots per game: 12

Average shots on goal: 5.3

Player to watch: Jack Hopkins

Senior midfielder Hopkins has four of the seven assists for the Thundering Herd this season. This suggests that Hopkins is very good with keeping possession and setting his teammates up for eventual scores. Hopkins hasn’t scored a goal yet this season, but has taken 15 shots and connected on goal with five of them. Hopkins is a player that can hurt opposing defenses in multiple ways and will look to fire up the home crowd early by getting on the scoring column.

Preview:

The Thundering Herd come into Saturday’s game having lost its last game against Evansville University. Before this loss, the Herd had won four games in a row against quality opponents. Look for Marshall to come out and try to score early against the Cats, seeing how the Kentucky defense has been prone to giving up goals early. Though, the Herd do not want to sit on a small lead against Kentucky since the Cats have shown the ability to come back in the second half of games. Coming off the loss, Marshall will look to get back to early season form with a win against a struggling Kentucky team.