< PreviousAfter claiming the second regular season championship and first postseason tour- nament title of its Conference USA tenure in 2018, Kentucky men’s soccer looks to build off last year’s historic performance in the face of lofty expectations that accompany considerable success. The Wildcats were chosen to repeat as C-USA champions and bestowed a slew of individual accolades before the season even started. Junior midfielder Kalil ElMed- khar, junior goalkeeper Enrique Facusse, redshirt-junior defender Aimé Mabika and sophomore forward Jason Reyes were each voted to the 2019 C-USA Preseason Team by league coaches. Mabika was selected C-USA Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and ElMedkhar and Reyes split the award for C-USA Preseason Co-Offensive Players of the Year. ElMedkhar, Facusse and Mabika were also three of 36 men’s soccer players from around the country named to the 2019 Mis- souri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List as early favorites to take home college soccer’s most prestigious individual honor at the conclusion of the season. Awarded annually since 1967, the 10-pound crys- tal soccer ball goes to both the men’s and women’s United Soccer Coaches National Players of the Year as decided by a panel of Division I coaches. Former Kentucky for- ward JJ Williams was one of three finalists considered for the accolade in 2018. A United Soccer Coaches All-Southeast Region and All-C-USA first-team honoree as a sophomore, ElMedkhar scored 11 goals and assisted on 10 more a season ago. His assist total ranked seventh in NCAA Divi- sion I and second in school history, while his goal output ranked 27th in the nation. The Middletown, Delaware, native’s 32 points placed ninth overall, and his 31-for- 47 (.660) shot accuracy was fourth best in the nation. Facusse was tabbed a second-team Unit- ed Soccer Coaches All-American and first- team All-C-USA performer last year after setting UK single-season records for wins (19), shutouts (14) and goals against aver- age (0.49). The 6-foot-3 former Montverde Academy (Fla.) standout from Tegucigalpa, Honduras, led the entire country in shutouts and ranked third in goals against average, complemented by the 11th-best save per- centage (.836). Mabika, who hails from Lexington, was voted to the third-team All-America and first-team All-C-USA defenses a season ago. With Mabika as its anchor, the 2018 Ken- tucky back line ended the season second in the nation by way of its 0.49 goals against average and .636 shutout percentage. Reyes was recognized as C-USA Fresh- man of the Year and All-C-USA second-team in his first collegiate season. The San José, Costa Rica, native was Kentucky’s third-lead- ing scorer with eight goals in 2018, a mark that ranked within the top 75 overall. The Cats debuted at No. 8 in the 2019 United Soccer Coaches Preseason National Rankings and tout a regular season slate that features road tilts with No. 14 Louisville, No. 2 Indiana and No. 21 Charlotte. Kentucky defeated both Louisville and Indiana 3-0 at home last season and recorded a pair of 1-0 victories over in-conference foe Charlotte. For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soc- cer team, on Twit- ter, Facebook and Instagram, as well as on the web at UK Men's Soccer Looks to Build Off Last Season's Success 68 @UKFootball By: Connor Link UK Media Relations Photo b y Elliott Hess, UK AthleticsUK Sports Network Television Information TV Affiliates: Ashland/Huntington – WQCW Bowling Green – WBKO Evansville – WFIE Fox Sports Atlantic Fox Sports Ohio Fox Sports South Hazard – WKYM & eYMT Lexington – WKYT & CW Lexington Louisville – WHAS Paducah - WPSD 70 @UKFootballUK Sports Network Radio Information Market Call Letters Frequency Ashland, KY WCMI 92.7 FM / 1340 AM Ashland/Greenup, KY WLGC 105.7 FM Benton, KY WCBL 99.1 FM / 1290 AM Bowling Green, KY WGGC 95.1 FM Burkesville, KY bb only WKYR 107.9 FM Cadiz, KY WKDZ 106.5 FM / 1110 AM Campbellsville, KY WCKQ 104.1 FM Cincinnati WCKY 1530 AM Columbia, KY WAIN 93.5 FM / 1270 AM Corbin, KY WCTT 107.3 FM / 680 AM Dry Ridge, KY WNKR 106.7 FM Elizabethtown, KY WAKY 103.5 FM / 620 AM Flemingsburg, KY WFLE 95.1 FM Grayson, KY WUGO 99.7 FM Greenville, KY bb only WKYA 105.5 FM Hardinsburg, KY WXBC 104.3 FM Harlan, KY WTUK 105.1 FM Hazard, KY WSGS 101.1 FM Henderson, KY WSON 96.5 FM / 860 AM Hopkinsville, KY WHOP 98.7 FM / 1230 AM Jamestown, KY WJRS 104.9 FM Jenkins, KY WIFX 94.3 FM Johnson City, TN WETB 790 AM Lancaster, KY WRNZ 105.1 FM Leitchfield, KY WKHG 104.9 FM Lexington WBUL / WLAP 98.1 FM / 630 AM London, KY WWEL 103.9 FM Louisville WHAS 840 AM Madisonville, KY WKTG 93.9 FM Mayfield, KY WLLE 102.1 FM Maysville, KY WFTM 95.9 FM / 1240 AM Monticello, KY WKYM 101.7 FM Morehead, KY WIVY 96.3 FM Morganfield WMSK 101.3 FM Nashville, TN WPRTHD 102.5 HD Owensboro, KY WBKR / WOMI 92.5 FM / 1490 AM Paducah, KY WKYX 94.3 FM / 570 AM Paintsville, KY WSIP 98.9 FM / 1490 AM Pikeville, KY WDHR / WPKE 93.1 FM / 103.1 FM Pineville, KY WRIL 106.3 FM Prestonsburg, KY WQHY / WDOC 95.5 FM / 1310 AM Providence, KY WWKY 104.9 FM Somerset, KY WSEK 93.9 FM / 910 AM Whitesburg, KY WXKQ / WTCW 103.9 FM / 920 AM Williamsburg, KY WEZJ / WEKX 104.3 FM / 102.7 FM 2019 Schedule Aug. 31 Toledo Noon Sept. 7 Eastern Michigan 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 Florida 7:00 p.m. Sept. 21 at Mississippi State TBA Sept. 28 at South Carolina TBA Oct. 12 Arkansas TBA Oct. 19 at Georgia TBA Oct. 26 Missouri TBA Nov. 9 Tennessee TBA Nov. 16 at Vanderbilt TBA Nov. 23 UT-Martin TBA Nov. 30 Louisville TBA (Countdown to Kickoff begins 2 hours prior to kickoff} UKHealthCare Mark Stoops Radio Show: 6-7 pm Stoops 1 Monday, August 26, 2019 Stoops 2 Monday, September 02, 2019 Stoops 3 Monday, September 9, 2019 Stoops 4 Monday, September 16, 2019 Stoops 5 Monday, September 23, 2019 Stoops 6 Monday, September 30, 2019 Stoops 7 Monday, October 07, 2019 Stoops 8 Monday, October 14, 2019 Stoops 9 Monday, October 21, 2019 Stoops 10 Monday, October 28, 2019 Stoops 11 Monday, November 04, 2019 Stoops 12 Monday, November 11, 2019 Stoops 13 Monday, November 18, 2019 Stoops 14 Monday, November 25, 2019 @UKSportsNetwork 71Next >