By: Caesar Alva/Contributing Writer
After upsetting Conference foe Marshall on the road, the men’s soccer team is ready to head back to Miami to face the Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday.
Just two weeks ago, it seemed that the season for the Panthers was quickly heading south. But after winning two games in a row, they now stand at 5-7-1 and seem to be heading in the right direction.
Momentum Shift
After a rocky start to the season, the Panthers are finally executing and picking up some well-deserved wins. Even though they currently stand at the bottom of the standings in conference play, the Panthers have a chance to extend their winning streak to four and reach .500 before hitting the road again.
Although the defense has had their fair share of struggles, Head Coach Scott Calabrese has made it a priority to convert a weakness into strength. Nevertheless, the offense has been firing on all cylinders and has made up for much of the mistakes on the backfield. The Panthers’ offense has been so good, they have scored in every single game except three throughout the season so far.
Senior captain Quentin Albrecht has led the offensive awaking. He has scored or assisted in almost every game this season since playing against Eastern Tennessee State, with the exception of Florida Gulf Coast University. Having scored four goals in the previous three home games, Albrecht is expected to continue this trend on the field.
Lurking Wildcats
It’s been a successful season for the University of Kentucky. After losing three of their first five games, the Wildcats have responded to adversity well. Since then, they have only dropped one game between September and November — their lone loss coming to the No. 18 Louisville Cardinals.
While many of their games have been won by a small margin, the Wildcats have done whatever it takes to grind out multiple games. Before coming up with a draw against Ohio State, the Wildcats won five games in a row.
While on the field, the No. 25 Wildcats have been led by senior forward Justin Laird– who has contributed five of the 22 goals scored by the Wildcats this season. However, on the sidelines, they are led by third-year Head Coach Johan Cedergren, who has excelled with the team. After an 11-year drought, Cedegren was able to lead the Wildcats to the NCAA tournament.
Following the home stretch, the Panthers will go back on the road for their last game of the season to play the Old Dominion Monarchs on Friday, Nov. 7.
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