IU hopes to snap non-conference losing skid versus Wildcats

Ranked No. 3 in the latest National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll, the IU men's soccer team takes its 7-2-0 overall record to Lexington, Ky., tonight at 7:30 p.m. EDT, to face unranked Kentucky. The game marks the first non-conference game for the Hoosiers in 17 days. \n"(Kentucky is) just a team that is very hard to play against" said IU coach Mike Freitag. "They're pretty direct. They're a big, strong team. A lot of the game is based on physical challenges, and that may be an area where we're not the strongest, so it poses a challenge for us."\nIU's last two non-conference games, and its only two losses on the season, came against then-No. 14 University of California Santa Barbara and the University of New Mexico, in the adidas/Crescent Financial Solutions Classic in Albuquerque, N.M.\nBoth opponents won the matches 1-0 on late goals in the second overtime and UCSB is now ranked No. 1 in this week's coaches poll with an 8-0-1 overall record.\nIU has since started its Big Ten season with two straight victories over Michigan State and then-No. 3 Penn State -- with both victories occurring away from Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nWinners of seven of its last nine matches, Kentucky (7-3-1 overall) is coming off a 3-0 victory Sunday over conference foe Buffalo. Jamal Shteiwi scored twice for the Wildcats, notching his eighth goal on the season. Kentucky is 5-1-0 this season when -- the 2003 Mid-American Conference Player of the Year -- Shtweiwi scores.\nShteiwi began his career with the Hoosiers in 2000, but did not see action as the team redshirted him, and later transferred to Kentucky.\n"Jamal Shteiwi is a good player," Freitag said. "A young man that came here initially, and when we recruited him we knew he had potential to be a good one. He's a big, strong boy who when he gets the ball, gets a head of steam. He can do some damage."\nIU holds the all-time series lead over UK, 12-1, but five of the last six matches have been decided by one goal or less, including three matches going to double overtime.\nThe two teams faced each other twice last season in a 22-day period. IU won both matches, with the first match coming during the regular season in Bloomington by a score of 1-0. IU won 2-1 in overtime in the rematch, which came in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Bloomington.\nThe Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, IU sophomore forward Jacob Peterson, scored a goal in last season's second-round game against Kentucky. The Michigan native notched three goals in last season's NCAA tournament, including the game-winner against St. John's in the national championship game.\nPeterson earned Big Ten laurels this week with his game winner against Penn State last Friday, his seventh goal and fourth game-winner on the season.\n"I guess it's nice to get recognized, but we want to keep it in the team," Peterson said. "We don't want anybody to get bigger than the team."\nLast season's NCAA tournament game with Kentucky marked the second time IU defeated the Wildcats in the second overtime in a NCAA tournament game since 1999. Entering the game with IU, Kentucky is 0-3 this season versus ranked opponents.\nThe last time Kentucky defeated a ranked opponent was Oct. 19, 2003, when the Wildcats defeated No. 12 Akron 1-0, in Lexington.\n"(Kentucky) always goes out and give us a great match," said IU sophomore midfielder Josh Tudela. "It'll be even a harder match because we are going to their stadium. At their stadium, all of their fans are right on top of you, yelling the whole time. Every time we play Kentucky, it's a tough game, its a battle."\n-- Contact staff writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.