CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The second seeded Old Dominion University men’s soccer team outshot the seventh seeded University of Kentucky 25-11 on Wednesday night but it was the Wildcat’s who celebrated an overtime goal and 1-0 victory in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Conference USA Tournament. Action took place at Transamerica Field on the campus of UNC Charlotte on a 34 degree night with winds blowing close to 10 miles per hour.
Just two and half minutes into the first overtime, UK’s Napo Matsoso found and led teammate Justin Laird, who put away his one on one with the Monarch’s diving goalkeeper, Sean Stowe.
For the game, ODU took five corners compared to Kentucky’s one. 2013 C-USA Player of the Year, Tim Hopkinson, took the same amount of shots (11) as the entire Kentucky team on Wednesday night, but it was Kentucky’s goalkeeper, Callum Irving, who continued to make big save after big save for his Wildcats.
In the 62nd minute of play, Hopkinson was taken down by a Wildcat defender in Kentucky’s box, which was whistled for a penalty kick. It was then, that UK’s Irving, made a brilliant diving glove save on Ivan Militar’s PK. Irving compiled a total of six saves on the night.
It was evident that ODU made proper adjustments at halftime and played with more of an urgency in the second half, as the Soccer Monarchs attempted the second half’s first 11 shots, as well as the first three corners. For the second half, ODU outshot Kentucky 16-3.
With the win, Kentucky will play the winner of third seeded UAB and six seeded Charlotte on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in the semifinals.
STATS
SHOTS – ODU (25); KENTUCKY (11)
CORNERS - ODU (5); KENTUCKY (1)
SAVES – ODU - Stowe (2); KENTUCKY – Irving (6)