UK Men's Soccer 2013 Wrap-Up

Photo via Barry Westerman Just like that, the 2013 UK Men’s Soccer season has come and passed. Unfortunately for fans of soccer in the Bluegrass State, this season failed to incite as much enthusiasm about the program as the 2013 campaign did. The team finished with an overall record of 7-10-3 and failed to return to the NCAA Tournament. With that being said, there are still plenty of positives to look forward to between now and the first kick-off of 2014. It'll be a long time until then, so on to some takeaways and notes to hold you over until then… Slow Start Haunts the Cats - Getting off to a slow start is what really killed this team in the end. Coming into the semi-final matchup with Charlotte, UK was playing at the same level we saw all last year, having won 3 of its last 5, tying one match and losing only to ranked New Mexico. You probably saw me talk a lot about Tyler Riggs' struggle with finding the back of the net for a large part of the season. Towards the end of the season we saw the return of the Tyler Riggs we all know and love, and with that a revival of the team. It's not fair to put all of the blame on the shoulders of an excellent player like Riggs, though I can't help but wonder where this team ends up if Riggs avoids that early season disappearance. Moving Forward with Johan - Next year will be Johan Cedergen’s third year as manager for the UK Men’s Soccer squad. Johan’s first year was, to say the least, a bit of a surprise. In 2012, coming off of losing its manager, it didn’t seem like much was to be expected of the team, yet they still put together one of the best years in the program’s history. While this year may have been a bit of a stepback, there’s still a lot of confidence in this program going forward, and plenty of confidence in Johan. Callum vs. Jack Van Arsdale - One of the biggest stories surrounding the team this year was the battle between goalkeepers Jack Van Arsdale and Callum Irving. Heading into the season, it seemed almost certain that Arsdale would reprise his role as the starting keeper, considering he played such an important part in the 2012 campaign. To my surprise, and the surprise of other fans, the starting spot would be claimed by sophomore Callum Irving for the majority of the season. As Brent Ingram said, they are both very talented but, at the end of the day, Callum simply out-performed Van Arsdale. I would have liked to see Jack more in-goal during his senior year, but UK has Callum for two more years and that's exciting. Saying Good-Bye to the Seniors - UK will graduate four seniors at the end of the year. Tyler Riggs, Steven Perinovic, Brad Doliner, and previously mentioned Jack Van Arsdale have all played their final matches in Kentucky jerseys. As mentioned before, though he did play a significant role on the team in the past, Johan won't have a problem “replacing” Arsdale, as Callum held the starting role all year. Where UK may struggle is replacing Tyler Riggs and Perinovic. Both Perinovic and Riggs could be considered some of the best players to ever touch the pitch at UK, with Tyler having the second most goals scored in UK history and Steven Perinovic having been named in the All-Conference USA selection twice. Keep an Eye on Napo - Speaking of replacements for Tyler Riggs, another one of the biggest stories from 2013 was the rise of freshman star Napo Matsoso. While Napo isn't a true forward, and will probably find himself in the midfield next year, Johan did toy around with playing him as a striker this last season. Napo is poised to be a star at UK, and this last year was just the beginning to a wonderful career in blue. That about wraps it up. Don't forget to check back here over the offseason as we'll keep you updated on all the UK Soccer news you need. Also, don't forget to support the UK Women's Soccer team, which recently advanced to the 2nd Round of the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row!