Unbeaten UK named No. 1 seed in NCAA men’s soccer tournament. Here’s the path to a title.
The Kentucky men’s soccer program continues to make history during the 2022 season, this time with an eye toward postseason success.
The Wildcats — the only undefeated team left in Division I men’s college soccer — were given the No. 1 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament on Monday, setting up as many as three NCAA Tournament matches in Lexington in the coming weeks.
As the top overall seed, Kentucky — which won both the Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament championships — is positioned to host matches in the round of 32, Sweet 16 and Elite Eight at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.
The College Cup, which consists of the national semifinals and national championship match, will take place in early December at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, North Carolina.
Kentucky compiled a 14-0-5 (W-L-D) record this season, including its three-game run to the Sun Belt Tournament title last week.
Kentucky previously played in C-USA, before moving to the Sun Belt Conference during the offseason.
UK will begin NCAA Tournament play in the round of 32 at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Bell Soccer Complex against either South Florida (8-6-4) or Hofstra (14-3-3), who play each other Thursday.
Kentucky’s best NCAA Tournament performance came in 2018, when the Cats reached the Elite Eight for the first and only time before losing at home to Maryland.
The complete 2022 NCAA men's soccer Tournament bracket.
A potential UK - Louisville match awaits in the Elite Eight, among other matchup possibilities. pic.twitter.com/AjiO2omLxQ— Cameron Drummond (@cdrummond97) November 14, 2022
Kentucky to face South Florida or Hofstra in round of 32
Kentucky’s path to the College Cup will go through Lexington, but it won’t be without challenges for head coach Johan Cedergren’s team.
To begin, UK will host either South Florida or Hofstra on Sunday.
South Florida reached the championship match of the American Athletic Conference Tournament and had a standout regular season win over Tulsa, a team that held UK to a draw.
The Bulls don’t score a lot, recording just 24 goals in 18 matches this season. But South Florida also allowed only 24 goals, with redshirt senior goalkeeper Jackson Weyman playing all 18 matches and recording four shutouts.
Hofstra won the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament championship to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament field.
The Pride boast a pair of double-digit goal scorers in junior forward Ryan Carmichael (10 goals) and sophomore midfielder Eliot Goldthorp (15 goals). In total, Hofstra has scored 42 goals this season (an average of 2.1 goals per match).
Looking further into the future, a potential matchup with Louisville could await Kentucky in the Elite Eight.
UK defeated U of L, 3-2, in a thrilling September match in Lexington.
The other seeded teams in UK’s quadrant of the NCAA Tournament bracket are No. 8 Oregon State, No. 9 Lipscomb and No. 16 Akron.
Kentucky defeated Lipscomb, 3-2, in September in Lexington.
The top four overall seeds in the field are No. 1 Kentucky, No. 2 Washington, No. 3 Syracuse and No. 4 Virginia.
No. 1 Kentucky men's soccer's path in the NCAA Tournament through the Sweet 16.
UK would host all matches it plays in. pic.twitter.com/6LqL25GBxC— Cameron Drummond (@cdrummond97) November 14, 2022
UK to begin NCAA Tournament without top scorer
Kentucky will be without its leading goal scorer for its round-of-32 match against either South Florida or Hofstra.
Senior forward Eythor Bjorgolfsson (10 goals) received a red card for violent conduct during UK’s Sun Belt Tournament championship game win over James Madison on Sunday. Bjorgolfsson will serve a one-game suspension during UK’s NCAA Tournament opener.
Offensive versatility has been UK’s calling card this season though.
Excluding Bjorgolfsson, four Wildcats have scored five or more goals this season. Senior midfielder Nick Gutmann is the NCAA Division I men’s soccer leader in assists (16), and Kentucky’s 2.53 goals per game average is a top-six mark nationally.
Additionally, the Cats rank ninth nationally in shots on goal per game with 7.37.
UK set to host throughout NCAA Tournament run
Last season, Kentucky received the No. 9 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament.
The Cats defeated Santa Clara at home before losing at eventual national champions Clemson on a late goal in the Sweet 16.
Because UK was the No. 9 seed, the Cats had to travel to the Tigers (the No. 8 overall seed) for that match.
Playing a true road match in the NCAA Tournament won’t be something UK has to worry about this season.
The last time a No. 1 overall seed won the NCAA Tournament was in 2011, when North Carolina accomplished the feat.
The 2022 NCAA Tournament will mark Kentucky’s 12th overall appearance in the national postseason. Nine of these appearances (including this season) have come under the direction of Cedergren.
