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BUFFALO, NY - The University of Kentucky got a goal from sophomore Chris McDaniel (Tulsa, OK/Holland Hall) just over 28 minutes into the game and senior goalkeeper Brian O'Leary (Lexington, KY/Dunbar) made that lead stand up with a total of six saves to send the Wildcats to a 1-0 victory over Northern Illinois in the quarterfinals of the Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Tournament, being held at the University at Buffalo. With the win, the fourth-seeded Wildcats improved their record to 9-8-1 overall while fifth-seeded Northern Illinois falls to 7-9-0.

Kentucky dominated the game early in the first half, controlling the ball and getting most of the shots. The Wildcats broke through the Huskie defense in the 29th minute when McDaniel netted a goal of a pass from Brian Mitts (Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day) and Tyler Cook (Crestwood, KY/South Oldham) to give Kentucky the lead. NIU had some chances late in the first half, but O'Leary made four first-half saves to preserve the halftime lead. The second half was mostly an even battle with Northern Illinois failing to capitalize on a couple of late shots and corner kicks. Both teams finished with six shots on goal, and NIU goalkeeper Rasih Pala (Markham, Ontario/Markham District) recorded three saves in net.

The Wildcats advance to the MAC Tournament semifinals on Sunday, November 5. They will play either No. 1 Bowling Green, No. 2 Marshall, No. 3 Akron, No. 6 Buffalo or No. 7 Western Michigan. Pairings for the semifinals will be determined after all of the quarterfinal matches are concluded, with the highest remaining seed playing the fourth-highest remaining seed and the second-highest remaining seed playing the third-highest remaining seed.

Game Recap:

#5 N. Illinois 0 0 - 0

#4 Kentucky 1 0 - 1

Scoring:

Kentucky - Chris McDaniel (Brian Mitts, Tyler Cook) - 28:34

Shots: NIU - 6; UK - 6

Corner Kicks: NIU - 3; UK - 6

Fouls: NIU - 18; UK - 21

Goalie Saves: NIU - Rasih Pala - 3; UK - Brian O'Leary - 6