Forty-two years of soccer competition. 39 NCAA appearances. 10 NCAA championships. An overall record of 573-151-66. All are NCAA records.

Saint Louis University has built a soccer dynasty.

With a 2-1 victory over UAB in the Conference USA Tournament final, the SLU men’s soccer team has qualified for the NCAA Tournament yet again.

SLU will host the University of Kentucky in a first round game at Robert R. Hermann Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 18th at 3:30 p.m.

“We’re certainly proud of our rich tradition here in men’s soccer, and we’re pleased not only to qualify for the NCAA Tournament, but also to bring a home game here for all of our fans in St. Louis,” said SLU Director of Athletics Doug Woolard.

Coming to town are the Wildcats, who gained an automatic birth by beating No. 1 seed Bowling Green in the championship of the Mid-American Conference.

It is the second consecutive NCAA birth for the young program; varsity play began in 1991.

“This is a great day for our program,” said UK coach Ian Collins. “We are happy to be going to St. Louis for the first round and look forward to our second NCAA Tournament.”

This is the first meeting between the two programs. SLU coach Bob Warming, however, has Kentucky ties.

His first head coaching position was at Transylvania University, where he was named the NCAA Division II Coach of the Year in 1976.

Transylvania plays second fiddle to the University of Kentucky, as both are located in Lexington. Upon hearing the brackets, Warming was startled.

“My first thought was, `my wife’s screaming’, because she’s a UK grad and has been a Wildcat fan all of her life,” said Warming.

But all jokes aside, Kentucky (11-8-1, 7-2-0 in MAC) is a talented team.

The Wildcats focus on defense, allowing only 1.13 goals per game. They are led by senior Giovani Fernandes and junior Iikka Jantii; both were All MAC first-team selections.

Senior goalie Brian O’Leary has also shown his presence in the net; he stopped a game-tying penalty kick with minutes remaining against Bowling Green to preserve the victory.

SLU (13-3-2) and Kentucky have had a few familiar opponents this season. Kentucky beat Louisville 2-1 going away and lost to Vanderbilt 1-0 at home.

SLU defeated Louisville 3-1 on the road and topped Vanderbilt 9-0 at home.

Kentucky, though, is playing well.

The Cats recently lost 2-1 to No. 1 ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

Kentucky’s confidence isn’t wavering, either. The Wildcats apparently are not in awe of SLU’s storied history in soccer.

Last year, they lost to No. 1-ranked Indiana in triple overtime in their inaugural NCAA Tournament, and they will come ready to compete on Saturday.

“I think Saint Louis, for our first round, is a good team to play, and I think we have a real good chance to get through them,” said freshman Brook Pearse, whose game-winning goal against Bowling Green put the Cats into the NCAA Tournament.

The players are getting hyped up for the game, in part due to a motivational speech by UK’s Athletic Director Larry Ivy.

“After being in New York with the basketball team, you guys really made my weekend. Now go up there and kick Saint Louis’ ass,” said Ivy, according to the Kentucky Kernel after the Wildcats learned their fate.

Whoever comes out on top will face the winner of the Southern Methodist University (SMU) and Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI).

SMU (17-4) is the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The top eight teams in the 32-team field are seeded, with the remaining teams filling out the bracket.

It is the Mustangs’ seventh consecutive appearance, and 16 of the last 17 seasons. SMU beat SLU 3-2 at Hermann Stadium in September.

IUPUI (11-8-2) is making its first NCAA appearance in any sport. The Jaguars received an automatic birth after winning the Mid-Continent Conference title.

If IUPUI upsets SMU and SLU beats Kentucky, SLU most likely would host a second- round NCAA Tournament game the weekend of Nov. 24-26.

C-USA foe UAB also made the field, and they will play at the University of Washington. North Carolina received the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Stanford, No. 4 San Diego, No. 5 Virginia, No. 6 SMU, No. 7 South Carolina, and No. 8 San Jose State.

Memphis (14-6) had the talent to make the field, but key losses and strength of schedule hurt the Tigers.

Student admission for Saturday is $5.