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Match Day: #19 Louisville (9-6-3 / 4-2-1 ACC) vs. #1 Syracuse (15-2-1 / 5-2-1 ACC)
Date: Friday, November 14, 2014
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Cary, N.C.
Venue: WakeMed Soccer Park (10,000)
TV/Internet Coverage: ESPN3
Live Scoring: Live Stats at theACC.com
Twitter Updates: @UofLMensSoccer
Series Info: Louisville leads 6-2-1 all-time
Last Meeting: LOU 2, #2 SYR 1 (ot) - 10/17/14 - Louisville, Ky. -
Jerry Ramirez connected on a header with less than four minutes remaining in the first overtime period to lift Louisville to a dramatic 2-1 triumph over No. 2 Syracuse at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium.
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2014 Louisville Men's Soccer Match Notes (ACC Semifinal vs. Syracuse) 
2014 #ACCMSoccer Championship Page |
2014 #ACCMSoccer Bracket (pdf)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Following its quarterfinal triumph last Sunday in Chapel Hill, the No. 19 Louisville men's soccer team returns to the Tar Heel State for Friday's ACC Championship semifinal match against No. 1 ranked Syracuse at 8 p.m., ET at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. ESPN3 will televise each of Friday's 2014 ACC Championship semifinal matches, while live scoring will be provided through theACC.com.
ABOUT LOUISVILLE
After closing the regular season winless in their last three matches, the Cardinals returned to victorious form with the 1-0 triumph at No. 3 North Carolina in Sunday's quarterfinal match. Louisville is making its first semifinal appearance in a conference tournament since 2011. The Cardinals' last conference tournament title came in 2010 when they defeated Providence in penalty kicks to clinch the Big East championship.
ABOUT SYRACUSE
The Orange enters Friday's match after a 2-0 victory over Duke in Sunday's ACC quarterfinals. The ACC Atlantic Division champion and No. 2 seed in the tournament, Syracuse is unbeaten in four straight since falling at Louisville on Oct. 17. Last season, the Orange was 10-7-1 overall and 10th in the ACC at 3-7-1.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
Though the Cardinals and Orange competed as Big East foes from 2005-12, Friday's match will be the first in the postseason between the programs. Louisville has won back-to-back matches against Syracuse and is unbeaten in five straight in the series, including a 2-1 overtime win earlier this season at Lynn Stadium.
LOUISVILLE'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP PROFILE
Louisville's push for its eighth straight NCAA Championship enters the final weekend before the field of 48 is released on Nov. 17. At No. 22 in the RPI released by the NCAA on Nov. 9, the Cardinals are among seven ACC schools in the top 32. Louisville is second nationally in wins against the RPI Top 25 with four, while the match at Syracuse will be the Cardinals' 10th this season against an RPI Top 25 foe (4-4-1 record).
CARDINALS JOIN FAMILIAR FOES IN ACC SEMIS
The Cardinals are joined by a trio of familiar foes in the semifinal round of the 2014 ACC Championship after playing each of the three remaining teams during the regular season. Along with its overtime win against Syracuse on Oct. 17, Louisville played to a scoreless draw against Clemson on Oct. 24 and lost 3-2 in overtime at Notre Dame on Oct. 10.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS...
• The Cardinals earned the No. 6 seed in its first ever ACC Championship with a 4-3-1 conference mark.
• Freshman
Tim Kubel leads Louisville with a team-high six goals to go with three assists. He is 3-for-3 on penalty kicks and has started all 18 matches.
• Senior defender
Daniel Keller has started all 18 matches on the Cardinals' backline in 2014. He has 58 career starts and 70 match appearances for Louisville.
• Friday's match will be the sixth this season for the Cardinals against an opponent ranked in the top six of a national poll (3-2 record in previous five).
• Louisville is 6-0-0 this season when scoring first.
• The Cardinals have allowed just one goal (at Wake on Nov. 1) in the last 535 minutes of action dating back to the second half goal scored by Syracuse on Oct. 17.
LOUISVILLE SECOND NATIONALLY IN ATTENDANCE IN FIRST SEASON AT LYNN STADIUM
After entering the season with great excitement for the move to the ACC and the opening of the nation's most spectacular collegiate soccer facility, Louisville fans responded by packing Lynn Stadium for the Cardinals in 2014. Louisville closed the regular season second in the nation in attendance averaging 3,818 fans in 11 home matches this season highlighted by the 7,047 fans for the Cardinals' opening-night victory over Maryland.
CARDINALS RETURN TO NATIONAL RANKINGS
After rising as highly as No. 2 in the nation early in the season, Louisville fell out of the national rankings on Oct. 14 following a four-match losing skid. The time out of the top 25 was short-lived as the Cardinals returned to the Soccer America poll on Oct. 21 at No. 11. This week, Louisville is ranked 19th in both the NSCAA Top 25 and the Soccer America Top 25. The Cardinals opened the season with a 1-0 win over then-No. 2 Maryland and then made a big move in the rankings replacing the Terrapins as the No. 2 ranked team in the NSCAA Top 25 on Sept. 2. The No. 2 national ranking was the highest for Louisville since opening the 2011 season ranked No. 1. The Cardinals were also ranked No. 1 in the nation in 2010 before closing the season as NCAA runner-up after reaching the College Cup title game.
KUBEL EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Freshman defender
Tim Kubel earned a pair of honors on Oct. 21 when he was named ACC Player of the Week as well as the TopDrawerSoccer.com National Player of the Week. Kubel scored two goals and added an assist as UofL won both of its matches that week, including a 2-1 overtime win over No. 2 Syracuse. On the season, Kubel leads the Cardinals with six goals, including two game-winners. He's also 3-for-3 on penalty kicks in his first collegiate season.
STRONG PROVIDES OFFENSIVE PUNCH IN FIRST SEASON
In his first season in the Louisville uniform, junior
Ben Strong has given the Cardinals an offensive boost with 13 points, which ranks second on the team in 2014. A transfer from Virginia Tech, Strong has five goals and three assists, highlighted by his two-goal performance against Duke on Sept. 13. Strong has started in 17 of Louisville's 18 matches this season with all of those coming in the attacking midfield.
BALL MOVES INTO THIRD IN CAREER SHUTOUTS AT LOUISVILLE
With his six shutouts this season, senior goalkeeper
Joachim Ball has moved into sole possession of third place in career shutouts at Louisville with 15. Last season, Ball finished with eight shutouts, ranked 15th nationally in goals against average at 0.688 and was a key player as Louisville set school records for consecutive minutes played without allowing a goal (560) and consecutive shutouts with five from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6. Andre Boudreaux leads the way with 37 career shutouts at Louisville from 2008-11, while Jeremy Morales is second with 23 from 1998-2001.
VELAZCO SCORES FOUR GOALS IN THREE-MATCH STRETCH
After not scoring a goal in each of the Cardinals' first four matches of 2014, junior
Ricardo Velazco found his scoring form in September connecting for four goals in three-match stretch from Sept. 19-26, including two goals in the win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 26. Last season, Velazco, led the Cardinals with seven goals and nine assists while starting all 20 matches.
STRONG NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK ON SEPT. 16
Junior midfielder
Ben Strong was chosen as Atlantic Coast Conference Men's Soccer Co-Player of the Week on Sept. 16 sharing the honor with Clemson forward Kyle Murphy. Strong scored two goals as the Cardinals blanked visiting Duke 5-0 in the ACC opener at Lynn Stadium. The goals were the first in a Louisville uniform for Strong, who is in his first season with the Cardinals after transferring from Virginia Tech.
With Louisville already leading Duke by a 1-0 score, Strong pushed the advantage to 2-0 in the sixth minute when he controlled a deflected cross from the right side and scored from 12 yards out. The native of Mendham, New Jersey, later added another score for the Cardinals who remained unbeaten at home in 2014. It marked the second time this season a Louisville player has earned the weekly ACC award as sophomore
Andrew Brody was tabbed on Sept. 2.
BRODY CHOSEN AS ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK ON AUG. 29
Sophomore midfielder
Andrew Brody was named as the ACC Men's Soccer Player of the Week on Sept. 2 after leading the nationally ranked Cardinals to a victory over No. 2 Maryland on Aug. 29.
Brody headed in the only goal of the match in the 54th minute to lift the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory over the Terrapins in the season-opener for both clubs. Brody received a cross from
Ricardo Velazco and sent it into the upper left corner of the net for the decisive goal, the fourth career tally for the native of Orlando, Fla. Also on Sept. 2, Brody was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week for his work in the triumph over Maryland.
LOLLA REACHES 100-WIN PLATEAU AT LOUISVILLE
The winningest coach in the history of the Louisville men's soccer program, head coach
Ken Lolla earned his 100th victory at the helm of the Cardinals with the season-opening triumph against No. 2 Maryland on Aug. 29. Having led Louisville to three conference championships in the last five seasons and seven straight seasons with at least 11 wins, Lolla has also guided the Cardinals to seven consecutive NCAA Championship appearances. Louisville has made three NCAA Elite Eight appearances, including a national runner-up finish in 2010 when the Cardinals won a school record 20 games before falling to Akron in the title game of the College Cup.
BRODY, VELAZCO NAMED TO TOPDRAWERSOCCER TOP 100
Sophomore midfielder
Andrew Brody and junior forward
Ricardo Velazco were each named to the TopDrawerSoccer National Top 100 released on Aug. 27. Ranked 46th overall, Brody scored three goals and added eight assists in 20 starts as a freshman in 2013. Velazco, ranked No. 54, led the Cardinals with seven goals and nine assists while starting all 20 matches in his first season in Louisville in 2013. The Louisville duo are among 17 players from the ACC on the preseason list.
BALL, KELLER AND MOORE CHOSEN AS TEAM CAPTAINS IN 2014
A trio of seniors -- goalkeeper
Joachim Ball, defender
Daniel Keller and midfielder
Nolan Moore -- were announced as team captains for 2014 by head coach
Ken Lolla during the team's annual media day activities on Aug. 13. Ball started 19 matches in 2013 finishing with eight shutouts and making 53 saves for the Cardinals, who won the American Conference regular season championship and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. Ball ranked 15th nationally in goals against average at 0.688 and was a key player as Louisville set school records for consecutive minutes played without allowing a goal (560) and consecutive shutouts with five from Sept. 21 to Oct. 6.
Another key player in the Cardinals' stretch of shutouts last season, Keller started 18 matches and made 19 total appearances as a junior. He scored three goals, all game-winners, while adding one assist. In his three seasons, Keller has played in 52 matches with 40 starts while scoring five goals. Moore started seven matches and played in 18 games overall in his first season in Louisville after transferring from Cal Poly. He finished with two goals and both were game-winners for the Cardinals in 2013.
