Ken Lolla Named Soccer America Coach of the Year
December 24, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Dec. 24, 2010
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The Louisville men's soccer team earned more postseason awards as 2010 comes to a close. Soccer America honored head coach Ken Lolla as Coach of the Year. The publication also named Colin Rolfe as a first team MVP and Austin Berry as a second team MVP. Freshman Dylan Mares was named to the All-Freshman first team. Rolfe and Berry were also named College Soccer News All-Americans, with Rolfe earning first team honors and Berry second team accolades.
It is the second time Lolla has been named Coach of the Year by Soccer America. He previously won the award in 2005, his last season at Akron. Lolla has taken Louisville, a program with no previous winning tradition, and made it into a national contender. This season Lolla guided the Cardinals to a school record 20-1-3 mark and their first College Cup appearance. He led Louisville to a remarkable NCAA tournament run that saw the Cardinals draw record crowds of more than 5,000 for every game at Cardinal Park. Lolla was also named NSCAA Great Lakes Coach of the Year. He earned the honor for the second time in his career.
Rolfe, a junior forward from Canton, Mich., has started all 24 games and helped lead Louisville to its first No. 1 ranking and the program's first College Cup. He led the team in scoring with 25 points on nine goals and seven assists. Rolfe earned first-team All-BIG EAST honors and was named the BIG EAST Tournament's Offensive MVP. On Dec. 4, he scored two goals in a victory over UCLA that earned the Cardinals a trip to the College Cup. Rolfe is a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, becoming the first player in Louisville history to be voted a finalist. He was also named a first team NSCAA All-American for the second straight season.
Berry, a junior defender from Cincinnati, Ohio, has started all 24 games for the Cardinals. Berry was named the BIG EAST Defender of the Year while helping the Cards to an undefeated BIG EAST record. Berry scored the game-winning goal in the Cards' second round game against Ohio State to help the Cardinals to their first College Cup. The defender has four goals and two assists for 10 points on the year. He was also a first team All-BIG EAST selection. Berry was also named a NSCAA second team All-American.
Mares became the second Cardinal to earn BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors. The freshman midfielder ranks second on the team in scoring with eight goals and four assists for 20 points. He leads the team in goals scored with eight and has three game-winning goals on the year. Mares was also named a second team All-BIG EAST selection and an All-Rookie team selection. He helped the U.S. U-20 National team defeat Canada in a pair of friendlies in Boca Raton, Fla.
