Men's Soccer Earns Preseason Rankings
August 10, 2010 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 10, 2010
Louisville, Ky. - The Louisville men's soccer team earned preseason rankings for the second consecutive season. Louisville was ranked 20th in the NSCAA preseason poll and 24th in the College Soccer News preseason poll.
The Cardinals return one of the top attacking offenses in the league and in nation with All-American forward Colin Rolfe and Mark Knight. Rolfe led the team in scoring last season with 22 points, scoring 10 goals and dishing out two assists. He also scored four game-winning goals for the Cardinals. Knight was second on the team in scoring with 20 points, scoring seven goals and dishing out six assists. His six assists were a team best.
The midfield took the biggest hit with the loss of Othaniel Yanez and Freddie Braun to graduation. But junior Kenney Walker will return to the midfield to help fill that void. Freshman All-American Paolo DelPiccolo will help Walker lead the Cardinal midfield. DelPiccolo was fourth on the team in scoring with three goals and five assists. He also scored two game-winners for the Cardinals.
Austin Berry and Nick Corliss return to the field along with starters JT Murray and Chase Rodgers. Berry was an All-BIG EAST selection his sophomore season. He started seven games and scored one goal and dished out one assist before a season-ending injury. Murray moved to the back line last season and started every game for the Cardinals. The senior scored a game-winning goal and dished out two assists last fall. Corliss started in the season opener but an injury took him off the field the rest of the season while Rodgers started in 18 games last season.
For the first time in school history the Cardinals will be very deep between the pipes. The Cards will have a stable of goalkeepers challenging for playing time. Junior Andre Boudreaux, a two year starter, finished last season with a school record 13 shutouts. He also set a school record with a 0.64 goals against average.
The Cardinals will play their first exhibition game against Lipscomb on Aug. 21 in Cardinal Park at 5:00 p.m.
