Ken Lolla Named NSCAA Coach of the Year
January 14, 2011 | Men's Soccer
Jan. 14, 2011
Louisville, Ky. - Louisville head coach Ken Lolla has been named the 2010 NSCAA/Mondo Coach of the Year. The National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) announced its Coach of the Year award winners for youth, high school and collegiate competition on Friday evening. The winners were recognized at the annual NSCAA Awards Banquet held at the Hilton Baltimore in conjunction with the 2011 NSCAA Convention.
Lolla took the University of Louisville men's soccer program and built them into a national contender in just his second season. In his fifth season at Louisville the Cardinals competed for their first NCAA Tournament title. Prior to his arrival, Louisville men's soccer had no previous winning tradition. The Cardinals had only managed seven winning seasons in 27 seasons as a varsity program.
Lolla guided the Cardinals to a school record 20-1-3 record this season and their first College Cup appearance. Louisville earned its highest ranking at No. 1 in the majority of the polls. The Cardinals entered their fourth consecutive postseason as the top seed in the NCAA Tournament, marking another first for the Cardinals. 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. The Cardinals advanced to their first national championship appearance before losing a heartbreaker to Akron (1-0).
For the second straight season the Cardinals had two players earn All-American honors. Colin Rolfe was named a consensus first team All-American while Austin Berry earned second team honors. Freshman Dylan Mares was also named a Freshman All-American. Rolfe became the first player in school history to be named a Hermann Trophy Finalist, the most prestigious award in collegiate soccer. Lolla was also named Soccer America Coach of the Year and NSCAA Great Lakes Coach of the Year.
Louisville won their second straight BIG EAST Red Division title and captured their first BIG EAST Tournament title. The Cardinals earned three major BIG EAST awards in the regular season - Berry was named Defender of the Year, Mares was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and Lolla and his staff earned Co-BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year honors. Three Cardinals earned first team All-BIG EAST honors, Rolfe, Berry and Nick DeLeon. Mares earned second team and all-rookie team honors. Kenney Walker and Paolo DelPiccolo earned third team honors, making the 2010 squad the most decorated in school history. After winning the BIG EAST Tournament Rolfe was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player and Andre Boudreaux was named the Defensive Most Valuable Player. Berry and J.T. Murray were named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team.
Capping off a record setting season, seniors Murray and Charlie Campbell were drafted in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft. It was the first time in school history that two players were taken in the MLS Draft.
Lolla at Louisville
Last season, Lolla guided the Cardinals to their first BIG EAST title after finishing 8-2-1 in the Red Division. The Cardinals set records in wins and shutouts with 13. The Cardinals also earned their highest ranking at the time at No. 5 in the nation. The Cardinals also advanced to the BIG EAST semifinals. Senior Phil Edginton was named BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year while Lolla and his staff were named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. Edginton and Rolfe earned first team All-BIG EAST honors, marking another first in Louisville history. The Cardinals earned their third consecutive NCAA Tournament bid. Edginton and Rolfe earned numerous All-American honors. Rolfe became the first Cardinal to be named a semifinalist for the Hermann Trophy. Paolo DelPiccolo also earned Freshman All-American honors. Topping off an impressive season, Othaniel Yanez was drafted by the Columbus Crew and made the final roster.
In his third season Lolla guided the Cards to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. Louisville pulled off upsets of No. 3 Notre Dame and No. 2 St. John's in back-to-back games, earning their highest ranking at the time at seventh in the nation. Once again the Cardinals earned a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals but fell to Notre Dame 1-0 in South Bend. Rolfe earned BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors while Aaron Clapham and Berry also earned All-BIG EAST honors. The Cardinals then earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, making the first back-to-back appearance in school history. The Cards' season ended in the first round with a 4-3 overtime loss to Jacksonville.
Lolla's second year squad put together back-to-back wins over ranked opponents to begin the month of October. The Cardinals defeated No. 12 South Florida followed by an overtime win over No. 13 Indiana. It was the Cards' first win over Indiana and landed them in their first national ranking at No. 25 in the Soccer America Poll. Louisville finished the month of October with just one loss and finished second in the BIG EAST's Red Division and earned a first round bye for the tournament. The Cards then tied No. 14 West Virginia in the quarterfinals and advanced to their first semifinals on penalty kicks. The Cardinals fell to BIG EAST Champion Connecticut in the semifinals but earned their first at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Lolla's squad was not happy just to be there, they were all business as they defeated No. 20 Duke 1-0 in Cardinal Park. Louisville faced No. 14 Ohio State in the second round in Columbus. The Cards fell 1-0 to the Buckeyes to end their most successful season in school history.
In his first season with the Cardinals, Lolla doubled Louisville's BIG EAST win total from the previous season to finish with a 4-5-1 record. The Cardinals also qualified for the BIG EAST Tournament, making its first league tournament appearance in three seasons. The Cardinals made a dramatic improvement at the end of the season. Lolla's first squad finished their last three league games with a perfect record of 1-0-2.
