Recapping the 2010 Men's Soccer Season
February 09, 2011 | Men's Soccer
Feb. 9, 2011
By Sam Hovland, Louisville Sports Information - "How about another last-minute game-winner from Horton?"
The thought surely entered the minds of many watching the clock wind down in a 1-1 deadlock against North Carolina in the College Cup semifinals, the first trip to the final four for the Louisville men's soccer team. But it was mostly wishful thinking, akin to hoping for a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth by the same rookie two nights in a row, a rookie with only two career home runs to his name. A nice thought, but those kinds of dreams just don't come true.
Until it did.
Just two minutes after freshman Aaron Horton entered the game, sophomore Ryan Smith capitalized on a UNC turnover in its own territory and delivered a perfect through-ball to Horton on the left flank, who chipped a right-footed shot from a tough angle over Tar Heel keeper Scott Goodwin with 51 seconds remaining for his second consecutive game-winning, tie-breaking, 90th-minute goal, a sequence of events that may never occur in an NCAA Championship again.
This came six days after Horton took matters into his own hands with under a minute to go in a 4-4 tie with UCLA at Cardinal Park with a College Cup berth on the line, dribbling around and through a veritable army of Bruin defenders with nothing on their minds but "don't let this guy score" and then poking a soft shot past UCLA goalie Brian Rowe that trickled into the net, whipping the state-record crowd of 5,467 into a frenzy despite the snowfall and 33 degree temperature and rendering the PA announcer helpless in his plea for no spectators on the field...
Just two events in a long list of happenings in what was a storybook season for the Louisville Cardinals, one that saw U of L surpass anything the school or conference had ever seen in its rise to the top of the college soccer world.
No--come to think about it, not storybook. Beyond storybook. Storybook has to be at least somewhat predictable, has to bring an "I see where this is headed" to its astute readers' minds. Storybook can't have a true freshman who had scored one goal in his career deliver back-to-back game-winning, last-minute, heart-stopping goals in the quarterfinals and semifinals of NCAA soccer's biggest stage (although Horton will now be on everybody's radar over his next three years with the Cards). Storybook can't have a team give up one goal or fewer in 21 straight games to begin the season (easily a school-record streak), never allowing more than four shots on goal in any of those games (only team in the nation to do that), yet still manage to overcome four UCLA goals and a pair of two-goal deficits in what was the highest scoring game in Louisville since 1987. Neither can storybook have the Cardinals race out to an 8-0-2 start despite getting just seven shots on goal, three goals, and three assists from last year's top two scorers, Colin Rolfe and Mark Knight, during the 10 games (the latter half of the season was a different story for Rolfe, but for Knight, the campaign ended early after an injury in the season's third game).
And sadly, neither can storybook have yet another college soccer team march all the way to the NCAA finals unbeaten only to lose a heartbreaker in the title bout. Five of the last six NCAA runners-up (men and women) entered the championship match without a loss and all five lost by a single goal or in penalty kicks, a list (record entering match in parentheses) including the 2008 Notre Dame (26-0-0; 2-1 loss to North Carolina), 2009 Stanford (25-0-0; 1-0 loss to North Carolina), and 2010 Stanford (23-0-2; 1-0 loss to Notre Dame) women's teams and the 2009 Akron (23-0-1; fell 3-2 on PKs to Virginia after a 0-0 draw) and 2010 Louisville (20-0-3; 1-0 defeat against Akron) men's squads.
The second-place finish does nothing, however, to discount what the Cardinals accomplished in head coach Ken Lolla's fifth year at the helm of the program, which had registered just seven winning seasons out of 27 prior to his arrival. Louisville began 2010 the way it has the past three seasons, namely with a six-game unbeaten streak, playing eventual NCAA participants Duke and Ohio State to scoreless draws and defeating NC State (2-1), Fordham (2-0), Appalachian State (5-0), and Missouri State (2-1). But with subsequent wins over Providence (2-1), Kentucky (2-0), and St. John's (2-1)--the latter courtesy of a J.T. Murray golden goal in the first overtime--the Cards had a new school-record unbeaten string (surpassing the 7-0-1 stretch at the end of the 1981 season) and the school's first-ever number one ranking, and with five more wins had a Louisville-best win streak as well. Four weeks after Top Drawer Soccer tabbed Louisville as the top team in the country, four (TDS, NSCAA, Soccer Times, and College Soccer News) of the five major polls would consider the Cardinals the best team in the nation, thanks in part to Akron's 2-1 loss at Cleveland State on Oct. 30.
But merely demolishing all the Louisville marks (the Cards set new school records in goals, assists, points, wins, and winning percentage) would not nearly be enough for this Cardinal squad, whose winning streak extending through the entire conference season, making U of L the first school to go unbeaten and untied (9-0-0) in BIG EAST play since St. John's went 8-0-0 in 1991 and the only one to accomplish the feat since the BIG EAST schedule expanded in 1995 (every season since has had at least a nine-game league slate). Not only did the Cards breeze through the BIG EAST for their second consecutive Red Division crown, but they finished a full nine points ahead of second-place Cincinnati in the Red Division, a margin three points greater than had ever been achieved in the conference's 26-year soccer history. Louisville then proceeded to extend its unbeaten stretch to 23 games, a new BIG EAST record, two games better than the 21-game streak (18-0-3) put together by St. John's to open the 1993 campaign.
But the accolades don't stop at the conference level either; the 23-game unbeaten streak cements Louisville's place in the NCAA record book, as the streak is the 13th-longest in Division I history and longest since Virginia went 33 games without a loss from Oct. 29, 1994-Dec. 3, 1995. Also placing the Cards in the book is U of L's active 23-game home unbeaten streak--Louisville has not lost in Derby City since the 2008 NCAA Tournament, a 4-3 overtime defeat at the hands of Jacksonville in the first round--which sits 11th in NCAA annals. Louisville's current string of 17 straight games without a loss against league foes gives Lolla yet another record-setting mark, as this one--a BIG EAST record--has been surpassed only 13 times in NCAA history.
For the 2010 Louisville team, it was far from the same guys scoring all the goals to propel the club to 23 straight games without a loss. In the season's first 10 games, balance, stifling defense, and the emergence of freshman Dylan Mares--not to mention three Kenney Walker-to-Austin Berry header goals--guided the Cards to an 8-0-2 record and a trio of conference wins. Opponents managed just five goals during the stretch, which saw 10 different players score and eight account for the Cardinals' first nine goals of the season. Mares scored five goals (on just 10 shots) in Louisville's first nine games and finished with eight, seventh most among all Division I rookies.
But what about Rolfe, the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, and Charlie Campbell, who transferred to Louisville in 2010 following a trip to the College Cup in 2007 with Virginia Tech? It was certainly just a matter of time before these two began teaming up to terrorize Cardinal opponents, and they did just that beginning with U of L's 3-1 win at Cincinnati on Oct. 13. From that game, a two-goal match for Campbell, until the end of the season, Rolfe and Campbell would combine for 13 goals and seven assists after notching just two and two prior to that (including zero points for Campbell). Rolfe had assists in three straight games--including the game-winning helper in a 2-0 win over Notre Dame on Oct. 16, just the second win in 12 tries for U of L over ND--as the Cards ran their record to 11-0-2.
And who can forget midfielder Nick DeLeon's heroics as well? DeLeon also began a point-scoring flurry at Cincinnati, the first of four straight games in which DeLeon would find the back of the net. Three of his four goals in those games were game-winners (no other U of L player in the last 12 years has had three game-winning scores in a span of four games), including consecutive game-ending overtime scores in 2-1 wins over DePaul (Oct. 20) and USF (Oct. 23).
After three goals from Rolfe helped Louisville close out the conference slate with wins over Syracuse (2-1) and Villanova (3-1), it was more of the same in the BIG EAST Tournament as Louisville ripped off wins over West Virginia at home (2-0 in a game that included 25 WVU fouls) and Notre Dame again (1-0 on a Murray score), this time in Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J., in the semifinals. The championship game, however, was a different story. After a Providence penalty kick tied the score with under two minutes remaining in regulation, the squads duked it out in two overtimes before going to PKs, perhaps Louisville's one area of weakness during the season (the Cards had been 0-for-2 for the year on penalty kicks entering the game). But it turned out to be little trouble for U of L, who made three of four tries to down PC, 3-2, and claim the school's first conference tournament title and fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament.
Berry (Defender of the Year), Mares (Rookie of the Year), and the Louisville coaches (Co-Coaching Staff of the Year) garnered major BIG EAST awards for their efforts in conference play, while Rolfe, DeLeon, and Berry were First Team All-BIG EAST selections, Mares was named to the second team, and midfielders Walker and Paolo DelPiccolo (who finished the season with seven and six assists, respectively, placing both in the top 10 in the conference and in the top 10 in Cardinal single-season history) were third-team picks. Lolla and Co. became just the second coaching to staff in league history to earn the honor in consecutive seasons, joining Ed Kelly's staff at Boston College (1989-90).
As for All-BIG EAST Tournament citations, Berry, goalkeeper Andre Boudreaux, Murray, and Rolfe all found themselves on the squad, with Rolfe taking home the Most Outstanding Offensive Player award and Boudreaux--who made 12 saves in the three games, not including two huge penalty kick stops in the finale--the Most Outstanding Defensive Player prize.
With one trophy in hand and seemingly everyone in the greater Louisville area clamoring for a ticket to the NCAA Tournament games, U of L sent everyone home happy in the round of 32 match, defeating the College of Charleston 3-1 thanks to an 84th-minute goal from Rolfe and a career day from Boudreaux, who came up huge with a career-high seven saves. After Berry's diving header goal gave the Cards the lead for good in a 2-1 win over Ohio State in the round of 16, the stage was set for Louisville's date with UCLA in the quarterfinals.
Not even a storybook could dream up what would happen in arguably the most memorable game in Louisville soccer history--and memorable for many reasons. First, it snowed. The teams had to play with a yellow ball. Goalies slipped trying to make their kicks. Players' throw-ins went straight up. And most unusual of all, Louisville's usually stout defense surrendered three goals in the first half for the first time since Oct. 16, 2004 (three to Saint Louis). UCLA went up 2-0 in the 18th minute and then 3-1 in the 33rd when an offsides call on the Bruins was negated. But with just about all of the air sucked out of the stadium, the trio of Campbell, Rolfe, and DeLeon, on whom the Cardinals counted throughout the team's stretch run, delivered again, potting three unanswered goals in a 16-minute span to put Louisville on top, 4-3. When a 24-minute scoreless period ended with Joe Sofia's throw-in for UCLA deflecting into the net for the tying goal, in came you-know-who and you-know-what occurred after that and what it caused: utter pandemonium in Louisville.
Then in the College Cup semifinals in Santa Barbara, Calif., right on the ocean with nary a snowflake in sight, the assassin struck again--this time North Carolina was the victim and Ryan Smith the accomplice, picking the perfect time for his first assist of the season. With the goal, Horton became the first freshman to record back-to-back game-winning goals in the NCAA Tournament since Wake Forest's Zack Schilawski in 2006, although Schilawski's goals, both of which came with the Demon Deacons already ahead, pale in comparison to Horton's clutch scores.
But wait, could Horton strike in minute 90 three times in three games? The chance was there, but it simply wasn't to be. With Louisville frantically pushing for a goal after Akron's Scott Caldwell scored in the 80th minute to put the Zips up 1-0 in the title game, Akron goalie David Meves left his post in an unsuccessful attempt to punch out a long Cardinal cross. The ball ended up at the feet of Horton in the middle of the field 10 yards from goal with 48 seconds left on the clock and one defender between him and the net, but the foot of Chad Barson--a teammate of Horton's for years on the Ohio FC Mutiny club teams--managed to get a piece of Horton's strike for the all-important team save, a championship-clinching deflection for the sophomore.
The school's most successful season saw Lolla win Soccer America and NSCAA Coach of the Year honors and Rolfe (nine goals, seven assists) earn consensus first-team All-America accolades, making him the first two-time All-American in Cardinal history. Rolfe became one of just two players in school history with at least nine goals and six assists in one year--Jack Palmquist (14 goals, nine assists) was the other, in 1982--while his 25 points were sixth most in Cardinal annals and most since Simon Bird had 29 in 2003. Through three seasons, Rolfe ranks sixth, 14th, and fifth in Louisville history in goals (24), assists (11), and points (59), respectively. For his efforts, Rolfe became the first Cardinal player ever to be named a Hermann Trophy finalist, finishing third in the final voting to Akron's Darlington Nagbe and Indiana's Will Bruin. Of the three, Rolfe is the only returning next season.
Berry was also named to the NSCAA All-American group, grabbing a spot on the second team. His defense put together a string of 24 straight contests (dating back to 2009) allowing four shots on goal or fewer and finished with eight shutouts and a 0.76 goals against average, the second-best mark in Louisville history behind last year's 0.67 clip. Berry also had five goals (all headers) and two assists for the year, both career highs.
The freshman Mares picked up some national attention as well for his play in his first season, earning a place on the Top Drawer Soccer All-Rookie Second Team (Rolfe was named to the overall second squad). With eight goals, Mares was the highest-scoring Louisville rookie since 1997, when Justin Prather scored nine times, while his .216 shot percentage was the highest for any Cardinal (among those taking at least a shot a game) since Frank Jonke scored seven times on just 29 shots in 2006.
And as any coach will tell you, it's often the guys who do not receive the national or league recognition who ultimately determine how far a team makes it in postseason play. Without contributions from sophomore defenders Brock Granger (four assists, 2086 minutes) and Chase Rodgers (23 starts, 2088 minutes), freshman midfielder Andrew Farrell (starts in all five NCAA Tournament contests), sophomore forward Buck Tufty (a goal and two assists), junior midfielder Josh Lipka (an assist in 17 games), Smith, Horton, Knight, and reserves Nick Corliss, Luis Pacheco-Marin, and Jimmy Crick, there would have been no NCAA Tournament run for U of L, which established itself as one of the deepest teams in the nation. And with the vast majority of its players coming back--the only regulars lost were Murray (32nd pick by Sporting Kansas City) and Campbell (35th to FC Dallas), the first Cardinal tandem to have their names called in the same MLS SuperDraft--a true storybook ending is in sight for 2011.
