Men's Soccer Picked to Win BIG EAST Red Division
August 10, 2011 | Men's Soccer
Aug. 10, 2011
Louisville, Ky. - The University of Louisville was selected as the BIG EAST Red Division favorite, while Connecticut was chosen to win the BIG EAST Blue Division in the 2011 BIG EAST Preseason Men's Soccer Coaches' Poll. The votes were cast by the league's 16 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players. Both teams advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 2010, with the Cardinals reaching the national title game.
Louisville's Colin Rolfe, a senior forward, and Connecticut's Tony Cascio, a senior midfielder, were both selected as BIG EAST Preseason Co-Offensive Players of the Year and earned unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Conference Team. The Cardinals swept the preseason awards, as senior Austin Berry was selected as the BIG EAST Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and senior Andre Boudreaux was chosen as the BIG EAST Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year.
In the Red Division, Louisville tallied 120 points, selected as the unanimous favorite to win the divisional crown. The Cardinals were undefeated last season until the title game of the NCAA Championship, with a 1-0 loss to Akron. Louisville finished the season 20-1-3 overall and 9-0-0 in conference action.
Rolfe returns for his senior season after recording nine points in conference play in 2010 with three goals and three assists. He was the second runner-up for the Hermann Trophy. Last season he was named an All-BIG EAST First Team selection for the second straight season. He was also a consensus All-American, earning the distinction for the second straight year.
Berry was name the 2010 BIG EAST Defender of the Year. He also earned numerous All-American honors, including his first NSCAA All-American honor. He was also named to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team and the College Cup All-Tournament team.
Boudreaux has led the Cardinal in goal the last three seasons. Last year he recorded eight shutouts along with a 0.76 goals against average. He was named the 2010 BIG EAST Championship's Most Outstanding Defensive Player while earning all-tournament honors. He was also named to the College Cup All-Tournament team.
The 2011 BIG EAST Men's Soccer Championship is a 12-team single-elimination tournament. The top six teams in each division, seeded by Conference point total, qualify for the conference championship. First-round games will be held at campus sites on Nov. 2, with the quarterfinals following on Nov. 5.
For the second-straight year, Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J. will serve as host for the semifinals (Nov. 11) and championship (Nov. 13). Updated ticket and television information can be found on bigeastsoccer.com as well as on Championship Central at bigeast.org. The tournament champion receives the league's automatic berth into the 48-team NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.
The Cardinals were also ranked as the No. 1 preseason team this week by the NSCAA Coaches Poll and the NCAA Division I Soccer Poll. The Cardinals will kick off the season on Friday, Aug. 27 against UCLA at 7:00 p.m. in Cardinal Park.
