Men's Soccer Second in Preseason American Coaches' Poll
August 19, 2013 | Men's Soccer
Aug 19, 2013
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Louisville men's soccer team was tabbed to finish second in the inaugural season of the American Athletic Conference while Connecticut was selected as the unanimous favorite by the league's nine head coaches as announced Monday by the conference.
Along with their projected team finish, the Cardinals also had a trio of players -- senior forward Zack Foxhoven, sophomore midfielder Marlon Hairston and redshirt junior Daniel Keller -- selected to the preseason all-conference team.
Louisville advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship in 2012, marking the third straight season the Cardinals finished among the nation's final eight squads. UofL, which finished 2012 ranked No. 7 overall, closed the conference season as the BIG EAST Red Division champions after finishing with a 7-1-0 record in league play. Foxhoven had five goals last year, Hairston had nine points on three goals and three assists and Keller started all 21 games for Louisville, which was 14-6-1 overall.
UConn earned 64 points and all eight possible first-place votes as the preseason selection to win the American title, while the Cardinals garnered one first-place vote and 55 points overall. USF was third with 49 points and was followed by SMU (42) in fourth, Rutgers (33) in fifth, Memphis (28) in sixth, UCF (26) in seventh, Cincinnati (18) in eighth and Temple (nine) in ninth.
Andre Blake of UConn was selected as the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year, Ben Sweat of USF was chosen as the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Mamadou Doudou of UConn was named as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year in the individual honors.
Up next, 10th-ranked Louisville will conclude its preseason slate on Saturday at 7 p.m., at Cardinal Park against No. 19 Northwestern and admission is free. The game is a rematch of the Cardinals' 2-1 win over the Wildcats in the third round of last year's NCAA Championship.
To purchase 2013 season tickets or to become a 2014 founding season ticket holder at Lynn Stadium, call (502) 852-0120 or email tickets@gocards.com for more information.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
2013 American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. UConn (8) - 64
2. Louisville (1) - 55
3. USF - 49
4. SMU - 42
5. Rutgers - 33
6. Memphis - 28
7. UCF - 26
8. Cincinnati - 18
9. Temple - 9
2013 American Athletic Conference Preseason Award Winners
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
*Andre Blake, UConn, GK, Jr.
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
*Ben Sweat, USF, B, Sr.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Mamadou Doudou Diouf, UConn, F, Sr.
Preseason All-Conference Team
Richardo Israel, Cincinnati, B, So.
*Andre Blake, UConn, GK, Jr.
*Mamadou Doudou Diouf, UConn, F, Sr.
Zack Foxhoven, Louisville, F, Sr.
Marlon Hairston, Louisville, MF, So.
Daniel Keller, Louisville, B, R-Jr.
Liam Collins, Memphis, MF, Sr.
*Mark Sherrod, Memphis, F, R-Sr.
Kene Eze, Rutgers, F, Sr.
Mael Corboz, Rutgers, MF, So.
*Ben Sweat, USF, B, Sr.
*Damian Rosales, SMU, B, R-Jr.
Jared Martinelli, Temple, MF, So.
*unanimous selection
