Kubel Chosen as ACC Freshman of the Year
November 13, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Tim Kubel led the Cardinals with six goals, including two game-winners in his rookie season.
2014 #ACCMSoccer Championship Page | 2014 #ACCMSoccer Bracket (pdf)
GREENSBORO, N.C. - University of Louisville defender Tim Kubel was named 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year while junior midfielder Ben Strong and junior forward Ricardo Velazco earned All-ACC honors during the Cardinals' inaugural season in the conference.
On the eve of the 14th-ranked Cardinals' ACC semifinal matchup with No. 1 Syracuse, the Louisville trio was among the numerous award winners announced by the ACC on Thursday morning. Along with being named as the ACC Freshman of the Year, Kubel (Stuttgart, Germany) was also named to the All-ACC Second Team and was a member of the ACC All-Freshman Team. Strong (Mendham, N.J.) was selected to the All-ACC First Team, while Velazco (Casa Grande, Ariz.) was named All-ACC Third Team in a vote of the league's 12 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Kubel started all 18 games for the Cardinals (9-6-3), tallying a team-leading six goals and three assists for 15 points in his rookie campaign, which ranks tied for sixth in the league. Louisville's right back throughout the season scored two game-winning goals, including the deciding goal at rival Kentucky. It is the third straight season and the sixth time in the last seven seasons a Louisville player has earned a major conference award.
In his first season in the Louisville uniform after transferring from Virginia Tech, Strong gave the Cardinals an offensive boost with 13 points, second most on the team in 2014. Overall, Strong scored five goals and added three assists, highlighted by his two-goal performance against Duke on Sept. 13. Strong started 16 of Louisville's 17 regular season matches this season with all of those coming in the attacking midfield.
Velazco earned all-conference honors for a second straight season after scoring four goals with three assists while starting 16 of 17 regular season matches in 2014 for Louisville. Highlighted by a pair of goals in the Cardinals' win over Pittsburgh on Sept. 26, Velazco has 11 career goals in his two seasons in Louisville.
The 2014 ACC Men's Soccer Championship continues on Friday with a pair of semifinal matches at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C. No. 1 seed Notre Dame will play No. 4 Clemson in the first semifinal at 5:30 p.m., while No. 2 Syracuse and No. 6 Louisville will meet in the second semifinal at 8 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ESPN3.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
2014 All-ACC Men's Soccer Award/Teams
Offensive Player of the Year - Patrick Hodan, Jr., M, Notre Dame
Midfielder of the Year - Sean Davis, Sr., M, Duke
Defensive Player of the Year - Alex Bono, Jr., GK, Syracuse
Freshman of the Year - Tim Kubel, Fr., D, Louisville
Coach of the Year - Ian McIntyre, Syracuse
All-ACC First Team
Sean Davis, Sr., M, Duke
Ben Strong, Jr., M, Louisville
Andy Craven, Sr., F, North Carolina
Omar Holness, So., M, North Carolina
Boyd Okwuonu, Sr., D, North Carolina
Nick Besler, Sr., M, Notre Dame
Patrick Hodan, Jr., M, Notre Dame
Alex Bono, Jr., GK, Syracuse
Emil Ekblom, So., F, Syracuse
Eric Bird, Sr., M, Virginia
Michael Gamble, Jr., F, Wake Forest
All-ACC Second Team
Zeiko Lewis, So., F, Boston College
Paul Clowes, Jr., M, Clemson
Kyle Fisher, Jr., D, Clemson
Phanuel Kavita, Sr., D, Clemson
Tim Kubel, Fr., D, Louisville
Brendan Moore, Sr., GK, North Carolina
Luke Mishu, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Julian Buescher, Fr., M, Syracuse
Skylar Thomas, Sr., D, Syracuse
Ricardo John, Fr., F, Virginia Tech
Ian Harkes, So., M, Wake Forest
All-ACC Third Team
Manolo Sanchez, Sr., F, Clemson
Andrew Tarbell, So., GK, Clemson
Brody Huitema, So., F, Duke
Zachary Mathers, Jr., D, Duke
Ricardo Velazco, Jr., F, Louisville
Holden Fender, Jr., M, NC State
Jonathan Campbell, Jr., D, North Carolina
Raby George, Jr., M, North Carolina
Rob Lovejoy, Sr., F, North Carolina
Andrew O'Malley, Gr., D, Notre Dame
Patrick Wall, Gr., GK, Notre Dame
Todd Wharton, Jr., M, Virginia
ACC All-Freshmen Team
Markus Fjortoft, Fr., D, Duke
Cameron Moseley, Fr., F, Duke
Tim Kubel, Fr., D, Louisville
Zach Knudson, Fr., M, NC State
Alan Winn, Fr., F, North Carolina
Jeffrey Farina, Fr., F, Notre Dame
Jon Gallagher, Fr., F, Notre Dame
Julian Buescher, Fr., M, Syracuse
Jake Rozhansky, Fr., M, Virginia
Ricardo John, Fr., F, Virginia Tech
Kris Reaves, Fr., D, Wake Forest
