Louisville Earns 13th Seed in NCAA Championship
November 17, 2014 | Men's Soccer
2014 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship Brackets - Printable (PDF) | Interactive
CardsTV Video Interviews (Nov. 17): Joachim Ball | Daniel Keller | Ricardo Velazco
CardsTV Video News Conference (Nov. 19): Ken Lolla & Daniel Keller
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Earning its eighth straight NCAA Championship berth as an at-large selection, the Louisville men's soccer team was tabbed as the No. 13 overall seed and will host either Saint Louis or Tulsa in a second round match at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium on Sunday at 6 p.m., ET.
Tickets for the NCAA Championship debut at Lynn Stadium are $12 for chairback seats, $8 for berm seats and $5 for college students and can be purchased through the U of L Ticket Office online here, in person at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium or by phone at (502) 852-0120 or (502) 852-5151. Fans are encouraged to print their tickets at home, add their tickets to their mobile device, or pick up tickets in advance at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium between the hours of 9-5, to avoid long will call lines on game day.
"We're excited about hosting a second round NCAA Tournament match at Lynn Stadium," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla. "Our schedule this season has prepared us well for the tournament ahead."
The Cardinals enter the 2014 NCAA Championship at 10-7-3 overall after falling 2-1 in double overtime to Clemson in Sunday's ACC Championship final in Cary, N.C. Louisville was tabbed as one of the top 16 seeds in the field of 48 for the fourth time in five seasons with the most recent coming in 2012 when they were the No. 10 seed. Saint Louis (13-4-2) will host Tulsa (11-5-3) in a first round match on Thursday night with the advancing team playing at Louisville.
In nine seasons under the guidance of Lolla, the Cardinals have advanced to the quarterfinal round (elite eight) of the NCAA Championship three times in their eight tournament appearances. Sunday's match will mark the fifth straight season and the seventh time in the last eight years Louisville has hosted an NCAA Championship match.
Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium will host NCAA Championship soccer in its debut season.
Overall, the ACC led all conferences with seven teams (Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest) in this year's tournament field, the second highest total in conference history. Louisville was among five ACC schools selected as seeded teams (No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 7 Clemson, No. 9 Syracuse, No.16 Virginia), also the most of any league.
Leading the way offensively for Louisville this season are junior forward Ricardo Velazco, junior midfielder Ben Strong and freshman defender Tim Kubel, while senior defender Daniel Keller and senior goalkeeper Joachim Ball serves as the team's captains and leaders along the backline. An All-ACC Third Team selection and a member of the All-Tournament Team, Velazco is the team's co-leader in goals with six, including two in the ACC Championship matches last weekend. Strong was an All-ACC First Team honoree scoring five goals and adding three assists this season.
Kubel, the ACC Freshman of the Year and an All-ACC Second Team selection, had six goals for the Cardinals while starting all 20 matches in his rookie season. Keller has 60 career starts in his collegiate career at Louisville, including all 20 matches this season as a center back, while Ball ranks third all-time at Louisville with 15 career shutouts, including six in 2014.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
2015 Season Tickets
Season tickets for Louisville's second season at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium are now available. To obtain tickets for the 2015 soccer season, call Dan Cerwinski in the Louisville ticket office at (502) 852-0120 and place your $70 deposit. Ticket prices for the 2015 season will remain the same as the inaugural season and will start as low $45.
Season tickets for 2015 include every home match for both the men's and women's soccer programs. Men's home matches at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium will feature former Big East and American Conference rival Connecticut as well as in-state foe Kentucky. The women's side will again feature the top programs in the ACC highlighted by 21-time national champion North Carolina, 2013 College Cup runner-up Florida State and Duke.
