University of Louisville
MEMPHIS (EX)
Fast Start Propels Cardinals in 4-1 Preseason Win
August 18, 2014 | Men's Soccer
Sophomroe Michael DeGraffenreidt had an assist in the Cardinals' preseason win over Memphis on Monday.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Behind a dominate first half performance, the No. 14 Louisville men's soccer team won its second straight preseason match with Monday night's 4-1 victory over Memphis at Cardinal Park.
The Cardinals scored three goals in the first 31 minutes of the match with junior Ricardo Velazco, senior Will Vitalis and junior Ben Strong converting for the home club. It was Louisville's second preseason victory in four days after taking a 3-0 decision from Rio Grande last Friday night.
"It was good to get the win and winning is habit-forming for us as we build confidence going into the regular season," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla. "I thought we had some very good moments and scored some very good goals. I also thought the group that came in during the second half did very well with their energy level, picking up the tempo and getting a good goal."
Velazco (Casa Grande, Ariz.) started the scoring for the Cardinals in the sixth minute when he completed a run down the right side by scoring inside the left post for the 1-0 advantage. Vitalis (Crestwood, Ky.) and sophomore Andrew Brody (Orlando, Fla.) were credited with assists as Velazco scored his second goal of the preseason.
Less than seven minutes later, Louisville pushed the lead to 2-0 when Vitalis finished a well-executed attack by scoring into an open goal in the 13th minute. Velazco fed the ball up the right side to a darting Tim Kubel (Gelsenkirchen, Germany), who worked away from Memphis goalkeeper Cody Uzcategui and dished to Vitalis for his second preseason goal.
The final goal of the opening half came in the 31st minute when sophomore Michael DeGraffenreidt (Baltimore, Md.) served a ball deep into the Memphis end of the field, where Strong (Mendham, N.J.) won the race to possession with Uzcategui and quickly converted for the 3-0 cushion. It was the first preseason goal for Strong.
After Memphis connected for its only goal of the match in the 49th minute, the Cardinals closed the night with the final tally in the 83rd minute when freshman Papy Diouf (Dakar, Senegal) received a perfectly placed cross from sophomore Ivan Gutierrez (Hallandale Beach, Fla.) and found the back of the net. After Gutierrez sent it from the far right side into the left side of the box, a sprinting Diouf put a boot on the ball for the goal.
Louisville will conduct its third and final preseason match on Saturday at 4 p.m., ET at Michigan.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
Single Game, Season Tickets on Sale
Single game tickets for Louisville's highly anticipated debut season at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium and in the Atlantic Coast Conference are available for purchase through the UofL Ticket Office. Tickets for each of the Cardinals' first two matches on Friday, Aug. 29 against No. 2 Maryland (8 p.m., ET) and on Friday, Sept. 5 (8 p.m.) against Cornell can be purchased online here through My Cardinal Account. Ticket prices are $12 for reserved chairback seats (preferred seating) and $9 for general admission berm and bleacher seats. On both Aug. 29 and Sept. 5, the men's games will be preceded by women's games and tickets will provide admission to both matches each day.
Single game tickets for each of the Cardinals' 11 regular season matches at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium this fall are currently on sale and can be purchased in person through the UofL Ticket Office at Gate 2 of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. More information on Louisville men's soccer single game tickets is available online here or by calling (502) GO-CARDS.
Season tickets, which will provide admission to both men's and women's regular season matches, remain on sale through the UofL Ticket Office for $70 each. Visit GoCards.com to learn more about 2014 Louisville soccer season tickets. Group tickets for all Louisville matches can be requested by completing the group ticket application online here or by calling (502) 852-0120. Groups consist of 10 or more and tickets start at $4.
