Friday, October 7
LOUISVILLE, KY
7:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
SYRACUSE
Louisville Hosts Syracuse Friday Night in Top 10 Clash
October 06, 2016 | Men's Soccer
Kickoff for No. 8 Cardinals and No. 3 Orange set for 7 p.m., ET at Lynn Stadium
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -Â The No. 8 Louisville men's soccer team hosts a top five opponent for the second time this season as No. 3 Syracuse visits Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m., ET. The match will be televised through the Regional Sports Network and on ACC Network Extra with Jenn Hildreth and Richard Broad on the call, while live scoring is provided at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville enters the weekend at 8-1-2 overall following Tuesday's 6-0 win over Belmont and atop the ACC Atlantic Division with at 3-0-1 after playing to a 1-1 draw at Boston College last Friday. The Cardinals have been paced by junior Mohamed Thiaw's eight goals, including five game-winners. Defensively, graduate student and Dartmouth transfer Stefan Cleveland has allowed only four goals in 11 matches while registering seven shutouts.
ABOUT THE ORANGE
Syracuse enters the match at 8-2-1 after a midweek loss to Albany and 2-1-1 in the ACC after drawing with No. 4 North Carolina last week. The Orange, led by head coach Ian McIntyre, was 16-5-4 last season and 3-4-1 in the ACC. Syracuse advanced to the College Cup ending its season in the national semifinals with a loss in PKs to Clemson.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
Friday marks the 12th meeting all-time with Louisville holding a 7-2-2 edge in the series. The Cardinals have a seven-match unbeaten streak against Syracuse and are 3-1-1 at home. In their last visit to Lynn Stadium in 2014, the No. 2 Orange fell 2-1 in overtime on a Jerry Ramirez header.Â
LOUISVILLE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
After moving into the top 10 of the NSCAA poll for the first time this season at No. 9 on Sept. 27, the Cardinals gained one spot this week landing at No. 8 overall. Along with this week's ranking in the coaches poll, Louisville was also ranked No. 2 by Soccer America, No. 3 by Hero College Sports and No. 6 by Top Drawer Soccer.
CARDINALS AT NO. 3 IN LATEST NCAA RPI
The NCAA released its second men's soccer RPI on Monday and Louisville landed at No. 3. The Cardinals were among six ACC schools in the top seven and nine teams in the top 38. Notre Dame, which lost at Louisville on Sept. 16, sits in the No. 1 spot in this week's RPI and is followed by No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Louisville, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Syracuse, No. 7 Boston College, No. 12 Virginia Tech, No. 34 Wake Forest and No. 38 Virginia.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS...
• The Cardinals made their season debut in the NSCAA rankings on Sept. 20 landing at No. 13 overall.
• Louisville has finished with more shots than its opponent in 10 of 11 matches this season for an average of 14.8 to 5.2 shots per game.
• Tim Kubel leads the Cardinals with 12 career goals, while Tate Schmitt (nine), Mohamed Thiaw (eight) and Daniel Johnson (seven) are next.
• The Cardinals, who were 6-3-2 at home in 2015, are 5-0-1 at home in 2016 and 18-6-6 all-time at Lynn Stadium, now in its third season as Louisville's home.
• UofL is 7-3-1 all-time at Lynn Stadium versus ranked foes with wins over No. 1 Notre Dame this season and No. 2 Maryland and No. 2 Syracuse in 2014.
• Louisville is 3-1-1 on the road in 2016 after finishing just 1-6-1 in road matches last season.
LOUISVILLE AMONG THE NATION'S BEST IN TEAM, INDIVIDUAL NCAA STAT RANKINGS
Entering this weekend's matches, Louisville was ranked in the top 20 in 10 different team statistical categories. The Cardinals were No. 1 in goals against average (0.35), sixth in shutout percentage (0.64), ninth in save percentage (0.857), 11th in total goals (23), 13th in shots on-goal per game (7.00), 13th in total assists (21), 13th in total points (67), 17th in scoring offense (2.09 goals per game), 18th in points per game (6.09) and 19th in assists per game (1.91).
Individually, three Cardinals have emerged to rank among the best in the nation and the ACC. Junior Mohamed Thiaw was ranked No. 1 in the nation with five game-winning goals, 10th in the nation and second in the ACC in goals (eight), 16th nationally and second in the ACC in points (17), 17th in the nation and second in the ACC in goals per game (0.73) and 28th in the nation and second in the ACC in points per game (1.55).
Graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland is second in the NCAA and second in the ACC in goals against average (0.348) and 13th in the nation and fourth in the ACC in save percentage (0.852).    Junior Tim Kubel, who set a school record with four assists in the 6-1 win over Virginia on Sept. 24, is ranked third in the NCAA and first in the ACC with seven assists while ranking seventh nationally  and first in the ACC in assists per game (0.64).Â
CLEVELAND, THIAW EARN ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS ON SEPTEMBER 20
Graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland was named on Sept. 20 as ACC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, while junior forward Mohamed Thiaw was chosen as the Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Cleveland registered a pair of shutouts in goal the previous week, capped by 1-0 triumph over No. 1 Notre Dame on Sept. 16. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Cleveland turned away all three shots he faced from the previously unbeaten Fighting Irish to lead the Cardinals to their third straight victory. Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, Thiaw scored his fourth goal of the season to lift Louisville to its 1-0 victory over No. 1 Notre Dame at Lynn Stadium. The only goal of the match came in the 25th minute after Joey Kunkel delivered a deep ball across the midline to Thiaw, who won the ball in the air before connecting on a right-footed lob over Notre Dame goalkeeper Chris Hubbard. The perfectly placed shot was out of the reach of Hubbard and tucked beneath the crossbar.
CARDINALS AT 3-1-0 AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS IN 2016
Louisville is 3-1-0 against ranked foes this season with home wins over No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 16 Virginia and a road win at No. 14 UConn. The Cardinals have five teams remaining on their schedule ranked in this week's NSCAA poll. That slate features No. 3 Syracuse, No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Indiana and No. 11 Wake Forest. Additionally, Butler has moved to No. 9 overall since drawing with the Cardinals on August 26.
2016 LOUISVILLE SOCCER SEASON TICKET AND FAN EXPERIENCE INFORMATION
Season tickets and Fan Experience packages for Louisville's third season at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium are now available. To purchase your tickets for the 2016 soccer season, please call the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office at (502) GoCARDS or visit gocards.com/soccer-fep for more information. Ticket prices for the 2016 season will remain the same as the inaugural season and start as low as $2 per person per game. Season tickets for 2016 include every regular season home match for both the men's and women's soccer programs.
FOLLOWING LOUISVILLE MEN'S SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) athttp://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
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ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville enters the weekend at 8-1-2 overall following Tuesday's 6-0 win over Belmont and atop the ACC Atlantic Division with at 3-0-1 after playing to a 1-1 draw at Boston College last Friday. The Cardinals have been paced by junior Mohamed Thiaw's eight goals, including five game-winners. Defensively, graduate student and Dartmouth transfer Stefan Cleveland has allowed only four goals in 11 matches while registering seven shutouts.
ABOUT THE ORANGE
Syracuse enters the match at 8-2-1 after a midweek loss to Albany and 2-1-1 in the ACC after drawing with No. 4 North Carolina last week. The Orange, led by head coach Ian McIntyre, was 16-5-4 last season and 3-4-1 in the ACC. Syracuse advanced to the College Cup ending its season in the national semifinals with a loss in PKs to Clemson.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
Friday marks the 12th meeting all-time with Louisville holding a 7-2-2 edge in the series. The Cardinals have a seven-match unbeaten streak against Syracuse and are 3-1-1 at home. In their last visit to Lynn Stadium in 2014, the No. 2 Orange fell 2-1 in overtime on a Jerry Ramirez header.Â
LOUISVILLE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
After moving into the top 10 of the NSCAA poll for the first time this season at No. 9 on Sept. 27, the Cardinals gained one spot this week landing at No. 8 overall. Along with this week's ranking in the coaches poll, Louisville was also ranked No. 2 by Soccer America, No. 3 by Hero College Sports and No. 6 by Top Drawer Soccer.
CARDINALS AT NO. 3 IN LATEST NCAA RPI
The NCAA released its second men's soccer RPI on Monday and Louisville landed at No. 3. The Cardinals were among six ACC schools in the top seven and nine teams in the top 38. Notre Dame, which lost at Louisville on Sept. 16, sits in the No. 1 spot in this week's RPI and is followed by No. 2 Clemson, No. 3 Louisville, No. 4 North Carolina, No. 5 Syracuse, No. 7 Boston College, No. 12 Virginia Tech, No. 34 Wake Forest and No. 38 Virginia.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS...
• The Cardinals made their season debut in the NSCAA rankings on Sept. 20 landing at No. 13 overall.
• Louisville has finished with more shots than its opponent in 10 of 11 matches this season for an average of 14.8 to 5.2 shots per game.
• Tim Kubel leads the Cardinals with 12 career goals, while Tate Schmitt (nine), Mohamed Thiaw (eight) and Daniel Johnson (seven) are next.
• The Cardinals, who were 6-3-2 at home in 2015, are 5-0-1 at home in 2016 and 18-6-6 all-time at Lynn Stadium, now in its third season as Louisville's home.
• UofL is 7-3-1 all-time at Lynn Stadium versus ranked foes with wins over No. 1 Notre Dame this season and No. 2 Maryland and No. 2 Syracuse in 2014.
• Louisville is 3-1-1 on the road in 2016 after finishing just 1-6-1 in road matches last season.
LOUISVILLE AMONG THE NATION'S BEST IN TEAM, INDIVIDUAL NCAA STAT RANKINGS
Entering this weekend's matches, Louisville was ranked in the top 20 in 10 different team statistical categories. The Cardinals were No. 1 in goals against average (0.35), sixth in shutout percentage (0.64), ninth in save percentage (0.857), 11th in total goals (23), 13th in shots on-goal per game (7.00), 13th in total assists (21), 13th in total points (67), 17th in scoring offense (2.09 goals per game), 18th in points per game (6.09) and 19th in assists per game (1.91).
Individually, three Cardinals have emerged to rank among the best in the nation and the ACC. Junior Mohamed Thiaw was ranked No. 1 in the nation with five game-winning goals, 10th in the nation and second in the ACC in goals (eight), 16th nationally and second in the ACC in points (17), 17th in the nation and second in the ACC in goals per game (0.73) and 28th in the nation and second in the ACC in points per game (1.55).
Graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland is second in the NCAA and second in the ACC in goals against average (0.348) and 13th in the nation and fourth in the ACC in save percentage (0.852).    Junior Tim Kubel, who set a school record with four assists in the 6-1 win over Virginia on Sept. 24, is ranked third in the NCAA and first in the ACC with seven assists while ranking seventh nationally  and first in the ACC in assists per game (0.64).Â
CLEVELAND, THIAW EARN ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS ON SEPTEMBER 20
Graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland was named on Sept. 20 as ACC Men's Soccer Defensive Player of the Week, while junior forward Mohamed Thiaw was chosen as the Co-Offensive Player of the Week. Cleveland registered a pair of shutouts in goal the previous week, capped by 1-0 triumph over No. 1 Notre Dame on Sept. 16. A native of Dayton, Ohio, Cleveland turned away all three shots he faced from the previously unbeaten Fighting Irish to lead the Cardinals to their third straight victory. Hailing from Lexington, Kentucky, Thiaw scored his fourth goal of the season to lift Louisville to its 1-0 victory over No. 1 Notre Dame at Lynn Stadium. The only goal of the match came in the 25th minute after Joey Kunkel delivered a deep ball across the midline to Thiaw, who won the ball in the air before connecting on a right-footed lob over Notre Dame goalkeeper Chris Hubbard. The perfectly placed shot was out of the reach of Hubbard and tucked beneath the crossbar.
CARDINALS AT 3-1-0 AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS IN 2016
Louisville is 3-1-0 against ranked foes this season with home wins over No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 16 Virginia and a road win at No. 14 UConn. The Cardinals have five teams remaining on their schedule ranked in this week's NSCAA poll. That slate features No. 3 Syracuse, No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Indiana and No. 11 Wake Forest. Additionally, Butler has moved to No. 9 overall since drawing with the Cardinals on August 26.
2016 LOUISVILLE SOCCER SEASON TICKET AND FAN EXPERIENCE INFORMATION
Season tickets and Fan Experience packages for Louisville's third season at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium are now available. To purchase your tickets for the 2016 soccer season, please call the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office at (502) GoCARDS or visit gocards.com/soccer-fep for more information. Ticket prices for the 2016 season will remain the same as the inaugural season and start as low as $2 per person per game. Season tickets for 2016 include every regular season home match for both the men's and women's soccer programs.
FOLLOWING LOUISVILLE MEN'S SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) athttp://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
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Players Mentioned
GK
/ Men's Soccer
MF
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
D
/ Men's Soccer
F
/ Men's Soccer
F
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