University of Louisville
9-1-2, 4-0-1ACC
SYRACUSE
8-3-1, 2-2-1ACC
No. 8 Cardinals Take Down No. 3 Syracuse, 1-0
October 07, 2016 | Men's Soccer
Cleveland locks down eighth shutout of the season as Thiaw scores team-leading ninth goal
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland registered his eighth shutout of the season and junior Mohamed Thiaw connected for his ninth goal as the No. 8 Louisville men's soccer team took down No. 3 Syracuse with a 1-0 victory on Friday night at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium.
A transfer from Dartmouth, Cleveland finished with a season-high six saves as the Cardinals (9-1-2, 4-0-1 ACC) extended their unbeaten streak to eight straight overall while also remaining unbeaten at home on the season (6-0-1). The eight shutouts for Cleveland and Louisville are the most since they finished the 2013 season with nine shutouts.
Thiaw, who has scored in five of the last six matches and has six total goals during that stretch, maintained his position as the nation's leader in game-winning goals with his sixth of the season in Friday's triumph. The nine goals for Thiaw are the most for a Louisville player since Colin Rolfe had back-to-back nine-goal seasons in 2010 and 2011.
The only goal of the night in the showdown between top 10 teams came in the 23rd minute when Thiaw scored past the charging effort of Syracuse (8-3-1, 2-2-1 ACC) goalkeeper Hendrik Hilpert with a chip inside the far left post. The scoring chance started with a deep ball down the center of the field before bouncing at the feet of Thiaw and an Orange defender. Thiaw then turned and raced past another Syracuse defender inside the 18-yard box before sending a shot from 10 yards over Hilpert for the goal.
That goal proved to be enough as Cleveland, who entered the match ranked second nationally in goals against average, made five of six saves in the final 37 minutes of the match to clinch Louisville's fourth win of the season over a ranked foe. Overall, the Orange finished with an 11-6 edge in shots marking just the second time this season the Cardinals have been outshot by an opponent. Syracuse also had a 6-2 advantage in shots on-goal and a 7-2 margin in corner kicks.
With Friday's victory, the Cardinals extended their unbeaten streak against Syracuse to eight straight while improving to 8-3-1 all-time against ranked opponents at Lynn Stadium. Those eight wins include a triumph over No. 1 Notre Dame earlier this season and victories against No. 2 Maryland and No. 3 Syracuse in 2014.
Up next, No. 8 Louisville concludes its three-match homestand with matchup against another ranked foe as No. 6 Indiana visits Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium on Tuesday at 7 p.m., ET.
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) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
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Team Stats
Mohamed Thiaw (9)
Won from defender, beat charging GK insi
22:26
