Sunday, November 27
LOUISVILLE, KY
5:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
NOTRE DAME (Third Round)
Louisville, Notre Dame Clash in NCAA Third Round Match on Sunday
November 23, 2016 | Men's Soccer
Video: Ken Lolla/Tim Kubel News ConferenceMatch Notes (PDF)Watch (ESPN3)Live StatsBuy Tickets2016 NCAA Championship Bracket
Kickoff for No. 4 Cardinals and No. 13 Fighting Irish set for 5 p.m., ET at Lynn Stadium
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -Â The fourth-seeded Louisville men's soccer team continues its quest for the College Cup with an NCAA Championship third round contest against No. 13 Notre Dame on Sunday at 5 p.m., ET at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium. The match will be televised on ESPN3, while live scoring will be provided through GoCards.com and NCAA.com.Â
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville, positioned to play at home in each round of the NCAA Championship prior to the College Cup as one of the top four seeds, moved to 13-5-2 on the season after its second round win over UCLA. The Cardinals were second in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 5-2-1 conference mark. Mohamed Thiaw ranks in the top 20 nationally with 11 goals, including an NCAA best seven game-winners. Tim Kubel is eighth in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC with 10 assists, while goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland has registered 10 shutouts this season.
ABOUT NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish enter the Sunday's match at 12-6-2 after a 1-0 win over Loyola Chicago in the second round. Notre Dame, which finished third in the ACC Coastal with a 3-3-2 record, is led by ACC Offensive Player of the Year Jon Gallagher with 13 goals overall. Louisville native Chris Hubbard has started all 20 matches at goalkeeper.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
The Cardinals trail 11-5-1 all-time against the Fighting Irish but are 4-3-0 at home in the series. Louisville has won four straight at home in the series, including a 1-0 victory earlier this season. All five wins for the Cardinals against Notre Dame have come under the guidance of Ken Lolla.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS...
   • The Cardinals played 11 of 19 pre-NCAA matches against NCAA qualifiers (4-5-2 record), including 10 games versus teams earning top 16 seeds.
   • Louisville has finished with more shots than its opponent in 17 of 20 matches this season.
   • Tim Kubel leads the Cardinals with 15 career goals, while Tate Schmitt (11), Mohamed Thiaw (11) and Daniel Johnson (seven) are next.
   • The Cardinals are 9-2-1 at home in 2016 and 22-8-6 all-time at Lynn Stadium, now in its third season as Louisville's home.
   • UofL is 9-5-1 all-time at Lynn Stadium versus ranked foes highlighted by wins over No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 3 Syracuse this season and No. 2 Maryland and No. 2 Syracuse in 2014.
   • Tim Kubel and Daniel Johnson were named to the 2016 ACC Championship All-Tournament Team.
CARDINALS EARN TOP 16 SEED FOR FIFTH TIME
The Cardinals earned a top 16 seed in the NCAA Championship for the fifth time in school history landing at No. 4, the second highest seed ever. Louisville was seeded No. 1 in 2010 when they advanced to the College Cup final. The Cardinals were No. 13 in 2014, No. 10 in 2012 and No. 12 in 2011. UofL has advanced to at least the third round in each of the seasons when earning a top 16 seed.
LOUISVILLE 6TH IN PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP RPI
In the eighth men's soccer RPI released prior to the NCAA Championship, UofL was at No. 6 overall among eight ACC schools in the top 20 and nine in the top 33. Clemson was No. 2 and was followed by No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 9 Syracuse, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 13 Notre Dame, No. 17 Boston College, No. 20 Virginia and No. 33 Virginia Tech.
LOUISVILLE'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Making its ninth NCAA Championship appearance in the last 10 years, Louisville is 11-8-1 all-time in the tournament with one College Cup appearance (2010).
2016 (No. 4 seed / 1-0-0)
   11/20 - 2nd Round vs. UCLA (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1 (OT)
2014 (No. 13 seed / 1-1-0)
   11/23 - 2nd Round vs. Saint Louis (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1
   11/30 - 3rd Round vs. UMBC (Louisville, Ky.) - L, 1-0
2013 (0-1-1)
   11/21 - 1st Round vs. Denver (Louisville, Ky.) - T, 0-0 (2OT)
   11/24 - 2nd Round at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.) - L, 1-0 (2OT)
2012 (No. 10 seed / 2-1-0)
   11/18 - 2nd Round vs. Winthrop (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 5-0
   11/25 - 3rd Round vs. Northwestern (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1
   12/01 - Quarterfinal at Maryland (College Park, Md.) - L, 3-1
2011 (No. 12 seed / 2-1-0)
   11/20 - 2nd Round vs. Bradley (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 3-2 (2OT)
   11/27 - 3rd Round at Maryland (College Park, Md.) - W, 4-2
   12/03 - Quarterfinal vs. UCLA (Louisville, Ky.) - L, 1-0 (2OT)
2010 (No. 1 seed / 4-1-0)
   11/21 - 2nd Round vs. College of Charleston (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 3-1
   11/28 - 3rd Round vs. Ohio State (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1
   12/04 - Quarterfinal vs. UCLA (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 5-4
   12/10 - College Cup Semifinal vs. North Carolina (Santa Barbara, Calif.) - W, 2-1
   12/12 - College Cup Final vs. Akron (Santa Barbara, Calif.) - L, 1-0
2009 (0-1-0)
   11/19 - 1st Round at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.) - L, 2-0
2008 (0-1-0)
   11/21 - 1st Round vs. Jacksonville (Louisville, Ky.) - L, 4-3 (OT)
2007 (1-1-0)
   11/23 - 1st Round vs. Duke (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 1-0
   11/28 - 2nd Round at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio) - L, 1-0
LOUISVILLE AMONG THE NATION'S BEST IN TEAM, INDIVIDUAL NCAA STAT RANKINGS
Entering the third round of the NCAA Championship, Louisville was ranked in the top 40 in nine different team statistical categories. The Cardinals were No. 9 in goals against average (0.63), 13th in shutout percentage (0.50), 26th in shots on goal per game (6.35), 26th in total goals (35), 28th in total points (99), 34th in points per game (4.95), 31st in scoring offense (1.75 goals per game), 38th in save percentage (0.790) and 38th in shots per game (13.90).
Individually, three Cardinals have emerged to rank among the best in the nation and the ACC -- junior forward Mohamed Thiaw, junior defender Tim Kubel and graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland. Thiaw was ranked No. 1 in the nation with seven game-winning goals and No. 18 in the NCAA and second in the ACC in goals (11).Â
Kubel, who set a school record with four assists in the 6-1 win over Virginia on Sept. 24, is eighth in the NCAA and first in the ACC with 10 assists while ranking 12th nationally and first in the ACC in assists per game (0.50). Cleveland is No. 11 in the nation and No. 4 in the ACC in goals against average (0.633).
KUBEL, THIAW EARN ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM HONORS; DEE, JOHNSON ON THIRD TEAM
Louisville junior defender Tim Kubel and junior forward Mohammed Thiaw were named All-ACC First Team honorees on November 8, while junior midfielder Geoffrey Dee and senior midfielder Daniel Johnson were honored as Third Team selections by the league's head coaches.
The 2016 accolades mark the second time in three seasons four Louisville players have received All-ACC recognition matching the total in 2014 and it is the third straight season multiple Cardinals have earned All-ACC honors. The four All-ACC selections for Louisville rank as the fourth most of any school this season as North Carolina (six), Virginia (five) and Wake Forest (five) paced the way.
Kubel, tabbed as an All-ACC First Team honoree for the second straight season while becoming a three-time All-ACC selection overall, leads the ACC and ranks in the top nationally in assists. Earlier this season, the Stuttgart, Germany native set a school record with four assists in a 6-1 win over Virginia.Â
In his first season with the Cardinals, Thiaw has emerged as one of the nation's elite scorers ranking in the top 20 in the NCAA in goals and leading the country with seven game-winners. A transfer from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Thiaw has started all 19 matches at forward while scoring six of his 11 matches in Louisville's eight ACC regular season matches.Â
Dee, is in his first season with the Cardinals after transferring from Tulsa, connected for two goals and contributed four assists while starting all 19 matches in 2016. Each of the four assists for the Germantown, Tennessee native were delivered against ACC foes, while his lone game-winning goal came on Sept. 13 in the victory against Xavier.
Johnson earned All-ACC recognition for the second consecutive season after receiving Second Team honors in 2015. Hailing from Duluth, Georgia, Johnson scored a pair of goals and added three assists in 19 starts for the Cardinals. In his two seasons with the Louisville after transferring from Maryland, Johnson has accumulated seven goals in 38 starts.
CLEVELAND NAMED COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland was named on Nov. 22 to the 2016 Academic All-America Division I men's soccer team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. A second team Academic All-America selection, Cleveland is pursuing an MBA at Louisville after completing his degree in engineering with a 3.72 GPA at Dartmouth College, where he played three seasons prior to joining the Cardinals for the 2016 season. Cleveland became the second UofL player in the last three seasons to earn Academic All-America accolades joining Joachim Ball, who was a second team selection in 2014.Â
LOUISVILLE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS IN 2016
After falling in the ACC semifinals at No. 2 Wake Forest, the Cardinals moved to No. 7 in the latest NSCAA Top 25, the final set of rankings prior to the NCAA Championship. Ranked in the NSCAA poll since Sept. 20 when it debuted at No. 13, Louisville's highest ranking in the coaches poll this season was No. 4 on Oct. 11. Along with this week's ranking in the coaches poll, Louisville was also ranked No. 5 by Hero College Sports, No. 7 by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 8 by Soccer America.
ELEVEN OF LOUISVILLE'S 21 MATCHES IN 2016 AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Louisville's NCAA third round match against No. 13 Notre Dame will mark the 11th contest in in 21 total games this season the Cardinals have faced a nationally ranked opponent. Louisville is 5-5-0 in those 10 matches this season against ranked foes with home wins over No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 3 Syracuse and twice against Virginia (No. 16 and No. 17), a road win at No. 14 UConn and losses to No. 5 Clemson, twice at Wake Forest (No. 2 and No. 7), No. 9 Indiana and at No. 16 Kentucky.
ACC SETS NCAA RECORD WITH NINE TEAMS EARNING CHAMPIONSHIP BIDS
The Cardinals were among an NCAA record nine Atlantic Coast Conference schools receiving bids to the 48-team NCAA Championship field. While nine of the league's 12 men's soccer programs earned an NCAA berth, seven of those were among the top 16 seeds, including three of the top four. Wake Forest was seeded No. 2 and followed by No. 3 Clemson, No. 4 Louisville, No. 8 Syracuse, No. 9 North Carolina, No. 12 Virginia and No. 13 Notre Dame. Boston College and Virginia Tech also earned NCAA Championship bids for the ACC.
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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ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville, positioned to play at home in each round of the NCAA Championship prior to the College Cup as one of the top four seeds, moved to 13-5-2 on the season after its second round win over UCLA. The Cardinals were second in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 5-2-1 conference mark. Mohamed Thiaw ranks in the top 20 nationally with 11 goals, including an NCAA best seven game-winners. Tim Kubel is eighth in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC with 10 assists, while goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland has registered 10 shutouts this season.
ABOUT NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish enter the Sunday's match at 12-6-2 after a 1-0 win over Loyola Chicago in the second round. Notre Dame, which finished third in the ACC Coastal with a 3-3-2 record, is led by ACC Offensive Player of the Year Jon Gallagher with 13 goals overall. Louisville native Chris Hubbard has started all 20 matches at goalkeeper.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
The Cardinals trail 11-5-1 all-time against the Fighting Irish but are 4-3-0 at home in the series. Louisville has won four straight at home in the series, including a 1-0 victory earlier this season. All five wins for the Cardinals against Notre Dame have come under the guidance of Ken Lolla.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS...
   • The Cardinals played 11 of 19 pre-NCAA matches against NCAA qualifiers (4-5-2 record), including 10 games versus teams earning top 16 seeds.
   • Louisville has finished with more shots than its opponent in 17 of 20 matches this season.
   • Tim Kubel leads the Cardinals with 15 career goals, while Tate Schmitt (11), Mohamed Thiaw (11) and Daniel Johnson (seven) are next.
   • The Cardinals are 9-2-1 at home in 2016 and 22-8-6 all-time at Lynn Stadium, now in its third season as Louisville's home.
   • UofL is 9-5-1 all-time at Lynn Stadium versus ranked foes highlighted by wins over No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 3 Syracuse this season and No. 2 Maryland and No. 2 Syracuse in 2014.
   • Tim Kubel and Daniel Johnson were named to the 2016 ACC Championship All-Tournament Team.
CARDINALS EARN TOP 16 SEED FOR FIFTH TIME
The Cardinals earned a top 16 seed in the NCAA Championship for the fifth time in school history landing at No. 4, the second highest seed ever. Louisville was seeded No. 1 in 2010 when they advanced to the College Cup final. The Cardinals were No. 13 in 2014, No. 10 in 2012 and No. 12 in 2011. UofL has advanced to at least the third round in each of the seasons when earning a top 16 seed.
LOUISVILLE 6TH IN PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP RPI
In the eighth men's soccer RPI released prior to the NCAA Championship, UofL was at No. 6 overall among eight ACC schools in the top 20 and nine in the top 33. Clemson was No. 2 and was followed by No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 9 Syracuse, No. 10 North Carolina, No. 13 Notre Dame, No. 17 Boston College, No. 20 Virginia and No. 33 Virginia Tech.
LOUISVILLE'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Making its ninth NCAA Championship appearance in the last 10 years, Louisville is 11-8-1 all-time in the tournament with one College Cup appearance (2010).
2016 (No. 4 seed / 1-0-0)
   11/20 - 2nd Round vs. UCLA (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1 (OT)
2014 (No. 13 seed / 1-1-0)
   11/23 - 2nd Round vs. Saint Louis (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1
   11/30 - 3rd Round vs. UMBC (Louisville, Ky.) - L, 1-0
2013 (0-1-1)
   11/21 - 1st Round vs. Denver (Louisville, Ky.) - T, 0-0 (2OT)
   11/24 - 2nd Round at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.) - L, 1-0 (2OT)
2012 (No. 10 seed / 2-1-0)
   11/18 - 2nd Round vs. Winthrop (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 5-0
   11/25 - 3rd Round vs. Northwestern (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1
   12/01 - Quarterfinal at Maryland (College Park, Md.) - L, 3-1
2011 (No. 12 seed / 2-1-0)
   11/20 - 2nd Round vs. Bradley (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 3-2 (2OT)
   11/27 - 3rd Round at Maryland (College Park, Md.) - W, 4-2
   12/03 - Quarterfinal vs. UCLA (Louisville, Ky.) - L, 1-0 (2OT)
2010 (No. 1 seed / 4-1-0)
   11/21 - 2nd Round vs. College of Charleston (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 3-1
   11/28 - 3rd Round vs. Ohio State (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1
   12/04 - Quarterfinal vs. UCLA (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 5-4
   12/10 - College Cup Semifinal vs. North Carolina (Santa Barbara, Calif.) - W, 2-1
   12/12 - College Cup Final vs. Akron (Santa Barbara, Calif.) - L, 1-0
2009 (0-1-0)
   11/19 - 1st Round at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.) - L, 2-0
2008 (0-1-0)
   11/21 - 1st Round vs. Jacksonville (Louisville, Ky.) - L, 4-3 (OT)
2007 (1-1-0)
   11/23 - 1st Round vs. Duke (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 1-0
   11/28 - 2nd Round at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio) - L, 1-0
LOUISVILLE AMONG THE NATION'S BEST IN TEAM, INDIVIDUAL NCAA STAT RANKINGS
Entering the third round of the NCAA Championship, Louisville was ranked in the top 40 in nine different team statistical categories. The Cardinals were No. 9 in goals against average (0.63), 13th in shutout percentage (0.50), 26th in shots on goal per game (6.35), 26th in total goals (35), 28th in total points (99), 34th in points per game (4.95), 31st in scoring offense (1.75 goals per game), 38th in save percentage (0.790) and 38th in shots per game (13.90).
Individually, three Cardinals have emerged to rank among the best in the nation and the ACC -- junior forward Mohamed Thiaw, junior defender Tim Kubel and graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland. Thiaw was ranked No. 1 in the nation with seven game-winning goals and No. 18 in the NCAA and second in the ACC in goals (11).Â
Kubel, who set a school record with four assists in the 6-1 win over Virginia on Sept. 24, is eighth in the NCAA and first in the ACC with 10 assists while ranking 12th nationally and first in the ACC in assists per game (0.50). Cleveland is No. 11 in the nation and No. 4 in the ACC in goals against average (0.633).
KUBEL, THIAW EARN ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM HONORS; DEE, JOHNSON ON THIRD TEAM
Louisville junior defender Tim Kubel and junior forward Mohammed Thiaw were named All-ACC First Team honorees on November 8, while junior midfielder Geoffrey Dee and senior midfielder Daniel Johnson were honored as Third Team selections by the league's head coaches.
The 2016 accolades mark the second time in three seasons four Louisville players have received All-ACC recognition matching the total in 2014 and it is the third straight season multiple Cardinals have earned All-ACC honors. The four All-ACC selections for Louisville rank as the fourth most of any school this season as North Carolina (six), Virginia (five) and Wake Forest (five) paced the way.
Kubel, tabbed as an All-ACC First Team honoree for the second straight season while becoming a three-time All-ACC selection overall, leads the ACC and ranks in the top nationally in assists. Earlier this season, the Stuttgart, Germany native set a school record with four assists in a 6-1 win over Virginia.Â
In his first season with the Cardinals, Thiaw has emerged as one of the nation's elite scorers ranking in the top 20 in the NCAA in goals and leading the country with seven game-winners. A transfer from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, Thiaw has started all 19 matches at forward while scoring six of his 11 matches in Louisville's eight ACC regular season matches.Â
Dee, is in his first season with the Cardinals after transferring from Tulsa, connected for two goals and contributed four assists while starting all 19 matches in 2016. Each of the four assists for the Germantown, Tennessee native were delivered against ACC foes, while his lone game-winning goal came on Sept. 13 in the victory against Xavier.
Johnson earned All-ACC recognition for the second consecutive season after receiving Second Team honors in 2015. Hailing from Duluth, Georgia, Johnson scored a pair of goals and added three assists in 19 starts for the Cardinals. In his two seasons with the Louisville after transferring from Maryland, Johnson has accumulated seven goals in 38 starts.
CLEVELAND NAMED COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
Graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland was named on Nov. 22 to the 2016 Academic All-America Division I men's soccer team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. A second team Academic All-America selection, Cleveland is pursuing an MBA at Louisville after completing his degree in engineering with a 3.72 GPA at Dartmouth College, where he played three seasons prior to joining the Cardinals for the 2016 season. Cleveland became the second UofL player in the last three seasons to earn Academic All-America accolades joining Joachim Ball, who was a second team selection in 2014.Â
LOUISVILLE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS IN 2016
After falling in the ACC semifinals at No. 2 Wake Forest, the Cardinals moved to No. 7 in the latest NSCAA Top 25, the final set of rankings prior to the NCAA Championship. Ranked in the NSCAA poll since Sept. 20 when it debuted at No. 13, Louisville's highest ranking in the coaches poll this season was No. 4 on Oct. 11. Along with this week's ranking in the coaches poll, Louisville was also ranked No. 5 by Hero College Sports, No. 7 by Top Drawer Soccer and No. 8 by Soccer America.
ELEVEN OF LOUISVILLE'S 21 MATCHES IN 2016 AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Louisville's NCAA third round match against No. 13 Notre Dame will mark the 11th contest in in 21 total games this season the Cardinals have faced a nationally ranked opponent. Louisville is 5-5-0 in those 10 matches this season against ranked foes with home wins over No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 3 Syracuse and twice against Virginia (No. 16 and No. 17), a road win at No. 14 UConn and losses to No. 5 Clemson, twice at Wake Forest (No. 2 and No. 7), No. 9 Indiana and at No. 16 Kentucky.
ACC SETS NCAA RECORD WITH NINE TEAMS EARNING CHAMPIONSHIP BIDS
The Cardinals were among an NCAA record nine Atlantic Coast Conference schools receiving bids to the 48-team NCAA Championship field. While nine of the league's 12 men's soccer programs earned an NCAA berth, seven of those were among the top 16 seeds, including three of the top four. Wake Forest was seeded No. 2 and followed by No. 3 Clemson, No. 4 Louisville, No. 8 Syracuse, No. 9 North Carolina, No. 12 Virginia and No. 13 Notre Dame. Boston College and Virginia Tech also earned NCAA Championship bids for the ACC.
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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Players Mentioned
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