University of Louisville
12-4-2
VIRGINIA (Quarterfinals)
10-3-5
Cardinals Advance to ACC Semifinals with 1-0 Win Over Virginia
November 06, 2016 | Men's Soccer
Kubel’s second half goal lifts No. 10 Louisville to semifinal showdown at No. 2 Wake Forest on Wednesday night
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The second goal of the season for junior Tim Kubel proved to be enough as the 10th-ranked and third-seeded University of Louisville men's soccer team advanced to the semifinal round of the 2016 ACC Championship with Sunday afternoon's 1-0 victory over No. 17 Virginia at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium.
With the victory, the Cardinals (12-4-2) will make their second ACC semifinal appearance in the last three seasons when they challenge No. 2 ranked and second-seeded Wake Forest Wednesday at 7 p.m., ET at Spry Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. The Demon Deacons (13-2-3) advanced to the final four of the ACC Championship with Sunday's 1-0 victory over Notre Dame.
"I thought it was one of our best 90 minutes we've played this season. Defensively, I thought our pressure we very good and we didn't give them any good looks," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla. "Attacking, we created enough chances but we made it closer than it needed to be. I think if we had taken advantage of some of the chances we had in the first half, then it might have opened up the game. All in all, I thought it was a really complete effort by our guys and I was proud of that."
Playing a nationally ranked opponent for the ninth time in 18 matches this season, Louisville secured the only goal of the afternoon when Kubel scored inside the left post from 23 yards out in the 55th minute. The scoring chance started with a corner kick from sophomore Danny Reynolds, which sailed inside the six-yard box before a Virginia (10-3-5) defender cleared the ball outside the 18. Kubel then gained possession before scoring his 14th career goal with a right-footed blast.
"I thought we played really well as a team and it was one of our better games this season. As a defender, it's more important to me to have the shutout than it is to score six goals," Kubel said. "Scoring the first goal (of the match) is huge and Coach Lolla always says that if you score the first goal, there is a 70 percent chance you're going to win the game."
The Cardinals, who earned a 6-1 win over the Cavaliers in September, delivered another strong performance in round two between the teams finishing with a 15-4 advantage in shots, including a 5-3 edge on-goal. Louisville also had a 14-1 cushion in corner kicks, the most corners for the home side since finishing with 15 at NC State on October 3, 2014.
Defensively, graduate goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland finished with a trio of saves in earning his 10th shutout of the season. The 10 shutouts for the Cardinals are their highest total in a single season since registering 11 clean sheets in 2011.
Wednesday's ACC semifinal match against the Demon Deacons will be televised on ACC Network Extra. Earlier this season, the Cardinals dropped a 2-1 decision to the Demon Deacons on October 15 in Winston-Salem.
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Team Stats
Tim Kubel (2)
Scored from 23 yards inside left post af
54:07
