Player of the Week Award is Business as Usual for Thiaw

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - "How do you say his name?" asked one fan to another. Keeping his eyes glued to the action between Notre Dame and U of L, the friend said, "Ciao."

Remember it: Mohamed Thiaw. He's soft spoken and speaks patiently, but his voracity for the goal earned him this week's ACC Offensive Player of the Week recognition.

"I didn't even know I was going to get it," he said. "I was just playing."

His goal against Notre Dame proves just how dangerous he is on the pitch. An aerial through-ball from defender Joey Kunkel found the charging forward outside the 18-yard box. A quick tap over a defender showed his touch while a full speed volley that dropped in behind Notre Dame's keeper showed his class.

He made it look easy.

Born in Dakar, Senegal, the 6-foot, 2-inch forward came to the United States in 2011 and settled in Lexington with his family.

"It wasn't about soccer," he explained. "There were more opportunities for school."

However, those opportunities dried up when he suffered a serious knee injury his senior year of high school. "I had offers but they all backed up on me."

His club coach helped him find a spot on the roster of Cincinnati State Technical and Community College, where he went on to become an All-American both his freshman and sophomore years. "I almost broke the school record in goals," he said, but added that a bone bruise sidelined him for the remainder of his final season, stymieing his progress on the record books.

That didn't stop the Cardinals from holding faith in the proven goal scorer though. He was set to transfer for the 2016 season and continue work on his sports administration degree.

So far, the arrangement has worked out. Besides injured defender Danny Reynolds, he's the only starter with less than 500 game minutes, but looking at his stats you wouldn't know it as he leads the Cardinals with five goals and eleven shots on frame.

"It's not just me working on the field." he casually points out, deflecting any praise. "It's all of us working as a unit."

That unit is 2-0-0 in the ACC and lies in second place in the Atlantic Division behind No. 2 Syracuse.

This Saturday, 16th-ranked Virginia travels to Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium and will see Thiaw match up against his co-ACC Offensive Player of the Week, Marcus Salandy-Defour. The Virginia forward saved the Cavaliers from a 3-1 deficit versus No. 6 ranked ACC foe Clemson with the first brace of his career.

"Everyone knows [the ACC] the toughest conference but as coach tells us to do, outwork the other teams and we'll be successful," noted Thiaw.

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.

University of Louisville Athletics

Player of the Week Award is Business as Usual for Thiaw

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Joey Kunkel

Danny Reynolds

Mohamed Thiaw

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