Cardinals end season ranked No. 7 in the nation after advancing to fifth NCAA quarterfinal in eight years
By: Garett Wall
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -Â The University of Louisville men's soccer program produced another successful season in 2017 reaching the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship for the fifth time in the last eight seasons, including the second straight year, and earning a No. 7 ranking in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25. The Cardinals finished with a 13-2-5 record and were second in the ACC Atlantic with a 5-2-1 league record.
Louisville was led by senior Tim Kubel, who concluded his final collegiate season as a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, semifinalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and an All-ACC First Team honoree while scoring six goals with seven assists in 19 matches in 2017. Junior Tate Schmitt was an All-ACC Second Team honoree and a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Third Team selection while leading the Cardinals with nine goals, including four game-winners. Senior Mohamed Thiaw was an All-ACC Second Team performer scoring eight goals overall.
The Cardinals ranked sixth in the nation in shutout percentage (.600) registering 12 shutouts in their 20 matches in 2017 as redshirt freshmen Will Meyer and Jake Gelnovatch shared the goalkeeping duties. Meyer earned seven of the 12 shutouts and was in goal for six wins, while Gelnovatch had five shutouts and earned seven victories. Louisville was 12th in the NCAA in goals against average (.661).
KUBEL CONCLUDES CAREER WITH NUMEROUS HONORS
Defender Tim Kubel capped his brilliant collegiate career with multiple individual honors during his senior season in 2017. The Stuttgart, Germany native was named to the United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Scholar All-America First Team in addition to his First Team All-America honor, All-ACC First Team accolade. Kubel scored 21 goals and had a school record 26 assists in 82 matches during his four seasons. He departs Louisville as a two-time All-American, two-time Scholar All-American, four-time All-ACC selection and a two-time MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.Â
Along with his career assists record, Kubel is also Louisville's single season assists record holder registering 11 assists in 2016. A team captain in each of the last two seasons, this former ACC Freshman of the Year honoree is also a three-time All-ACC Academic Team selection.
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Senior defender Tim Kubel was a First Team All-American honoree in 2017.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS...
• Louisville was 4-1-4 against ranked foes this season, including 3-0-0 in road matches.
• The Cardinals are 30-11-11 all-time at Lynn Stadium, including 5-2-1 in NCAA Championship matches.Â
• Tim Kubel and Tate Schmitt led the team with 21 career goals each, while Mohamed Thiaw had 20.
• Thiaw's hat trick on Oct. 10 against FAU was the first for a Louisville player since Dylan Mares had three goals in a win over Winthrop in the second round of the NCAA Championship on Nov. 18, 2012.
• Schmitt has 10 career game-winning goals, including the clincher in all four NCAA wins the last two years.
• Thiaw had 10 total game-winners (three this season), while Kubel had seven career game-winners.
• The Cardinals matched a school record with five straight shutouts from Sept. 30 to Oct. 17 equaling the total from the 2013 season.
• From Sept. 30 to Oct. 21, UofL set a school record scoreless streak at 563 minutes, 41 seconds surpassing the previous mark of 560 minutes established in 2013.
LOUISVILLE'S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Making its 10th NCAA Championship appearance in the last 11 years, Louisville is 14-9-2 all-time in the tournament with one College Cup appearance (2010). The Cardinals are 12-4-2 all-time at home in NCAA Championship matches. 2017 (No. 4 seed / 1-0-0)
   11/19 - 2nd Round vs. San Francisco (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 3-2
   11/26 - 3rd Round vs. Colgate (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-0
   12/1 - Quarterfinal vs. Akron (Louisville, Ky.) - T, 0-0 - Defeated 4-3 in six-round shootout 2016 (No. 4 seed / 2-1-0)
   11/20 - 2nd Round vs. UCLA (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 2-1 (OT)
   11/27 - 3rd Round vs. Notre Dame (Louisville, Ky.) - W, 3-1
   12/3 - Quarterfinal vs. Stanford (Louisville, Ky. - L, 2-0 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) - Advanced with 3-2 shootout win
   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
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Head coach ken Lolla talks with the Cardinals during the 2017 NCAA Championship at Lynn Stadium.
CARDINALS CONTINUE TO FLY UNDER LOLLA'S GUIDANCE
During his 12 seasons at the helm, head coach Ken Lolla has established the Louisville men's soccer program among the nation's elite. Lolla has accumulated a 144-72-36 record while leading the Cardinals to one College Cup appearance, five Elite Eight berths and 10 NCAA Championship bids. Lolla's overall coaching record stands at 353-156-64 through 28 collegiate seasons.
LOUISVILLE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
The Cardinals landed at No. 7 in the final United Soccer Coaches poll released after the completion of the NCAA Championship. The No. 5 ranking during the weeks of Oct. 10 and Oct. 17 were the highest of the season for Louisville, which was ranked in each of the 13 polls. The Cardinals opened 2017 ranked as high as No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
CARDINALS EARN TOP 16 SEED FOR THE SIXTH TIME
Louisville earned a top 16 seed in the NCAA Championship for the sixth time in school history landing at No. 4 for the second straight season, the second highest seed ever. UofL was seeded No. 1 in 2010 when they advanced to the College Cup final. The Cardinals were No. 4 in 2016, No. 13 in 2014, No. 10 in 2012 and No. 12 in 2011. Louisville has advanced to at least the third round in each of the six times they have received a top 16 seed.
LOUISVILLE IN THE PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP RPI
In the final men's soccer RPI released prior to the NCAA Championship, Louisville was at No. 5 overall and among seven ACC schools in the top 10. Wake Forest was ranked No. 1 and followed by No. 2 North Carolina, No. 3 Duke, No. 5 Louisville, No. 6 Clemson, No. 9 Virginia and No. 10 Notre Dame. No. 22 Virginia Tech and No. 45 NC State also advanced to the NCAA Championship.Â
CARDINALS AGAINST THE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
Eight of Louisville's 17 matches prior to the NCAA Championship were played against tournament qualifiers with the Cardinals registering a 4-2-2 record in those contests. Louisville registered wins against Butler, Duke, Virginia Tech and Clemson and earned draws against North Carolina and Virginia. The Cardinals were defeated by Wake Forest and NC State.
ACC MATCHES RECORD WITH NINE TEAMS EARNING NCAA BIDS
The Cardinals were among an NCAA record-tying nine Atlantic Coast Conference programs receiving bids to the 48-team NCAA Championship field. While nine of the league's 12 men's soccer programs earned an NCAA Championship berth for the second straight season, seven of those were among the top 12 seeds, including three of the top four. Wake Forest was seeded No. 1 and followed by No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Louisville, No. 6 Duke, No. 8 Clemson, No. 11 Virginia and No. 12 Notre Dame. NC State and Virginia Tech also earned NCAA Championship bids for the ACC.Â
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Senior Mohamed Thiaw scored 20 career goals in his two collegiate seasons with the Cardinals.
KUBEL EARNS ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM HONOR; SCHMITT, THIAW ON SECOND TEAM
Senior defender Tim Kubel was named as a 2017 All-ACC First Team selection while junior midfielder Tate Schmitt and senior forward Mohamed Thiaw were tabbed as Second Team selections by the league's men's soccer head coaches. Kubel received his third straight All-ACC First Team accolade while becoming a four-time All-ACC honoree overall.
Hailing from Phoenix, Arizona, Schmitt was chosen as an All-ACC standout for the first time after scoring seven goals with three assists and starting all 17 matches for Louisville prior to the NCAA Championship. Thiaw was named as an All-ACC honoree for the second straight season scoring a team-leading eight goals with one assist in 16 regular season appearances, including 14 starts.Â
Wake Forest's Jon Bakero was selected as the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, North Carolina's Cam Lindley was chosen Midfielder of the Year, Wake Forest's Kevin Politz was tabbed as the Defensive Player of the Year, NC State's Manny Perez was honored as the Freshman of the Year and Wake Forest's Bobby Muuss was voted as the Coach of the Year for the third straight season.
KUBEL NAMED SEMIFINALIST FOR 2017 MAC HERMANN TROPHY Tim Kubel was named Nov. 28 among 15 semifinalists for the prestigious MAC Hermann Trophy, the most coveted individual honor in NCAA Division I soccer. It marked the second straight season Kubel has been selected as a semifinalist, which are chosen based on voting by NCAA Division I soccer coaches. The MAC Hermann Trophy has been awarded annually since 1967. Three men's finalists and three women's finalists were named December 8 in conjunction with the Men's College Cup semifinals in Philadelphia. The 2017 MAC Hermann Trophy banquet will be held at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on January 5, 2018 to formally announce this year's winners.
KUBEL NAMED FINALIST FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD Tim Kubel was named Oct. 12 among 10 finalists for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate men's soccer. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The finalists were chosen by a selection committee from the list of 30 men's candidates and 30 women's candidates announced in September. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
