Men's Soccer Picked Third in ACC Atlantic Division
August 16, 2017 | Men's Soccer
Wake Forest selected as favorite in ACC Atlantic; North Carolina tabbed to win Coastal Division and conference title
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's soccer team was tabbed to finish third in the ACC Atlantic Division in 2017 according to a vote of the conference's 12 head coaches released Wednesday morning.
The Cardinals, who are ranked ninth in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, totaled 52 points overall in the ACC voting, while 2016 NCAA College Cup runner-up Wake Forest was chosen as the favorite in the Atlantic Division. North Carolina was selected as the favorite in the Coastal Division and was picked to win the league championship. The Tar Heels were named by five coaches as the team to beat in the ACC this season, while Wake Forest received three votes. Clemson received two votes and Virginia and Notre Dame received one vote each.
Wake Forest received 62 points and eight first place votes as the top choice in the Atlantic Division. Clemson received three first place votes for the division and was picked second with 60 points. Louisville was third with its 52 points and one first place vote, followed by Syracuse (41), Boston College (20) and NC State (17).
North Carolina had 69 points and received nine first place votes as the favorite in the Coastal. Virginia was picked second with 58 points and received two first place votes. Notre Dame was picked third with 51 points, followed by Virginia Tech (31), Duke (28) and Pitt (15).
Last year, an NCAA-record nine ACC teams earned bids to the NCAA Championship, with a record eight teams advancing to the Sweet 16 and five to the Elite Eight. North Carolina and Wake Forest advanced to the College Cup to mark the 16th straight year at least one ACC team has reached that stage.
Under the guidance of head coach Ken Lolla, who is in his 12th season at the helm at UofL, the Cardinals enter their fourth season in the ACC paced by the return of All-American defender Tim Kubel, All-ACC attacker Mohamed Thiaw and All-ACC midfielder Geoffrey Dee. Louisville's 2017 squad returns seven players with at least 12 starts from last year's team, which finished second in the ACC Atlantic, advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in seven seasons and ended the year ranked No. 6 in the nation.
The No. 9 Cardinals continue their preseason slate on the road against No. 7 Indiana on Thursday at 7:30 p.m., ET in Westfield, Indiana before closing their three-match exhibition schedule against Oakland on Saturday at 7:30 p.m., at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium. Louisville, which defeated Lipscomb 1-0 in last Saturday's preseason opener, will kick off the regular season against UC Irvine at Lynn Stadium on Friday, Aug. 25 at 7:30 p.m.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
ACC MEN'S SOCCER PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Overall Champion
North Carolina (5)
Wake Forest (3)
Clemson (2)
Virginia (1)
Notre Dame (1)
Atlantic Division
1. Wake Forest (8) - 62
2. Clemson (3) - 60
3. Louisville (1) - 52
4. Syracuse - 41
5. Boston College - 20
6. NC State - 17
Coastal Division
1. North Carolina (9) - 69
2. Virginia (2) - 58
3. Notre Dame (1) - 51
4. Virginia Tech - 31
5. Duke - 28
6. Pitt - 15
2017 LOUISVILLE SOCCER SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
Season tickets for the 2017 University of Louisville soccer season are on sale now and can be purchased online here, by phone at 502-GO-CARDS or in person at the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Fans can also renew their season tickets from last season by logging in to the My Cardinal Account or by calling 502-GO-CARDS.
Season ticket holders will receive tickets for all men's and women's matches while sitting in the same seats for every match. Season ticket pricing at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium remains the same in 2017 as it has been since the facility opened in 2014. Season tickets in the reserved seating areas are as low as $3 per match, while general admission/berm/bleacher tickets are as low as $2.25 per game with the family plan.
Unique on field and game day group experiences are also available and more information is available at GoCards.com/soccer-fep. For more information on Louisville soccer season tickets, call 502-GO-CARDS or email tickets@gocards.com.
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