University of Louisville
ST. BONAVENTURE
No. 6 Cardinals Host Bonnies in Friday's Season-Opener
August 23, 2018 | Men's Soccer
Kickoff for Louisville and St. Bonaventure set for 7:30 p.m., ET at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
The 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 returns senior Tate Schmitt, who 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. The Cardinals also welcome back 2016 All-ACC Third Team midfielder Geoffrey Dee.Â
Louisville ranked sixth in the nation in shutout percentage (.600) registering 12 shutouts in 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. The Cardinals were 12th in the NCAA in goals against average (.661).
ABOUT THE BONNIES
St. Bonaventure was 8-9-2 overall in 2017, including a 4-4 mark in the Atlantic 10. The Bonnies closed the regular season with four straight wins before ending their season with a loss to No. 22 VCU in the quarterfinal round of the 2017 A-10 Tournament.Â
SERIES SNAPSHOT
 Friday's match will mark the first ever meeting on the pitch between Louisville and St. Bonaventure.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS...
• Louisville was 4-1-4 against ranked foes last season, including 3-0-0 in road matches.
• The Cardinals are 30-11-11 all-time at Lynn Stadium, including 7-2-5 last season.
• Louisville has advanced to the NCAA Championship in 10 of 12 seasons under head coach Ken Lolla.
• The 2018 roster features 27 total players, including 11 international student-athletes. Those 11 players     from outside the US account for nine different nations.
• A total of 11 different states are represented in Louisville's 16 players from the United States.
• Tate Schmitt leads the team with 21 career goal, including nine last season.
• Schmitt has 10 career game-winning goals, including the clincher in all four NCAA wins the last two years.
CARDINALS AT NO. 6 IN UNITED SOCCER COACHES PRESEASON POLL
Louisville opens the 2018 season ranked among the top squads in the nation as the Cardinals landed at No. 6 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll. It marked the second straight season UofL has received a preseason top 10 ranking after being slotted at No. 9 last season.
Louisville was among seven Atlantic Coast Conference teams in this year's preseason top 25, including five programs in the top 11. North Carolina leads the ACC with a No. 3 ranking followed by No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 6 Louisville, No. 10 Duke and No. 11 Clemson. Virginia is at No. 15 and Notre Dame is ranked 17th while reigning NCAA champion Stanford is at No. 1.
LOUISVILLE PICKED THIRD IN ACC ATLANTIC DIVISION
Louisville was picked to finish third in the ACC Atlantic Division in 2018 in a vote of the conference's 12 head coaches released Wednesday by the league. The Cardinals totaled 53 points overall in the ACC voting, while Wake Forest was chosen as the favorite in the Atlantic Division. North Carolina was tabbed as the favorite in the Coastal Division and was selected to win the league championship. The Tar Heels were named by 10 coaches as the team to beat in the ACC this season, while Louisville and Wake Forest received each of the other two votes.
The Demon Deacons received 64 points and eight first-place votes as the top choice in the Atlantic. Clemson earned four first-place votes for the division and was second overall with 60 points. The Cardinals were third with 53 points followed by NC State (31), Syracuse (29) and Boston College (15).
UNC registered 70 points and 11 first-place votes as favorite in the Coastal. Virginia was second with one first-place vote and 53 points overall. Duke was third with 46 points followed by Notre Dame (40), Pittsburgh (28) and Virginia Tech (15).
FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter at @UofLmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
2018 LOUISVILLE SOCCER TICKETS
Season tickets and single match tickets for the 2018 University of Louisville soccer season are on sale now through the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office. The 2018 Louisville soccer tickets can be purchased online at GoCards.com/soccertickets.
Men's soccer single match tickets are priced at $12 per ticket for reserved chairback seats, $6 per ticket for general admission/berm seats and $4 per ticket for groups of 10 or more. Reserved chairback season tickets are priced at $100 for adults, $320 for the Family Four Pack and $80 for faculty/staff. General admission/berm seating for season tickets are priced at $50 for adults, $200 for the Family Four Pack and $50 for faculty/staff.
Season tickets packages include all UofL men's and women's soccer regular season matches at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium. For more information on Louisville soccer season tickets, visit GoCards.com/soccertickets, call 502-GO-CARDS or email tickets@gocards.com.
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