Thursday, August 22
Louisville, Ky.
5:00 PM
University of Louisville
vs
Jacksonville
Photo by: Jackson Sepko | Louisville Athletics
Cardinals Host Jacksonville Thursday in Season Opener
August 21, 2024 | Men's Soccer
The match is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men's soccer team opens up the 2024 campaign on Thursday against Jacksonville at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET and will be televised on ACC Network Extra.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
John Michael Hayden leads the Cardinals in his sixth season at the helm coming off a 12-6-3 record in 2023, the program's highest win total since 2017.
Hayden returns 12 players from last year's team, led by three-time All-ACC midfielder Sander Roed and All-ACC defender Josh Jones.
The Cardinals are 2-2-1 in season openers under Hayden, including top 25 victories each of the last two seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Jacksonville have split two previous meetings in 1998 and 2008. The last meeting between the two programs was a 4-3 overtime victory for JU in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
GUERRA, JONES NAMED CAPTAINS FOR 2024 SEASON
Seniors Gage Guerra and Josh Jones have been named captains for the 2024 season.
Guerra is in his second season at Louisville after transferring from Army. The forward had an electric start to his Louisville career before being derailed by injuries. The junior tallied six goals in the first five matches, the most by a Louisville player since at least 2001. Despite missing eight matches, Guerra still finished second on the team with seven goals.
A captain for the second straight season, Jones is in the final year of his four-year career with the Cardinals. He earned All-ACC honors in 2023 logging more than 1,500 minutes in the backline. However, Jones made his presence felt in the attacking third as well tallying three goals for the second straight season while adding a pair of assists.
JONES, GUERRA RETURN TO LOUISVILLE AFTER MLS SUPERDRAFT
The Louisville soccer program has consistently sent players into the professional ranks, having at least one player drafted in 12 of the last 14 years.
The 2023 MLS SuperDraft was no exception, as Damien Barker John, Josh Jones and Gage Guerra were each selected.
However, Jones and Guerra each elected to return to school for their senior seasons in 2024. The duo mark the first players in program history to come back to Louisville to play after being drafted.
ROED CLOSING IN ON UOFL CAREER ASSIST RECORD
Louisville midfielder Sander Roed has been one of the best facilitators on the pitch since stepping onto campus in 2021.
The senior tallied eight assists in 2022 and nine in 2023, giving him two of the top 10 single season assist totals in program history. Roed ranked top three in the ACC in both seasons.
Roed enters the 2024 campaign with 22 career assists, third-most in Louisville history. He sits just four shy of Tim Kubel's (2014-17) program record of 26.
JONES AND ROED TEAM UP FOR SET PIECE MAGIC
Louisville seniors Josh Jones and Sander Roed have formed a dynamic duo on set pieces since they arrived on campus for the 2021 season.
That pair struck three times in 2023, with Jones scoring off assists from Roed against NC State, Notre Dame and in the NCAA Tournament versus Dayton.
Jones has eight goals in his career, all of which have been assisted by Roed, including three game-winners.
GUERRA AMONG NATION'S TOP GOAL SCORERS ENTERING 2024
Senior forward Gage Guerra has been one of the best goal scorers in the country during his college career. He was one of just eight juniors to rank among the top 50 active players in career goals at the end of 2023, and one of only two to return to school in 2024.
Guerra tallied 15 goals in two seasons at Army before transferring to Louisville in 2023. He then immediately made his presence felt in The Ville with six goals in his first five matches. However, injuries derailed his junior season, limiting him to just seven tallies on the year.
The Houston native enters the 2024 season with 22 career goals.
JONES NAMED TO TOPDRAWERSOCCER PRESEASON BEST XI TEAM
Senior defender Josh Jones was one of three defenders named to the Preseason Best XI Team by TopDrawerSoccer.
Jones is a three-year starter a center back for the Cards, having played in 54 career matches and logging more than 4,500 mintues on the pitch.
The Hatfield, Pa., native has been a contributor on the offensive end as well, tallying eight goals and four assists, with three goals in each of the last two seasons.
JONES, GUERRA RANKED AMONG TOP 35 PLAYERS BY TOPDRAWERSOCCER
Seniors Josh Jones and Gage Guerra were each ranked among the top 35 players in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.
Jones was ranked as the No. 9 player and No. 2 defender nationally, while Guerra was No. 34 overall and No. 12 forward.
Louisville is one of seven programs with multiple players ranked in the top 35.
ROED NAMED TO ACC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
For the second consecutive season, midfielder Sander Roed was Louisville's representative on the ACC Preseason Watch List.
Roed heads into 2024 with eight career goals and 22 assists, just four assists shy of Louisville's career record.
The senior is a three-time All-ACC selection and has the opportunity to become just the fourth player in program history to earn four All-Conference honors – Tim Kubel (ACC, 2014-17), Shawn Faria (C-USA, 1997-2000) and Stuart Langrish (C-USA, 1997-2000).
LOUISVILLE OPENS SEASON RANKED NO. 24
Coming off their highest win total since 2017, the Cardinals will open the 2024 season ranked No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
Louisville is ranked in the preseason top 25 for the first time since the 2019 season, when the Cards were 14th to start the year.
CARDINALS FACE ANOTHER LOADED SLATE
The Louisville soccer program has consistently played one of the toughest schedules in the country and 2024 is no exception.
Louisville's 16-match schedule features seven teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last year, including reigning national champion Clemson and national runner-up Notre Dame.
The Cardinals will also host No. 10 SMU and No. 25 Syracuse in addition to NCAA Tournament participant Lipscomb.
CARDS ADD FIVE TRANSFERS TO 2024 ROSTER
Head coach John Michael Hayden and his staff brought in five transfers as part of their incoming class for the 2024 season.
Luca Hollenstein (USF), JP Jordan (SMU), Ola Arntsen (Evansville), Bilal Camara (Limestone) and Harvey Sellers (Indian Hills CC) all join the Cardinals with previous collegiate experience.
The quintet has combined for more than 11,000 collegiate minutes and 158 career matches played.
LOUISVILLE PICKED 12TH IN ACC PRESEASON POLL
Despite a 12-6-3 record in 2023, Louisville was voted 12th in the ACC preseason poll by the league's head coaches.
Of the 11 teams ahead of the Cardinals, 10 reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
Louisville finished fourth in the ACC Atlantic Division in 2023 and was the No. 9 seed in the ACC Championship. The divisional format has been eliminated for 2024.
ACC ADDS THREE MEMBERS, CEMENTS PLACE AS TOP SOCCER CONFERENCE
The ACC welcomes three new programs to the fold for the 2024 season in Cal, SMU and Stanford. The three additions only help cement the league as the top soccer conference in America.
The ACC features 10 programs ranked in the preseason top 25, including five of the top 10. No other conference has more than three teams in the preseason poll.
A current ACC program has won 11 of the last 17 national championships, with six runner-up finishes during that timespan as well.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE MEN'S SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleMSOC.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
John Michael Hayden leads the Cardinals in his sixth season at the helm coming off a 12-6-3 record in 2023, the program's highest win total since 2017.
Hayden returns 12 players from last year's team, led by three-time All-ACC midfielder Sander Roed and All-ACC defender Josh Jones.
The Cardinals are 2-2-1 in season openers under Hayden, including top 25 victories each of the last two seasons.
SERIES HISTORY
Louisville and Jacksonville have split two previous meetings in 1998 and 2008. The last meeting between the two programs was a 4-3 overtime victory for JU in the opening round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
GUERRA, JONES NAMED CAPTAINS FOR 2024 SEASON
Seniors Gage Guerra and Josh Jones have been named captains for the 2024 season.
Guerra is in his second season at Louisville after transferring from Army. The forward had an electric start to his Louisville career before being derailed by injuries. The junior tallied six goals in the first five matches, the most by a Louisville player since at least 2001. Despite missing eight matches, Guerra still finished second on the team with seven goals.
A captain for the second straight season, Jones is in the final year of his four-year career with the Cardinals. He earned All-ACC honors in 2023 logging more than 1,500 minutes in the backline. However, Jones made his presence felt in the attacking third as well tallying three goals for the second straight season while adding a pair of assists.
JONES, GUERRA RETURN TO LOUISVILLE AFTER MLS SUPERDRAFT
The Louisville soccer program has consistently sent players into the professional ranks, having at least one player drafted in 12 of the last 14 years.
The 2023 MLS SuperDraft was no exception, as Damien Barker John, Josh Jones and Gage Guerra were each selected.
However, Jones and Guerra each elected to return to school for their senior seasons in 2024. The duo mark the first players in program history to come back to Louisville to play after being drafted.
ROED CLOSING IN ON UOFL CAREER ASSIST RECORD
Louisville midfielder Sander Roed has been one of the best facilitators on the pitch since stepping onto campus in 2021.
The senior tallied eight assists in 2022 and nine in 2023, giving him two of the top 10 single season assist totals in program history. Roed ranked top three in the ACC in both seasons.
Roed enters the 2024 campaign with 22 career assists, third-most in Louisville history. He sits just four shy of Tim Kubel's (2014-17) program record of 26.
JONES AND ROED TEAM UP FOR SET PIECE MAGIC
Louisville seniors Josh Jones and Sander Roed have formed a dynamic duo on set pieces since they arrived on campus for the 2021 season.
That pair struck three times in 2023, with Jones scoring off assists from Roed against NC State, Notre Dame and in the NCAA Tournament versus Dayton.
Jones has eight goals in his career, all of which have been assisted by Roed, including three game-winners.
GUERRA AMONG NATION'S TOP GOAL SCORERS ENTERING 2024
Senior forward Gage Guerra has been one of the best goal scorers in the country during his college career. He was one of just eight juniors to rank among the top 50 active players in career goals at the end of 2023, and one of only two to return to school in 2024.
Guerra tallied 15 goals in two seasons at Army before transferring to Louisville in 2023. He then immediately made his presence felt in The Ville with six goals in his first five matches. However, injuries derailed his junior season, limiting him to just seven tallies on the year.
The Houston native enters the 2024 season with 22 career goals.
JONES NAMED TO TOPDRAWERSOCCER PRESEASON BEST XI TEAM
Senior defender Josh Jones was one of three defenders named to the Preseason Best XI Team by TopDrawerSoccer.
Jones is a three-year starter a center back for the Cards, having played in 54 career matches and logging more than 4,500 mintues on the pitch.
The Hatfield, Pa., native has been a contributor on the offensive end as well, tallying eight goals and four assists, with three goals in each of the last two seasons.
JONES, GUERRA RANKED AMONG TOP 35 PLAYERS BY TOPDRAWERSOCCER
Seniors Josh Jones and Gage Guerra were each ranked among the top 35 players in the country by TopDrawerSoccer.
Jones was ranked as the No. 9 player and No. 2 defender nationally, while Guerra was No. 34 overall and No. 12 forward.
Louisville is one of seven programs with multiple players ranked in the top 35.
ROED NAMED TO ACC PRESEASON WATCH LIST
For the second consecutive season, midfielder Sander Roed was Louisville's representative on the ACC Preseason Watch List.
Roed heads into 2024 with eight career goals and 22 assists, just four assists shy of Louisville's career record.
The senior is a three-time All-ACC selection and has the opportunity to become just the fourth player in program history to earn four All-Conference honors – Tim Kubel (ACC, 2014-17), Shawn Faria (C-USA, 1997-2000) and Stuart Langrish (C-USA, 1997-2000).
LOUISVILLE OPENS SEASON RANKED NO. 24
Coming off their highest win total since 2017, the Cardinals will open the 2024 season ranked No. 24 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
Louisville is ranked in the preseason top 25 for the first time since the 2019 season, when the Cards were 14th to start the year.
CARDINALS FACE ANOTHER LOADED SLATE
The Louisville soccer program has consistently played one of the toughest schedules in the country and 2024 is no exception.
Louisville's 16-match schedule features seven teams that reached the NCAA Tournament last year, including reigning national champion Clemson and national runner-up Notre Dame.
The Cardinals will also host No. 10 SMU and No. 25 Syracuse in addition to NCAA Tournament participant Lipscomb.
CARDS ADD FIVE TRANSFERS TO 2024 ROSTER
Head coach John Michael Hayden and his staff brought in five transfers as part of their incoming class for the 2024 season.
Luca Hollenstein (USF), JP Jordan (SMU), Ola Arntsen (Evansville), Bilal Camara (Limestone) and Harvey Sellers (Indian Hills CC) all join the Cardinals with previous collegiate experience.
The quintet has combined for more than 11,000 collegiate minutes and 158 career matches played.
LOUISVILLE PICKED 12TH IN ACC PRESEASON POLL
Despite a 12-6-3 record in 2023, Louisville was voted 12th in the ACC preseason poll by the league's head coaches.
Of the 11 teams ahead of the Cardinals, 10 reached the NCAA Tournament last season.
Louisville finished fourth in the ACC Atlantic Division in 2023 and was the No. 9 seed in the ACC Championship. The divisional format has been eliminated for 2024.
ACC ADDS THREE MEMBERS, CEMENTS PLACE AS TOP SOCCER CONFERENCE
The ACC welcomes three new programs to the fold for the 2024 season in Cal, SMU and Stanford. The three additions only help cement the league as the top soccer conference in America.
The ACC features 10 programs ranked in the preseason top 25, including five of the top 10. No other conference has more than three teams in the preseason poll.
A current ACC program has won 11 of the last 17 national championships, with six runner-up finishes during that timespan as well.
FOLLOW LOUISVILLE MEN'S SOCCER ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram at @LouisvilleMSOC.
Players Mentioned
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