LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 9 University of Louisville men’s soccer team goes on the road for the first time in 2018 with a visit to Kentucky for the annual Battle of the Bluegrass on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., ET at Bell Soccer Complex. The match will be televised on SEC Network+, while live stats will be available at GoCards.com.

ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville, which had Friday’s match with Saint Louis cancelled due to inclement weather, moved to 2-0-0 for the second straight season after Cherif Dieye delivered the only goal of the match in last Tuesday’s win over Georgia State. Geoffrey Dee and Kino Ryosuke also have goals this season for the Cardinals, who have allowed just one goal (PK) and seven shots in the first two matches. Sophomore goalkeepers Jake Gelnovatch and Will Meyer have each started one match this season.

The Cardinals 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. Louisville had a 13-2-5 record and was second in the ACC Atlantic with a 5-2-1 league mark.

Louisville ranked sixth in the nation in shutout percentage (.600) registering 12 shutouts in 20 matches in 2017 as Meyer and 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 WILDCATS
Kentucky enters the match at 2-0-0 following a pair of 1-0 wins at home against DePaul and Columbia. The Wildcats were 8-6-4 overall in 2017, including a 4-2-2 mark in Conference USA. UK closed its 2017 season with a 1-0 loss to Marshall in the first round of the C-USA Tournament.

SERIES SNAPSHOT
Louisville trails 14-13-5 in the all-time series with Kentucky, which dates back to 1979. The Cardinals are 5-2-1 in the last eight matches with the Wildcats, including a 3-1-0 mark in Lexington. UofL dropped a 1-0 decision to UK in the last meeting at Bell Soccer Complex in 2016.

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Daryl Foust

Lifelong fan of the Louisville Cardinals, been covering the teams since 2012, graduated from c/o 2015, Writer/Contributor for TCZ for Men's Soccer, Women's Basketball & Softball since 2016.

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