Louisville Soccer 2014 Photo by Adam Creech Fitted

Louisville Earns 13th Seed in NCAA Men’s Soccer Championship

Mark BlankenbakerNovember 17, 2014

Earning its eighth straight NCAA Championship berth as an at-large selection, the Louisville men’s soccer team was tabbed as the No. 13 overall seed and will host either Saint Louis or Tulsa in a second round match at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium on Sunday at 6:00 p.m., ET.

Tickets for the NCAA Championship debut at Lynn Stadium are $12 for chairback seats and $8 for berm seats and can be purchased through the U of L Ticket Office online athttps://oss.ticketmaster.com/aps/uofl/EN/link/buy/browse?g%5B0%5D=14350, in person at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium or by phone at (502) 852-0120 or (502) 852-5151. Fans are encouraged to print their tickets at home, add their tickets to their mobile device, or pick up tickets in advance at Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium between the hours of 9-5, to avoid long will call lines on game day.

“We’re excited about hosting a second round NCAA Tournament match at Lynn Stadium,” said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla. “Our schedule this season has prepared us well for the tournament ahead.”

The Cardinals enter the 2014 NCAA Championship at 10-7-3 overall after falling 2-1 in double overtime to Clemson in Sunday’s ACC Championship final in Cary, N.C. Louisville was tabbed as one of the top 16 seeds in the field of 48 for the fourth time in five seasons with the most recent coming in 2012 when they were the No. 10 seed. Saint Louis (13-4-2) will host Tulsa (11-5-3) in a first round match on Thursday night with the advancing team playing at Louisville.

In nine seasons under the guidance of Lolla, the Cardinals have advanced to the quarterfinal round (elite eight) of the NCAA Championship three times in their eight tournament appearances. Sunday’s match will mark the fifth straight season and the seventh time in the last eight years Louisville has hosted an NCAA Championship match.

Overall, the ACC led all conferences with seven teams (Clemson, Louisville, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Virginia, Wake Forest) in this year’s tournament field, the second highest total in conference history. Louisville was among five ACC schools selected as seeded teams (No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 7 Clemson, No. 9 Syracuse, No.16 Virginia), also the most of any league.

Leading the way offensively for Louisville this season are junior forward Ricardo Velazco, junior midfielder Ben Strong and freshman defender Tim Kubel, while senior defender Daniel Keller and senior goalkeeper Joachim Ball serves as the team’s captains and leaders along the backline. An All-ACC Third Team selection and a member of the All-Tournament Team, Velazco is the team’s co-leader in goals with six, including two in the ACC Championship matches last weekend. Strong was an All-ACC First Team honoree scoring five goals and adding three assists this season.

Kubel, the ACC Freshman of the Year and an All-ACC Second Team selection, had six goals for the Cardinals while starting all 20 matches in his rookie season. Keller has 60 career starts in his collegiate career at Louisville, including all 20 matches this season as a center back, while Ball ranks third all-time at Louisville with 15 career shutouts, including six in 2014.