LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For the second time this season, the Louisville men’s soccer team will host a top five opponent at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium as No. 4 North Carolina challenges the No. 5 Cardinals on Friday at 7:30 p.m., ET. The match, which will follow the Louisville women’s soccer team’s match against Pittsburgh, will be televised on ACC Network Extra, while live scoring is available at GoCards.com.
ABOUT THE CARDINALS
Louisville is 9-1-2 overall following Tuesday’s 5-0 win over FAU and 4-1-0 in the ACC after last week’s 1-0 victory at Virginia Tech. Louisville, ranked fifth in this week’s United Soccer Coaches Top 25 and eighth in the Soccer America Top 25, is riding a seven-match unbeaten streak. Junior Tate Schmitt and senior Mohamed Thiaw lead the Cardinals with six goals each this season, while senior Tim Kubel has five goals. Junior Adam Wilson has a team-leading five assists, while Kubel has four assists on the season.
ABOUT THE TAR HEELS
Ranked fourth this week in both the United Soccer Coaches poll and Soccer America Top 25, North Carolina is 11-2-0 overall and 4-1-0 in the ACC after suffering a 2-1 loss to No. 2 Wake Forest last weekend. The Tar Heels have three players with at least six goals, including a team-high eight goals for Alan Winn. Last season, UNC was 13-4-3 overall 5-1-2 in the ACC before ending its season with a loss in penalty kicks to Stanford in the semifinal round of the College Cup.
SERIES SNAPSHOT
Friday’s match will mark the fifth meeting all-time between the Cardinals and Tar Heels with the series even at 2-2-0. The teams split their first two matches since UofL joined the ACC, while UNC will be making its first ever visit to Louisville. The series dates back to 2010 when the Cardinals earned a 2-1 win over the Heels in the College Cup semifinals in Santa Barbara, California.
LOUISVILLE NOTES AND TRENDS…
• The Cardinals have out-shot their opponents in 11 of 12 games this season.
• Louisville is 3-1-1 against ranked foes this season, including 2-0-0 in road matches. The only loss to a ranked opponent this season was a 3-1 defeat against Wake Forest on Sept. 9 at Lynn Stadium.
• The Cardinals are 11th in NCAA in shutout percentage (0.58) and 13th in goals against average (0.643).
• Louisville is No. 4 in this week’s NCAA RPI and among seven ACC teams in the top 13 spots.
• Tim Kubel leads the team with 20 career goals, while Tate Schmitt (18) and Mohamed Thiaw (18) are next.
• Thiaw’s hat trick on Oct. 10 against FAU was the first for a Louisville player since Dylan Mares had three goals in a win over Winthrop in the second round of the NCAA Championship on Nov. 18, 2012.
• 10 of Thiaw’s 18 career goals are game-winners, including three this season.
• Schmitt has eight career game-winning goals and Kubel has six for the Cardinals.
• Thiaw is 13th in NCAA with three game-winning goals; Adam Wilson is 27th in assists per game at 0.50.
• Louisville has a 25-10-7 record all-time at Lynn Stadium, including a 10-7-2 mark against ranked foes.
LOUISVILLE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Louisville gained two positions in this week’s United Soccer Coaches Poll moving up to No. 5 while also rising one spot to No. 8 in the Soccer America Top 25. The No. 5 ranking is the highest this season for the Cardinals, who have been ranked in each of the first eight weeks of the season. Louisville opened 2017 ranked as high as No. 9 in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll.
CARDINALS IN THE NCAA STAT RANKINGS
The Cardinals enter Friday’s clash with the Tar Heels ranked in the top 30 in the NCAA in five different team statistical categories. Louisville is 11th in the nation in shutout percentage (0.58), 13th in team goals against average (0.643), 17th in total goals (24), 21st in scoring offense (2.00 goals per game) and 27th in total points (66). The Cardinals lead the ACC in both shutout percentage and team goals against average. Individually, Mohamed Thiaw is ranked 13th in the nation and second in the ACC with his three game-winning goals. Adam Wilson is 27th in the NCAA in assists per game with 0.50.
FOLLOWING THE CARDINALS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans can follow Louisville men’s soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
Daryl Foust
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