Two weeks of exhibition matches have given this Cardinals team and new Head Coach, John Michael Hayden, some confidence to make a run this year. After winning the conference a season ago, the team was picked to finish second in the ACC Atlantic Division for 2019 in a vote of the conference’s 12 head coaches released Monday, August 19, by the league.

The Cardinals, ranked 14th in the United Soccer Coaches preseason poll, totaled 48 points in the ACC voting, while Wake Forest was chosen as the favorite in the Atlantic Division.

Senior midfielder Lamine Conte was named to the ACC Preseason Watch List.

I spoke with Coach Hayden at the free Open House event held for fans last Sunday at Lynn Stadium.

Louisville won its fall exhibition matches 2-1 over Lipscomb, 2-1 over #2 Indiana and 3-0 over UAB. Individual stats from the matches not much recorded for public archive.

Cards vs Cleveland State

Series History: Tied 2-2
Last Meeting: Louisville 2, Cleveland State 0 | September 4, 2013 | Louisville, Ky.

About Cleveland State
According to a poll of Horizon League head coaches, the Cleveland State University men’s soccer team has been selected to finish eighth in the league table in 2019. Cleveland State returns 17 student-athletes from last year’s roster and welcomes eight newcomers to the squad, including four transfers.

Six Vikings return that started at least 10 matches last season, with five of those six competing in at least 14 of the squad’s 15 fixtures in 2018. CSU’s top three leaders in goals all return while two defenders that started at least 11 matches are back in the fold for 2019.

Cleveland State will have a new primary goalkeeper in 2019 as freshmen Max Kasputis and Omeed Naeemy join returnees Skylar Jeppesen and Austin Mitchell in the battle for the spot. Cleveland State Head Coach, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, will lead the Vikings in his first season in 2019. 


• The Cardinals are 17-19-4 all-time in season openers. Louisville is unbeaten in their last six season openers.
• UofL vs CSU pits two first-year head coaches against one another, the only matchup of two first-year head coaches on opening day in Division I.

Louisville Cardinals vs Cleveland State
Lynn Stadium
Friday, August 30th 7:30 P.M.

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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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