By Jordan Shim–

The University of Louisville men’s soccer team will kick off their season in unfamiliar territory – ranked outside of the top 25. Last season was not the best for head coach Ken Lolla. Last season’s record of 7-9-3 marked only the second time Lolla has had a losing season in his 11 years.

It was no secret that the level of competition would jump as the Cards entered what has now become arguably the strongest soccer conference in the country. A heavily stacked conference schedule awaited at the end of U of L’s 2015 season. No school would have fancied a daunting schedule against opponents that had a combined record of 217-112-56. Of Louisville’s 19 matches, including the ACC Championship, nine were against ranked schools with five opponents in the top five.

Another daunting schedule awaits the Cards this season. Their last 11 matches will consist of eight ranked schools, four of which reside in the top 10. A date fans should circle on their calendar is Oct. 15 when Louisville travels to Winston-Salem to take on No. 5 Wake Forest. The Cards will look to seek redemption over the Demon Deacons who, off of a 95th-minute rebound, ended their season in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship last year.

It may be difficult to be optimistic after seeing their schedule, but fans should be. Lolla has a knack of reloading his teams swiftly and efficiently. The core of the squad remains intact because only three seniors graduated. Incoming fresh faces will provide depth and a year of development can only mean good things for the Cards. However, Lolla will need to shore up some areas within the team if they are going to be competing for a national title again soon.

Goalkeeping/Defending

All three goalkeepers saw action last season. Lolla had a difficult time figuring out who his first guy out should be. Theo Jamilloux saw the field the most out of the three last season. Despite a 2-4-2 record, he had very strong performances, earning a starting position to begin 2016.

Consistently seeing the pitch together will be crucial for the team to perform well. Lolla saw a glimpse of what could be this preseason. The Cards recorded three clean sheets in their five preseason matches and trailed for 12 total minutes.

Away Matches

U of L had no trouble finding the back of the net at Lynn Stadium, scoring 21 goals and finishing the season with a +7 goal-differential. The quality of opposition showed on the road as they only managed to score 10 goals, played to a -6 goal-differential and an 1-6-1 record to show for it.

Getting results on the road separates good teams from the great ones. Playing from behind on the road became a familiar situation for the Cards. Of the eight away matches played, the Cards lost in six of them. In three of those matches, they fell behind inside the opening 15 minutes. Tactics change when you are down and U of L was forced to change their style due to getting down early.

If the Cards can sort out these issues, there will be no question they will return to the rankings. Since 2012, the Cards have qualified for the Men’s Soccer College Cup every other year. If the trend is set to continue after failing to qualify last season, fans can expect the Cards to qualify this season.

Lolla and his squad is set to kick off the season hosting Butler on Aug. 26. First kick is set for 7:30 p.m.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal