By Jordan Shim–

As the regular season for the men’s soccer team heads into the final stretch, fans should feel optimistic about where the team currently is.

Head coach Ken Lolla reloads quickly and efficiently. Last season’s main issues of goalkeeping and a go-to scorer are a thing of the past. Lolla added transfers Mohamed Thiaw and Stefan Cleveland to fix these problems, and the rest is history.

U of L has taken everyone by surprise after being picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Division of the ACC.

The Cards have only lost one game all season and boast a 9-1-2 record. A plethora of organizations has recognized their success by ranking them with the best in the country. The NSCAA poll sits them at No. 8, Soccer America ranks them at No. 2 and Top Drawer Soccer ranks them at No. 6.

It is safe to assume that Louisville will enter the College Cup. With the best team Lolla has fielded since their national title run in 2010, fans can look forward to another deep run in the tournament.

Battle Tested

Lolla has an experienced roster that fields nine upperclassmen. The Cards do not succumb to the pressure in the ACC.

The Cards entered the season with nine ranked teams on their schedule and thus far have played to a 4-1 record. Wins over then-No. 1 Notre Dame, No. 3 Syracuse and then-No. 16 Virginia are quality wins that have boosted U of L to No. 3 in the RPI poll. Three ranked opponents remain on the schedule and judging by how Louisville has looked against top opppnents so far, it’s tough to pick against the Cards.

Defense wins championships

There is not a team better at keeping the ball out the back of the net better than Louisville. With eight shutouts already this season, the Cards currently lead the nation in goals against average at 0.32.

In 12 games, Stefan Cleveland has only had to make 29 saves. His lack of work is a testament to the defense in front of him that concedes under six shots per contest.

Lethal in front of goal

Mohamed Thiaw has been lights-out for the Cards this year. Thiaw has been the most efficient striker in college soccer this season, and it is not even close to ending.

Russell Cicerone of Buffalo is the nation’s leading goalscorer with 12 goals on 51 total shots. With 25 of his shots on goal, Cicerone is shooting a 49 percent shot-on-goal percentage while his conversation rate sits at 24 percent.

In comparison, Thiaw has nine goals on 22 shots. Of those 22 shots, 16 have been on goal, equating to a 73 precent shot on goal percentage and a 41 percent conversion rate.

Lolla’s teams have always been strong defensively, therefore sacrifice a bit of offense to stay organized at the back. Many teams have also taken notice and have marked Thiaw very closely, trying to limit the amount of chances he gets.

He doesn’t need many chances to put the ball in the back of the net. Thiaw on the season averages less than two shots per game, compared to the other nation leader’s who average up to five.

Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal