Men's soccer blanks No. 3 Syracuse, propels to top of ACC standings • The Louisville Cardinal

By Jordan Shim–

The No. 8 Louisville men’s soccer team upset No. 3 Syracuse 1-0 in ACC action at Lynn Stadium on Oct. 7. This win marked the Cards’ second win over a top three team this season.

Louisville improves to 9-1-2 (4-0-1 ACC) while Syracuse fall to 8-3-1 (2-2-1 ACC). Following Virginia’s 2-1 victory over No. 4 North Carolina, the Cards now sit atop the ACC standings with 13 points.

Once again, Mohamed Thiaw was the difference maker. The junior scored his ninth goal of the season and his nation’s best, sixth game-winning goal.

The early stages of the game were similar to that of Notre Dame. Louisville was having difficulties moving the ball around and turned the ball on multiple occasions.

“We were not so prepared for Syracuse’s tactics in the first half,” Louisville head coach Ken Lolla said. “They came out in a shape they hadn’t played all year, and a big part of that was preventing us from getting into a rhythm and I give them credit.”

A bit of magic by Thiaw broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. Thiaw knocked the ball on past an oncoming Syracuse defender and chipped over the charging Syracuse goalkeeper, Hendrik Hilpert.

There was an injury scare in the 62nd minute as a multi-player collision between Cardinals resulted in Tim Kubel on the ground holding his leg. Kubel’s injury made way for Jerry Ramirez, whose goal last season gave the Cards a 1-1 draw in Syracuse. Kubel did not return to the match.

“Jerry was great,” Lolla said. “He’s a warrior. He’s a leader, and I love his energy. He hasn’t played much all season, and in probably the most important game, we have to use him, and he’s ready. You can count on him anytime.”

Syracuse put on the pressure in the second half searching for the equalizer. The Orange had their best chance in the 84th minute when Jonathon Hagman ripped a shot from distance, but Louisville goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland made a reaction save to his left to preserve the lead.

“(Cleveland) was excellent,” Lolla said. “In the first half, he didn’t have a ton to do. In the second half, we gave up some territory, purposely, not allowing them to much space to play. It called him into a little bit more action, which he dealt with pretty well.”

In the latter stages of the match, the Cards sat back and kept their shape to secure the victory.

“It was exciting because it wasn’t our best overall performance,” Cleveland said. “But having said that it was a great defensive performance. I don’t think we even had a shot on target in the second half, but what this team is so good at is putting in the effort no matter what the situation is. You’re not going to put this team down.”

Despite extending their unbeaten run to seven games, including wins over No. 1 Notre Dame and now No. 3 Syracuse, the team is not allowing the success to get to their head and are looking to the next game.

“This game is behind us,” Thiaw said. “Now we prepare for Indiana. We know they’re a very good team, and we respect them highly. So we’re just going to work hard in training for the next two days and get ready for them.”

It was the first match this season Louisville was outshot. The Orange finished with an 11-6 shot advantage. Johannes Pieles finished with a game-high three shots. Jack Gayton led the Cards with two.