By Jordan Shim–
The fourth-seeded Louisville men’s soccer team will play UCLA in a NCAA Championship second round match on Sunday at 5 p.m. This season’s appearance in the NCAA tournament marks U of L’s ninth in the 10 seasons after missing last year.
The two schools are meeting for the fourth time ever, and these games usually involve high stakes. The two schools split their last two meeting in 2010 and 2011. Louisville defeated UCLA 5-4 in the 2010 College Cup to advance to the national championship game. The Bruins advanced to the College Cup at the expense of the Cards the following year, winning 1-0 in double overtime.
Louisville has enjoyed a successful season under head coach Ken Lolla, going 12-5-2 (5-2-1) and finishing second in the ACC Atlantic Division.
Because of a top four seed, the Cards will host every round of the tournament until the College Cup. The Cards are 8-2-1 this season and 21-8-6 overall at Lynn Stadium. Every year they are seeded, U of L has advanced to at least the third round.
Their opponent, UCLA, have enjoyed postseason success as well. 2016 marked their 34th consecutive and 44th overall appearance in the tournament. Following their 4-2 win over Colgate, the Bruins have advanced to the second round for eight consecutive years.
For the Cards to extend the streak of advancing to the third round when seeded, the defense will be the key to the game.
UCLA’s defense has not been stellar this season. The Bruins concede 12 shots per contest and have allowed 27 goals in 19 matches. They have conceded 2 plus goals on seven occasions this season.
This does not match up well going against Louisville. The Cards are paced by All-ACC first team players Mohamed Thiaw and Tim Kubel. Thiaw leads the Cards with 11 goals for 23 points. His seven game-winning goals are the nation’s best. Kubel has scored three goals and an ACC-best nine assists for 15 points.
UCLA will need to stay organized at the back and counterattack to find success. Louisville will have long stretches of possession, waiting for a mistake from a suspect Bruins defense. Once the Cards get into a rhythm, the offense can build momentum and get on top quickly.
If Louisville can jump to an early lead, UCLA will have difficulties breaking down the U of L’s defense. The Bruins are well equipped on the offense with four players with at least five goals. The issue is the limited number of chances they will have. A team-wide effort contributes to a Louisville defense that concedes six shots per game with 10 shutouts.
Photo Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal
