By Matt Bradshaw —

This past fall, men’s soccer lost in the second round of the NCAA Championship. The defeat came as a disappointment after Louisville topped the ACC Championship, arguably the toughest conference tournament in the nation.

And the Cardinals lost more than an NCAA game. They lost three talented seniors: Tate Schmitt, Geoffrey Dee and Adam Wilson. The trio played a huge part in past success, including back-to-back Elite Eight appearances, with the skill they brought to the midfield and forward attack.

First-year head coach John Michael Hayden, who replaced longtime coach Ken Lolla, will bring in five talented recruits to fill the void left by the seniors. Luckily enough, the five newcomers will play a variety of positions.

“We are very excited to announce the additions of Neil Boyal, Emil Everoth, Carlos Sanchis, Bradley Sample and Isaiah Wynder,” Hayden said. “Each one of these young men possess specific qualities that we value and because of this will greatly enhance our program for years to come.”

Midfield

Boyal, Sanchis and Sample will fill out positions in the midfield. This is crucial part of their formation the Cards need work with, as graduated seniors Dee and Wilson were both key midfielders.

Boyal will be a junior when he arrives on campus in the fall after playing at Drexel last year. Sanchis will also be a junior after playing at Florida Atlantic and leading the Owls in scoring in 2017.

Sample, a freshman midfielder, was recruited from Illinois. At 6-foot-1, he should provide some height that Louisville does not necessarily boast at the position.

Attack

Everoth will be a junior forward after playing at the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the past. Native to Halmstad, Sweden, he finished ranked second on his team last year with 11 goals and five assists.

At 6-foot, Everoth will also add some height that current forwards Kino Ryosuke (5-foot-9) and Pedro Fonseca (5-foor-8) do not have.

Defense

Wynder is the lone defender from the new recruits. A Louisville native who attended Collegiate, Wynder was named the 2018 Kentucky High School Coaches Association Defensive Player of the Year and earned first team All-State honors.

The Cardinals are already fairly strong on defense, with veterans like Louka Masset, Cody Cochran and William Portman. The 6-foot-2 Wynder will hopefully join the ranks and make a name for himself soon.

“We are fortunate to return a lot of the same players from 2018 who experienced great success,” Hayden said. “The pursuit of winning championships is our ultimate goal and these additions to our team will make us stronger for the 2019 campaign.”

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File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal