LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's soccer team plays its first exhibition game against Lipscomb Friday, August 16.  First-year head coach John Michael Hayden and a handful of his players met with members of the media to discuss the upcoming season.

“We’re only four days into preseason, we’re still trying to figure out what we have,” Hayden said. “We have 27 guys on the roster. We brought in 10 guys total, two that we brought in the spring and eight that have joined us this fall, and what I can say is this is a talented group. It’s exciting to be officially working with them."

The Cardinals, the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champions, finished last season with an 11-5-3 record and has made the NCAA Tournament 11 of the last 12 seasons.  Hayden spent the last three years as an assistant coach under Ken Lolla.

“That taste of success, it makes you want it even more, it makes you hungrier,” Bennett said. “Last year, it didn’t end up working out like that. An ACC championship is great, fantastic, we want to do it again. But that next step for the program and all us guys is to win a national championship. So to do that, we just have to be hungry, constantly.”

Seven starters return from last season and a total of 17 letter winners are also back for the 2019 season.  There are 10 new faces on the Cardinals roster and they include four transfers and six freshmen.

Louisville will play in a trio of exhibition matches including the game against Lipscomb. They will meet the Hoosiers on August 21 in Westfield, Indiana, and against the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) on August 24 at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium.

Season tickets, as well as single match tickets, are on sale now through the Louisville Cardinals Ticket office and online. 

If you would like you can see the entire media day press conference.