U of L soccer teams ready to debut stadium
The introductions and the media tours and the training sessions are all in the past, and the University of Louisville men's and women's soccer teams are finally debuting in the school's new, $18.5 million Lynn Stadium on Friday night.
The women's team hosts Mississippi at 5:30 p.m. before the men's team follows with an 8 p.m. kick-off against Maryland.
The doubleheader will be accompanied by pregame ceremonies, and it signifies the completion of the 15-month project across the street from Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.
"We're excited about the opportunity to finally open it up," U of L men's soccer coach Ken Lolla said on Monday.
U of L's women (1-1) started the season with a 2-1 win at Wright State but lost 2-0 at Illinois over the weekend.
The Cards have nine newcomers in their starting lineup after reaching the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in the past eight years. The 2014 campaign has a feeling of newness, with a new venue and a lot of new faces.
"They don't know what they don't know," women's coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes said.
The men finished with two wins and a loss to Michigan in their preseason exhibitions, and they face high expectations entering the 2014 season.
U of L is ranked 14th in the country at the start of the campaign, and was picked to win the ACC's Atlantic Division by the league's coaches. Maryland, the school Louisville is replacing in the ACC, is second in the preseason NSCAA Top 25.
Tickets for the doubleheader are $12 for chair-back seats along the south side of the stadium and $9 for general admission. They can be purchased at the U of L ticket office at Gate 2 of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium, on GoCards.com or by calling (502) Go-Cards.
