Louisville head coach Ken Lolla has his No. 1 Cardinals undefeated on the season. (ESPN.com photo)
A midfielder for most of his soccer playing career, J.T. Murray’s life was about to change when Louisville soccer coach Ken Lolla decided to switch him to a defender.
It’s turned out to be a great move for the left-footed Murray and the Cardinals. With Murray playing solid at left fullback, the defense allowed only 17 goals this season. It is one of the reasons why the team is undefeated and playing in its first College Cup.
The Cardinals’ defense will face a tough test when it goes up against the uptempo offense of North Carolina in the first national semifinal game of the NCAA Men’s Soccer College Cup on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at UCSB’s Harder Stadium.
The second semifinal pits three-time College Cup participant Akron against newcomer Michigan at 8 p.m.
Murray, the first Cardinal to play in four NCAA Tournaments, was a good left halfback before Lolla moved him to the back line. Murray remembers the conversation he had with the coach about changing positions.
“Coach moved me from left mid to left back, where he knew i could grow as a player and help the team the most,” Murray said in an email interview with Presidiosports.com. “This helped me to see the game from a different perspective, the back instead of midfield, which i had played most growing up.
“At this position, he believed I could have a longer soccer career. I jumped on board and I now feel like a more rounded player from defense to attacking. And, I’m not limited to an attacker’s mentality.”
Besides convincing Murray he’d be more valuable as a defender, Lolla got his players to believe they could win.
Murray bought into it when he was being recruited by Lolla, who had a successful career at Akron before coming to Louisville in 2006.
“i wanted to be part of a program that would compete for a national championship,” Murray said. “Coach reassured me that this was the main priority and that we would be competitive for a NCAA title. That is all I needed to hear and shortly after that i committed to Louisville.”
In his four years in the program, Murray has been on teams that have posted double figures in wins and reached the NCAA Tournament every year.
With its advancement to the College Cup, Louisville soccer has risen from obscurity to elite status.
“The first thing that he brought is a winning attitude, a winning a mentality,” said Murray of Lolla’s impact. “He implements his view and beliefs into the team on an individual level for life success first, and that carries to the soccer aspect. Coach also knows the game very well. He can help players from a coach’s perspective and a player perspective, as he also played highly competitive soccer.
“Ken also has maintained the best coaching staff we could have during the four years i have spent here,” Murray added. “Finally, we are all a tight-knit family which allows us to know that everyone is there behind you, from Ken to the freshmen.”
One of the beautiful things about watching Louisville soccer is how tight they are as a group. It’s a team where everyone works hard and contributes.
That was evident in the Cardinals’ wild 5-4 win over UCLA in the quarterfinals. Freshman Aaron Horton scored the game-winner in the last minute, dribbling through four Bruins and beating the goalkeeper.
“I believe that this is an advantage,” said Murray of Louisville’s total team cohesiveness. “We count on everyone as a unit from redshirts to starters. Preparing for the (these) games began after we lost in the NCAA tourney last year. The biggest difference I notice is that our team believes we will win. We don’t say there could be a chance but we believe that we will win.
“The guys are not satisfied with just making it to the College Cup. This is our top goal we have been pursuing since last January.”
