Rennie Against Lolla Highlights Duke-Louisville First Round NCAA Match

DURHAM, N.C. - The No. 21 Duke Blue Devils will head to Louisville, Ky., on Friday for a first round NCAA Tournament contest with the Louisville Cardinals at 7:00 p.m. ET at Cardinal Park. The match pits Duke head coach John Rennie against former Blue Devil midfielder and assistant coach Ken Lolla.

The Blue Devils: Duke is 11-7-1 in 2007 and 4-3-1 in ACC play, which earned them third place in the conference's regular season. The Blue Devils are 5-1 on the road this year and 3-3-1 against teams that made the NCAA Tournament.

The Opponent: The Cardinals have posted a 10-6-4 record this season and a 6-3-2 mark in the Big East, good for a second-place regular season finish in the league's Red Division. Louisville is 6-1-2 in home games and is 2-3-2 against ranked foes.

Series History: Duke leads the all-time series with Louisville, 1-0-0. In their first and only meeting in 1997 the Blue Devils defeated the Cardinals, 2-0, in the Wolfpack Classic Tournament in Raleigh, N.C.

Duke in the NCAA Tournament: The Blue Devils are 26-19-1 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to 1972. This marks the 21st trip to the NCAA Tournament in the program's history, with 20 under head coach John Rennie. Duke captured the school's first NCAA Championship in any sport in 1986 and also made College Cup appearances in 1982, 1992, 1995 and 2004. The Blue Devils are 10-8 in first round games, 6-6 in the second round, 2-0 in the third round, 4-1-1 in the quarterfinals, 3-2 in the semifinals and 1-2 in NCAA title matches. Duke has been to the tournament four years in a row and eight of the last 10 seasons. The last time that Duke played a true first round game was in 2004. The Blue Devils knocked off Coastal Carolina at home, 3-0, on their way to reaching the NCAA College Cup.

Tournament Stars: Duke's senior class, which boasts 13 players overall and 11 who have been in Durham since 2004, is 6-3 in the NCAA Tournament with one College Cup appearance. Michael Videira and Spencer Wadsworth have paved the way in the tournament for Duke, with seven goals and 10 assists between the two of them (Wadsworth has four goals and four assists and Videira has three goals and six assists). Midfielder Tomek Charowski has tallied three scores and one assists and Zack Pope has contributed three assists of his own in three years. From the junior class, Mike Grella has been outstanding in four tournament matches, with two goals and two assists in 2006 alone.

Rennie vs. Lolla: Rennie will be facing off against one of his former understudies in Ken Lolla, Louisville's head coach. The former Blue Devil has taken the Cardinals to their first NCAA Tournament in school history in only his second season at the helm. Lolla was a two-time All-America midfielder under Rennie at Duke from 1980-1983, and helped guide the team to two ACC Championships and a national championship match appearance. He also served as an assistant for the Duke squad in 1985 and 1988-1989. This will be Rennie's last season as head coach of Duke, a decision he made prior to this season.

Ticket Information: Ticket prices are $7 for adults, $4 for senior adults and students with a valid ID and $3 for children ages 3-12. Children under two are free if accompanied by a paying adult. Please contact the Louisville ticket office at 502-852-5151 for ticket information.

A Look Ahead: If Duke should win on Friday, it would play fifth-seeded Ohio State on Wednesday, Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m., in Columbus, Ohio. The NCAA College Cup (semifinals and final) will be held on Dec. 14 and 16 in Cary, N.C.

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