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University of Louisville

Louisville, KY 40292
Kentucky Midwest
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Karen Ferguson-Dayes

With 200 wins (200-183-41), Karen Ferguson-Dayes is the winningest coach in Louisville history. She took a struggling soccer program at the University of Louisville and molded it into a top-25 program.


In 2000 when she was named the eighth head coach in program history, the situation that Ferguson-Dayes inherited with the Cardinals was the challenge of her career. The program has just one winning season in the previous 15 years.


Nobody believed the process of turning the Louisville women's soccer program into a winner is one that would occur overnight, but after three seasons at the helm, Ferguson-Dayes guided the Cardinals to their first winning season in 11 years with a 12-4 record in 2004.


Ferguson-Dayes' appointment and success here at Louisville has not gone unnoticed, she has guided the Cardinals to not only their first NCAA Tournament berth, but multiple trips and her teams continue to rewrite the record book year after year. She has also seen the Cardinals through the transition into the nation’s toughest soccer conference in the ACC and into their new state-of-the-art facility at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium.


IN THE ACC


In the 2022 season, Ferguson-Dayes tallied career win No. 200 as the Cardinals defeated NC State on the road, 1-0, on Oct. 20. She guided the Cardinals to six wins during the 2022 campaign, including a 3-2 win over #23 Memphis on a neutral field. The Cardinals did not allow a goal in five of their six wins and tallied seven clean sheets on the season. Ferguson-Dayes say defender Sarah Hernandez finish her career in the record books as she finished with 82 games played, second-most in program history.


Following the fall portion of the 2020 season, Emina Ekic was named Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ACC, while Gabby Kouzelos was named Third Team All-ACC. It marked the first time that a Louisville player has earned ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors. The last time a Louisville player was named conference offensive player of the year was in 2013 when Christine Exeter took home the honors in the Cardinals' lone season in the American Athletic Conference.


Ekic was selected by Racing Louisville FC with the fifth pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, becoming the first UofL player to be selected in the NWSL Draft.


In 2019, the Cardinals finished fourth in the ACC with a record of 5-3-2, and made their sixth NCAA Championship appearance with an overall record of 13-5-2. The Cardinals finished the season ranked No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.


The Cardinals had three players earn All-ACC honors in 2019. Emina Ekic was named a first team All-ACC selection for the second straight year and her third straight year of earning All-ACC honors. Redshirt junior Gabby Kouzelos was named a second team All-ACC selection while senior Brooklynn Rivers earned third team All-ACC honors for the second straight year. Ekic was named a second team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches association for the second straight year.


In the fall of 2018 the Cardinals finished tied for fifth in the ACC with a record of 6-4, and made their fifth NCAA Championship appearance with an overall record of 12-7-0. Emina Ekic was named a second team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches association. She became the seventh All-American in school history and the first Cardinal to earn All-American honors since Christine Exeter was named a third team All-American in 2011. Ekic is also the first Louisville player to earn second team honors, with the previous six selections earning third and fourth team honors.


During the 2017 season, Ferguson-Dayes guided the Cardinals to another winning season while then freshman Emina Ekic garnered numerous awards. Ekic was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Cardinal to earn a major ACC award. Ekic also earned all-region, All-ACC and All-ACC academic awards. The Louisville native led the Cardinals in scoring seven goals and three assists.


During the 2016 season, Ferguson-Dayes added another first for the Cardinals, pulling an upset over the top ranked team in the nation, North Carolina. The overtime win was the biggest win in school history.


IN THE AMERICAN ATHLETIC


In 2013, Louisville earned its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance after finishing second in the AAC with a 7-1-0 record and a 12-5-2 overall record. The Cardinals had two players earn American Athletic Player of the Year honors with Corral and Exeter earning midfielder and offensive player honors for the second time in their careers.


IN THE BIG EAST


The fall of 2005 meant the first foray into the BIG EAST, a conference that Ferguson-Dayes had spent seven years in as a player and assistant coach. With the jump into one of the elite conferences, it was expected that the Cardinals might stumble in making the jump, but under the guidance of Ferguson-Dayes, the team notched double figure wins for the second consecutive season. Three team members were honored by the BIG EAST, led by junior Jamie Craft, a first-team selection who was also named to two difference All-Region teams.


The 2006 squad became the first in school history to earn a national ranking, peaking at 15th in the nation. It was also the first team to advance to the coveted plateau that is the NCAA Tournament. Success was not limited to the field, as the team set marks in the classroom with the second-highest team GPA, a record number of Red and Black Scholars and members of the AD Honor Roll, as well as the first Academic All-American in school history (Amy Seng). Six players earned All-Region honors, three found their name on the All-BIG EAST squads and two players were named All-American (Jamie Craft and Joanna Haig), just the second and third such honored in Cardinal history. Craft moved on to a career in professional soccer, enjoying a solid season with the W-League Boston Renegades.


In 2007 a trip to the BIG EAST semifinals was a new plateau of success for the program, as were the five players honored on All-BIG EAST teams. In tying the school record with 13 wins and advancing to the NCAA's for the second consecutive season, the team collectively posted a 3.416 GPA in the classroom.

Haig established five school records, and finished the season third in the nation in save% (0.893) and fifth in GAA playing in Ferguson-Dayes' defensive brand of soccer.


Prior to a disappointing 2009 season where injuries limited the Cardinals' success on the field, the 2008 season served as a learning experience for a team that featured only three seniors. Even with the loss of All-American goalkeeper Joanna Haig and three other key starters, UofL advanced to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament for the third straight season and won nine games overall against one of the toughest schedules in the nation.


Seniors Jessica Mello and Shannon Smyth earned Third Team All-BIG EAST honors and were joined by senior Mallory Lampson as NSCAA Academic All-Region selections.


In 2010, the Cardinals were led by Exeter, who was selected as the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year, and Uremovich, who was named to the league's All-Rookie Team. U of L opened the season with a school record seven straight wins, which included victories over No. 13 South Carolina and rival Kentucky, and then closed the season by advancing to the BIG EAST Championship for the fifth time in six seasons.


The 2011 BIG EAST Coach of the Year, she has coached three All-Americans including Christine Exeter in 2011, Joanna Haig in 2007 and Jamie Craft in 2006 and a pair of Academic All-Americans in Haig (2007) and Amy Seng (2006). She also coached multiple player of the year winners as Exeter was selected as BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year in 2011 while Charlyn Corral was BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year in 2012. The superlatives are nearly too numerous to list completely. Needless to say Ferguson-Dayes has been the most successful coach in UofL women’s soccer history and is one of the top coaches in the nation.


During the record-setting 2011 season, the Cardinals also advanced to their first ever BIG EAST Tournament title game and ended the season ranked 24th overall in the final NSCAA coaches’ poll. Along with Exeter’s league honors, Jennifer Jones was a Third Team All-BIG EAST selection in 2011 while Erin Yenney was named to the conference’s All-Rookie Team. Louisville earned an at-large berth into the 2011 NCAA Championship and was selected as a host for the first time in the post-season tournament. The Cardinals delivered on the opportunity to play in front of the home fans earning a dominating 2-0 victory over Dayton for the program’s first ever NCAA Championship win. They followed that with an impressive 2-0 road triumph over No. 5 Memphis in the second round before falling to ninth-ranked Florida State in the Sweet 16.


In 2012, Louisville had four players earn All-BIG EAST honors with Corral, who was also an NSCAA All-Region honoree, leading the way with her First Team selection. Midfielder Angelika Uremovich was named Second Team All-BIG EAST while Exeter and goalkeeper Chloe Kiefer earned Third Team honors.


A season after leading Louisville to its best season in school history with a school record 14 wins, a first ever BIG EAST National Division title and its first ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2011, Ferguson-Dayes led the Cardinals double-digit wins for the third straight season and the seventh time.


YOUTH SOCCER


Achieving at a high level is not something new for Ferguson-Dayes, who has previously worked as the ODP Girls 1993 age group head coach and the Region II liaison for the US Soccer National Teams in charge of tracking and following the progress of members of the US Soccer Youth National Team system. She served as an assistant coach of the USA U-21 team for their 2004 season.


During the summer of 2003 she served as an assistant coach for the U-19 Adidas Youth Team and she has also served as the head coach of the Region II 87 girls' team, which competed in the Adidas ESP event and the November Interregional event in Boca Raton, Florida.


In 2003 she worked with the Region II girls U-15 team, and accompanied the team to numerous interregional events.


EARLY IN HER CAREER


Prior to accepting her position at Louisville, she was the assistant coach at the University of Connecticut for three seasons. The Huskies were 60-12-2 during the three years she spent as an assistant, advanced to the final eight twice (1998 and `99), and were national runner-up in 1997.


A 1993 graduate of UConn, Ferguson-Dayes coached under and played for legendary soccer coach Len Tsantiris who has not missed the NCAA Division I soccer tournament during his tenure.


Before coaching at UConn, Ferguson-Dayes served as an assistant at Boston University during its first two seasons of soccer where the team was an astonishing 24-7-2 overall.


STELLAR PLAYING CAREER


In her playing career at UConn as a midfielder, she was named first team All-America in `91, `92 and `93. The Huskies were 63-24-3 during her four-year career and she tallied 53 points (18 goals and 17 assists.)


In 1990 as a freshman, the Huskies competed in the national semifinal where she was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. Soccer America Magazine selected her as a Team MVP in 1992, an award given to 11 players nationally.


Ferguson-Dayes' playing career was not limited to the collegiate level. She played for the U.S. National Team in 1992 and 1993.


While at UConn, she was involved in the Connecticut Olympic Development Program and served as staff coach in Region One. Ferguson-Dayes holds an NSCAA Advanced National Soccer license, as well as a USSF B license.


A native of Holbrook, N.Y., and a graduate of Sachem High School, Ferguson-Dayes is married to Hylton Dayes and the couple has one son, Brandon.

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Hunter Norton

Hunter Norton is in his seventh season as an assistant coach for the Cardinals. He is in his ninth season overall with the Louisville program.


AT LOUISVILLE


Norton has worked with two players that have played the most games in program history over the past two seasons. Gabby Kouzelos finished her career after the 2021 season with 85 games played, the most in program history. The following season, Sarah Hernandez finished with 82 career games played.


In 2020-21, Emina Ekic was named Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-ACC, while Gabby Kouzelos was named Third Team All-ACC. It marked the first time that a Louisville player has earned ACC Offensive Player of the Year honors.


Ekic was selected by Racing Louisville FC with the fifth pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, becoming the first UofL player to be selected in the NWSL Draft.


In 2019, he helped the Cardinals finish fourth in the ACC with a record of 5-3-2, and made their sixth NCAA Championship appearance with an overall record of 13-5-2. The Cardinals finished the season ranked No. 25 in the United Soccer Coaches poll.


The Cardinals had three players earn All-ACC honors in 2019. Emina Ekic was named a first team All-ACC selection, Gabby Kouzelos was named a second team All-ACC selection and Brooklynn Rivers earned third team All-ACC honors. Ekic was named a second team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches association for the second straight year.


In the fall of 2018 the Cardinals finished tied for fifth in the ACC with a record of 6-4, and made their fifth NCAA Championship appearance with an overall record of 12-7-0. Emina Ekic was named a second team All-American by the United Soccer Coaches association. She became the seventh All-American in school history and the first Cardinal to earn All-American honors since Christine Exeter was named a third team All-American in 2011. Ekic is also the first Louisville player to earn second team honors, with the previous six selections earning third and fourth team honors.


During the 2017 season, the Cardinals recorded another winning season while then-freshman Emina Ekic garnered numerous awards. Ekic was named the ACC Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Cardinal to earn a major ACC award. Ekic also earned all-region, All-ACC and All-ACC academic awards. The Louisville native led the Cardinals in scoring seven goals and three assists.


Norton spent his first two seasons with the Cardinals as a volunteer assistant. He helped in all aspects of the program while developing the program’s social media presence.


PLAYING CAREER


Prior to joining the Cardinals, Norton played four seasons at Georgia Southern University. He was a three year captain and started in all 72 games of his career.


He was named to the South Conference (SOCON) All-Freshman team in 2010. He earned first team All-SOCON honors his sophomore an senior seasons, while earning second team honors his junior year.


Norton holds his NSCAA Advanced National Coaching Diploma. He also coached with the Kentucky Fire Juniors from 2014-20 and currently works with the Louisville City Youth Academy.

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John Michael Hayden

John Michael Hayden, a Louisville native who has served as an assistant coach with the Cardinals for four seasons, was named head coach of the University of Louisville men's soccer program by UofL Vice-President/Director of Athletics Vince Tyra on Dec. 27, 2018.


"Following a diligent search process, we are extremely pleased to name John Michael as our next head coach. There was an amazing amount of support for John Michael from all levels of the soccer world, including many connected with our program at Louisville," Tyra said. "He's a talented coach and relentless recruiter who enjoys teaching an attacking style that will foster ongoing success."


Hayden became the fifth head coach in the history of the UofL men’s soccer program, which completed its 40th season in 2018. In four seasons at the helm, he has compiled a 34-29-7 record and a 17-16-3 mark in ACC play, earning three NCAA Tournament berths.


The Cardinals made it back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 2022, putting together a 9-6-3 overall record with a 4-3-1 tally in ACC play. Louisville earned an at-large bid and a host spot in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals scored a pair of top-10 victories during the 2022 season, opening up the fall with a 3-1 win over No. 10 Saint Louis and later adding a 2-1 triumph against No. 8 Pitt. Sander Roed and Aboubacar Camara earned All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season.


The 2021 season saw Hayden lead the Cardinals to the program’s first ever ACC Atlantic Division title. Louisville finished with a 10-7-1 overall record and a 5-3-0 mark in conference play. The Cards earned an at-large bid and a home match in the NCAA Tournament. Louisville ranked as one of the top scoring teams in the country, finishing with the program’s highest goal total in 11 seasons. Aboubacar Camara and Pedro Fonseca each earned First Team All-ACC honors, while Sander Roed was a Third Team and All-ACC Freshman Team selection. Camara’s 13 goals were tied for the third-most in program history. Fonseca was later selected by Real Salt Lake in the second round of the MLS SuperDraft.


Dealing with the challenges of playing during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hayden's second season saw the Cardinals post a 5-8-1 overall mark split across the fall and spring semesters. Battling a bevy of injuries, UofL went just 1-6-1 during the fall portion of the season, but rebounded in the spring and posted a 4-2-0 record and finished second in the ACC Atlantic Division. The Cardinals capped off the spring season with a 2-1 victory over No. 1 Clemson in the regular season finale. Elijah Amo and Pedro Fonseca were each named to the All-ACC teams, while Aboubacar Camara was the conference's leading scorer during the spring and earned All-Freshman laurels. Amo (Real Salt Lake) and Lamine Conte (New York Red Bulls) were both selected in the MLS SuperDraft in January of 2021, becoming Louisville's 24th and 25th all-time selections, while Jake Gelnovatch inked a professional deal with USL Championship club Memphis 901 FC.


In his first season at the helm, Hayden led the Cardinals to a 10-8-2 overall record and a 3-4-1 record in ACC play. The Cards handed eventual national champion Georgetown its only loss of the season with a 1-0 double overtime victory at Lynn Stadium. Hayden became the first Louisville head coach to lead the Cardinals to a pair of NCAA wins in their first season, including an upset of No. 14 UC Davis. The Cards qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the fourth straight year. The Cardinals advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the last four years and the seventh time in the last 10 seasons. Under Hayden, Cherif Dieye was named to the All-ACC Second Team and was named a United Soccer Coaches All-South Region Second Team. Dieye became UofL's 23rd player chosen all-time in the MLS SuperDraft and the seventh player to be drafted in the first round.


During his four seasons as an assistant coach with the Cardinals (2012, 2016-18), the program accumulated a 52-19-11 record overall with four NCAA Championship berths, three Elite Eight appearances and two conference championships.


Louisville registered its first ACC Championship title in 2018 before ending the season with an 11-5-3 record overall. The Cardinals, which defeated Notre Dame, Wake Forest and North Carolina in a span of eight days to win the ACC championship, closed the season ranked 16th in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25. Forward Tate Schmitt closed his brilliant collegiate career as a TopDrawerSoccer.com Best XI Second Team selection and was among three All-ACC honorees for UofL.


The Cardinals reached the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship for the fifth time in eight seasons in 2017, including the second straight year, and earned a No. 7 ranking in the final United Soccer Coaches Top 25. The Cardinals finished with a 13-2-5 record and were second in the ACC Atlantic with a 5-2-1 league record. Defender Tim Kubel was a United Soccer Coaches First Team All-American, a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist and was among three All-ACC selections for Louisville that season.


During Hayden's first season back with the Cardinals in 2016, the team advanced to the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in school history and was ranked No. 6 in the final coaches poll. Louisville had a 14-6-2 record overall and finished second in the ACC Atlantic Division with a 5-2-1 conference mark. The 14 wins were the third most in school history equaling the totals from 2011 and 2012.


Prior to returning to Louisville, Hayden served as associate head coach at Xavier University in 2015 helping the Musketeers compile 12 wins and earn a No. 10 ranking in the NSCAA poll. XU won at No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 1 Creighton during the fall, widely considered to be the first time any team had knocked off the top two NSCAA-ranked teams on the road in the same season.


Hayden joined the Musketeers after spending two successful seasons as an assistant coach at Lipscomb University, where he helped the Bisons to a program-best 12-4-1 record and A-Sun regular season title in 2014. Lipscomb was 21-13-4 overall during his two years in Nashville, racking up several conference honors in the process. Hayden trained the 2014 A-Sun Defender of the Year, Luke Gearin, and the A-Sun Freshman of the Year, Ivan Alvarado. In 2013, he mentored A-Sun Player of the Year Omar Djabi and assisted A-Sun Coach of the Year Charles Morrow – both program firsts for the Bisons.


Ahead of his two years at Lipscomb, Hayden helped lift Louisville to a 14-6-1 record, a BIG EAST Red Division regular season championship and an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament during a highly successful 2012 season. Before his first stint with the Cardinals, Hayden served as Director of Coaching with the Kentucky Fire Juniors USYSA club, obtaining his USSF National "A" coaching license and traveling to Spain with U.S. Soccer as part of a development workshop with the international powerhouses FC Barcelona and Real Madrid.


Hayden was a decorated player before transitioning into coaching, playing collegiately at Indiana University winning back-to-back NCAA championships with the Hoosiers in 2003 and 2004. He scored an overtime header against No. 3 Maryland in the 2004 College Cup, sending IU to the title match. During his sophomore season, Hayden scored career-highs with seven goals, four assists and 18 total points -- tying for the team lead with six game-winning goals. Hayden was a Big Ten All-Conference selection in 2004 and 2006 and was named to the NCAA College Cup All-Tournament Team during the Hoosiers' 2004 title run.


In 2007, Hayden was selected 13th overall in the MLS SuperDraft by the Houston Dynamo. His pro debut came on July 10, 2007 in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against Charleston Battery. In his rookie season, the Dynamo won an MLS Cup Championship. He wrapped up his professional career after signing with the Louisville Lightning in January of 2010.


A two-time Parade Magazine All-American at Louisville's Trinity High School, Hayden was named NSCAA/adidas Kentucky Player of the Year along with Gatorade and Eurosport honors. When he signed with IU, he was recognized as a top-25 recruit by Soccer America.


In 2007, Hayden married Hollie Minogue, who played soccer for Louisville's women's team and the couple has two sons, Liam and Jacob.

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Sean Teepen

Sean Teepen joined the University of Louisville men's soccer program as an assistant coach in July of 2022.


In his first season with the Cardinals, Louisville put together a 9-6-3 overall record with a 4-3-1 tally in ACC play. The Cardinals earned an at-large bid and a host spot in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals scored a pair of top-10 victories during the 2022 season, opening up the fall with a 3-1 win over No. 10 Saint Louis and later adding a 2-1 triumph against No. 8 Pitt. Sander Roed and Aboubacar Camara earned All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season.


Teepen came to Louisville after four seasons on staff at Bowling Green State University. After serving as an assistant coach for the Falcons in the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Teepen was promoted to associate head coach in December of 2019.


His duties at BGSU included coaching the goalkeepers and serving as the Falcons' recruiting coordinator. Bowling Green posted a 37-25-9 overall record during his four seasons, including consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances the last two years. Under his tutelage, BGSU goalkeepers recorded 29 shutouts with 11 in 2019, one shy of the program record.


Prior to his time at BGSU, Teepen spent one season at Oregon State and Coastal Carolina, helping CCU to Sun Belt Conference regular season and tournament titles in 2016.


Teepen also served as an assistant coach at the University of Charleston (W.Va.), his alma mater, from 2013-15. Charleston captured five conference titles over the three seasons, including a national runner-up finish in 2014.


His coaching experience also includes stints with the Myrtle Beach Mutiny (2016-2017), Coast FA (2016-2017), West Virginia Chaos (2014-15), University of Charleston women's team (2013-15), West Virginia ODP (2015), Charleston FC (2014-15) and Walnut Hills High School (2014).


Teepen entered the coaching ranks following an accomplished pro and college playing career. Between 2009 and 2012, he played at the University of Charleston, where he was a four-time NSCAA All-Regional and three-time WVIAC All-Conference selection.


Teepen was a four-year starter in goal at Charleston, leading the Golden Eagles to three NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Elite Eight in 2009 and Sweet 16 in 2010.


Following his graduation from Charleston in 2013, Teepen signed a professional contract with the Dayton Dutch Lions of the USL Pro Division. Teepen's playing experience also includes stints with the Michigan Bucks, West Virginia Chaos and Myrtle Beach Mutiny in the USL Premier Development League.


Teepen earned his bachelor's degree in interior design from the University of Charleston in 2013 and his master's degree, also from Charleston, in strategic leadership in 2015.


WHAT THEY'RE SAYING ABOUT SEAN TEEPEN

"I am absolutely thrilled that Sean Teepen will be joining our staff. He has proven time after time that success follows him through his commitment towards hard work and always doing things the right way. We seek these same qualities for every member of our team, and I know Sean will fit right in as we continue to pursue excellence in all that we do."

-John Michael Hayden, University of Louisville Head Coach


"Sean is one of the brightest young coaches in the country and he was an integral part of elevating our program. We are sad to see him leave us but at the same time extremely excited for him to make this step in his career. I commend Louisville on an excellent hire and wish them all the best."

-Eric Nichols, Bowling Green State University Head Coach


"I am very pleased for Sean. We worked on the same staff during his first college coaching position, and it was clear then that his wealth of knowledge in the goalkeeping department would be an asset to any program. His continued growth and experience have made him an excellent candidate and a great addition to the staff at Louisville."

-Dan Stratford, West Virginia University Head Coach

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