By Annie Moore
The Louisville Cardinal men’s soccer team is on a red-hot streak, winning five
of its last six matches, and tying the sixth. It hasn’t lost a match since September
13, bringing the overall record to 7-2-1 on the season. Louisville soccer is also
undefeated in conference play, with a record of 3-0-0.
Coming off back-to-back wins against CSU Bakersfield and University of Central
Florida, the Cards returned to Cardinal Park to take on Southern Illinois University
Edwardsville. Junior midfielder Nolan Moore scored his first-career goal to lift
the Cardinals to a 1-0 victory, extending its winning streak to three games, two of
which were shutouts.
The match was scoreless through the first half, with Moore’s goal coming in the
64th minute. The Cardinal defense also had a strong showing, limiting SIUE to
only eight shots all match. Junior GK Joachim Ball played all 90 minutes, but
recorded zero saves as the defense held SIUE without a shot on goal all match.
Louisville rode its hot streak into a match with conference opponent the Temple
Owls. The Cards extended its winning streak to four matches with a 3-0 victory
over the Owls in Cardinal Park.
Senior Ade Akinsanya opened scoring with a shot in the 26th minute to put the
Cards up 1-0. Sophomore Ricardo Velazco extended the Cardinal lead to 2-0 when
he found the back of the net in the 60th minute. Freshman Andrew Brody recorded
his first goal as a Cardinal to put the final score at 3-0 in the 70th minute.
The Cardinals were on a roll as it traveled to Columbus, OH for a match against
the Ohio State University Buckeyes. The team tied a school record with its fourth
straight shutout as it was able to keep the Buckeyes at bay for a 0-0 tie after two
overtimes. Playing its first overtime match of the season, the Cards advanced to 6-
2-1, remaining without a loss in its previous five matches.
Looking to extend its shutout and unbeaten streaks, the Cards next traveled to
Dallas, TX to take on the Southern Methodist University Mustangs. Louisville
defeated SMU 2-0 to set a school record for consecutive shutouts with five.
Ricardo Velazco became the first Cardinal this season to score multiple goals
in a match as he was responsible for both of Louisville’s goals. Velazco opened
scoring in the 46th minute with a shot from the left side of the 18-yard box that
hit off the post and past SMU GK Jaime Ibarra. Velazco found the back of the net
again, just four minutes later with a shot from 15 yards out in the 50th minute.