By Jordan Shim–

The Louisville men’s soccer team kicked off their 2016 campaign with a 0-0 draw against the Butler Bulldogs.

The box score indicates this match should have been heavily one-sided in U of L’s favor. The Cards had more possessions and a 23-8 shot advantage. However, there aren’t any negatives to take away from this match other than the final result.

Misfortune did play a part with shots by Daniel Johnson and Tate Schmitt hitting the post, but the story of the game would have to be the goalkeeping. Butler’s Eric Dick had a man-of-the-match performance with 10 saves. Louisville’s Stefan Cleveland made three himself to keep the score level.

Johnson led the Cardinals with five shots, followed by Jack Gayton and Mohamed Thiaw, with four each. Despite the draw, defender Tim Kubel was not disappointed with the result.

“I think we deserved the win, but we will be happy with the shutout. I personally think we were just unlucky today,” Kubel said. “It is a good game for us to build on. We would have wanted the win, but I’m personally happy with the result.”

The heat was a major factor in the game, especially in the latter stages. Louisville coach Ken Lolla rotated players to keep them fresh. It affected the game later on with Johnson’s and Schmitt’s chances in extra time.

“It was a product of depth for us. We put some guys on, and they kept the energy good. And because of our depth, that played a big factor in those chances,” Lolla said. “What we stressed to the guys all preseason long was that we could control our effort, and I thought the effort tonight was very good.”

Six new Cardinals saw action on Friday night. Thiaw, Geoffrey Dee, Cherif Dieye, Adrien Cabon and Grant Hollkamp all made their debuts. So did goalkeeper Cleveland, who shared his experience in his first game as a Cardinal.

“I thought the team had a phenomenal game and put forth a phenomenal effort,” Cleveland said. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way, but I was very happy with the shutout. The back four had a great game.”

The Cards will return to action Aug. 29 against Quinnipiac at Lynn Stadium. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

File Photo / The Louisville Cardinal