By Jordan Shim–
History favored the Hoosiers yet again as No. 9 Indiana defeated the No. 4 Louisville men’s soccer team 2-1 in a top-10 clash on Tuesday night at Lynn Stadium.
U of L lost their first home match this season, falling to 9-2-2 (4-0-1). Indiana extended their unbeaten run to 11 games, improving to 8-1-4 (2-0-3 Big Ten).
Trevor Swartz’s penalty goal gave the Hoosiers victory after Tate Schmitt tied the game in the first half.
“It hurts emotionally,” Louisville head coach Ken Lolla said. “I think our guys put a lot into it, and not coming out with the result hurts. I think the best part of it is a good lesson for us. Indiana is a team we’re going to see in the NCAA tournament, and that’s the kind of team you’ll see in the Sweet Sixteen or the Elite Eight so that experience is good.”
The Cards looked to have solved their big game jitters issue, playing comfortably in the early stages of the first half. Both teams moved the ball quickly looking for the early goal.
The visitors struck first in the 12th minute. Jeremiah Gutjahr sent in a cross from the right flank to Grant Lillard, who finished from six yards to the right post. It was Lillard’s second goal of the season.
Louisville responded and equalized in the 18th minute. A foul gave the Cards a free kick in a dangerous position. Schmitt headed in Tim Kubel’s cross from eight yards for his third goal of the season. It was Kubel’s ACC-leading eighth assist.
Louisville’s defense was on display once again, stifling Indiana’s opportunities. The Hoosiers came into the contest averaging 18 shots but were limited to just two first-half shots.
Indiana came out of the half aggressive and retook the lead in the 46th minute. Schmitt brought down Tanner Thompson at the edge of the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Trevor Swartz stepped up and sent Louisville goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland the opposite way for his third goal of the season.
Content with the lead, the Hoosiers fell back into their defensive shape and made it difficult for the Cards to break them down. Louisville was able to dominate possession for the majority of the second half but was unable to generate clear-cut chances.
“We had really good crosses,” Kubel said. “But their center backs handled it well on one side, but we weren’t effective enough with our runs. We had a huge amount of possession, but we weren’t threatening enough.”
Louisville finished with a 13-7 shot advantage, however, only four were on goal. Schmitt led the way for the Cards with three shots. Four other Cardinals followed with two each.
“We created the opportunities,” Lolla said. “We just didn’t take them so well tonight. Against Virginia it seemed like we hit them all, tonight we didn’t. Comparing it to a game like Virginia I felt we were in control the same, but we just didn’t finish.
Louisville is on the road for the next matchup against ACC foe No. 7 Wake Forest on Oct. 15. They return home next Tuesday, Oct. 18 in non-conference action against Ohio State. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal
