By Jordan Shim-
Adrien Cabon collected man-of-the-match honors after his brace gave ninth-ranked men’s soccer a 2-1 victory over UC Irvine.
An action-packed 10 minutes saw the Anteaters take the lead in the 21st minute. The Cardinals responded with a four-minute brace by the Frenchman to give the Cards their first win of 2017.
“I thought we were carrying the game,” coach Ken Lolla said. “Against the run of play they got a goal, and we responded well. I’m proud we found a way to win.”
The Anteaters struck first in the 21st minute. After drawing a foul, Mario Ortiz fired his free kick over the red wall from 19 yards for his first goal of the season.
Cabon equalized in the 25th minute. Cherif Dieye forced his way into the box and passed to Izaiah Jennings, who was dispossessed. After the Anteaters failed to clear, Cabon gathered in the loose ball and sent a curling shot to the upper right corner for his first Cardinal goal of his career.
The Frenchman doubled his account just four minutes later. Liam Bennett played a through ball that was initially intended for Jennings. Cabon didn’t give up on the play and chased the ball down into the box. He won the 50-50 challenge and perfectly placed his shot into the right side netting.
“He loves getting forward, but he plays in a deeper position,” Lolla said. “Because of that, he finds himself getting opportunities. A lot of the chances by him comes from pressing the ball defensively. He’s been doing great and was a bright point for us.”
Despite taking the lead, UC Irvine failed to get much of their offense going. The Cards, on the other hand, were dominating much of the contest then the chances came midway through the first half. Louisville went on to lead in shots 8-2 going into the break.
Both teams had chances in the second half but failed to finish. Luis Leon had the best chance in the second half with his shot in the box, but Gelnovatch made himself big to keep the lead.
Lots of questions were asked about the goaltending as none of them had playing experience. Jake Gelnovatch answered lots of them and proved to be lots to prove.
“Jake made two very good saves,” Lolla said. “He is steady. He’s not the flashiest, but very steady. And as a keeper, how valuable that is to have. But Will (Meyer) will be pushing him the whole way.”
The Cards are on a quick turnaround, hosting Butler for their first top 25 battle of the season. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
You can follow Jordan on Twitter @tlcjordanshim.
