By Benjamin Wilson
Drama and excitement follows the battle of the Bluegrass to Cardinal Park Stadium, where the No. 7 University of Louisville men’s soccer team defeated their archrivals, the University of Kentucky, 1-0 on Oct. 14. A first-half goal from senior Phil Edginton gave Louisville what it needed to defeat the Wildcats.
Louisville’s win gives them an overall record of 9-1-2, and a Big East record of 5-1-1. The win keeps Louisville’s men’s soccer team in the number one spot in the Big East’s red division and ties the school’s record for its best soccer season start.
Kentucky came out swinging in the first 20 minutes of first-half play. Cold and rainy conditions, mixed with the excitement of the schools’ rivalry, slowed Louisville down, to give Kentucky control over the game’s early minutes.
“I thought in the first 15 to 20 minutes of the game they out-competed us,” said Ken Lolla, U of L head coach. “And their shot selection and intensity carried them through the first half.”
Intensity on shots was the major factor in Kentucky’s first half momentum. Kentucky outshot Louisville 6-3, and challenged Louisville’s sophomore goalie Andre Boudreaux in the 13th minute, with a liner from Kentucky’s Marco dos Santos. Though Boudreaux was faced with two saves in the first half, his emotions were kept under check to help calm his team down from an emotional first half.
“We treated this game as a normal game,” said Boudreaux. “And I think that was the key to our success tonight. Sometimes in rival games a team can let their emotions get the best of them, but I think we were able to keep those under control.”
Emotion and drama are part of the terrain when it comes to the Cards and Cats match-ups, but for the fans of soccer, and the two schools’ rivalry, these match-ups are exciting.
“I have been a soccer fan and player my whole life,” said Jessie Cain, a U of L alumni. “So it is always exciting to see soccer becoming more popular at the University of Louisville. The fact that this rivalry can turn a normal game into a heated grudge match makes it thrilling to watch.”
Louisville’s cool heads prevailed in the 36-minute mark of the first half, as Louisville senior Phil Edginton scored a header off an assisted free kick from sophomore teammate, Kenney Walker. This gives Edginton his second goal for the season, but he feels that he could be scoring more goals.
“Kenney has been putting a lot of good kicks at me for headers, but I just haven’t been able to convert them into goals,” said Edginton. “It’s good to finally put up another goal on the season.”
The last 10 minutes of the first half were interrupted by two blackouts caused by blown fuses. The first half came to an early end due to the second blackout, but Louisville kept their 1-0 lead going into the second half.
Energy shifted to Louisville in the second half of play when Kentucky’s goalie, Dan Williams, was tested by Louisville, with seven shots and five shots on goal. But Louisville’s intense offense could not break Williams on goal, causing the Cards to defend their one-goal lead.
Louisville was able to keep the Cat’s offense in check. Only allowing Kentucky four shots in the second half gave the Cards all the thrust they needed to defeat their Commonwealth rivals 1-0.
Louisville will face Indiana University on Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. in Cardinal Park Stadium.
