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.