By Jordan Shim–
After two consecutive losses, the No. 13 Louisville men’s soccer team rallied to beat Ohio State 2-1 on Tuesday night at Lynn Stadium.
U of L improved to 10-3-2 (4-1-1 ACC), while Ohio State remains winless on the road, falling to 4-9-1 (2-3-1 Big Ten). Second half goals by Mohamed Thiaw and Cherif Dieye secured the Cards’ 10th win of the season.
“I’m really happy with the performance of the team,” Dieye said. “It’s not just winning, but everyone worked really hard.”
U of L put the pressure on early with five corner kicks inside the opening six minutes. They were all taken short, and Ohio State was able to clear comfortably.
The Cards’ best chance came in the 18th minute. Daniel Johnson brought down a cross by Tate Schmitt and dribbled past a defender into the box. He passed to Geoffrey Dee, who fired from close range but hit an Ohio State player and the ball was cleared.
The referee disallowed a Louisville goal in the 22nd minute. Tim Kubel sent in a cross from the right flank. Schmitt was first to head it, and Cody Cochran was there to head home, but the linesman raised his flag for offside.
After a period of good chances, U of L was unable to keep possession of the ball. Therefore, it allowed Ohio State more time, and they were able to create a few chances of their own.
“We started the game fairly well, then hit a lull,” Louisville head coach Ken Lolla said. “We stopped keeping possession of the ball, and when we didn’t have possession we allowed them to get forward. Once they’re on our end, they get long throws, which led to corners which led to restarts, which we defended a lot.”
Ohio State opened the scoring in the 32nd minute. Austin Bergstrom crossed the ball into the box. It was too strong, but Abdi Mohammed was able to retrieve and send the ball across goal where Christian Soldat pounced on for his first goal of the season. The Buckeyes held onto the advantage heading into the break.
U of L started the second half with two good looks. Johnson dribbled past two defenders into the box and shot on goal, but it went straight at Ohio State goalkeeper Parker Siegfried, who punched it over.
Schmitt created the second chance with a low cross to Thiaw. Thiaw shot first time, but it hit a defender’s leg and was cleared away.
Opportunities were not scarce for U of L. It was more about taking a full advantage of them. Despite missing multiple times, it did not worry Thiaw or the team.
“We stuck to the task,” Thiaw said. “We knew our chances were going to come. We just had to keep moving the ball around the field and hope for more chances.”
The continued pressure rewarded the Cards with a much-needed equalizer in the 50th minute. Johnson ran into the box again, dribbling past a defender. Thiaw was on the other end of Johnson’s pass, who shot first time for his 10th goal of the season.
The Cards did not let up and were immediately searching for a second goal. The second came in the 64th minute. The Buckeyes crowded the box, so Dieye fired from a distance. Siegfried saved two shots from the same distance earlier in the second half, but Dieye’s shot crept just inside the left post for his fourth goal of the season.
In the latter stages of the game, Louisville fell back into their shell to secure the victory.
Despite having two critical ACC matches left on the schedule, the Cards were not overlooking anyone and are taking the games one at a time.
“Our schedule is hard,” Thiaw said. “Every game is a challenge; you never know in the NCAA. Any team can beat you at any time. You just have to stay focused and disciplined and play your best.”
U of L finished the game with a 19-3 shot advantage, with 11 on goal. Johnson and Dieye led the way tied for a game-high four shots. Four other Cardinals followed with two shots each.
Louisville is on the road for their next game against NC State on Oct. 23. They return home for their season finale on Senior Day Oct. 28 against No. 5 Clemson. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Photo by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal
