By Matt Bradshaw —

Following a disappointing loss to unranked Kentucky, No. 7 men’s soccer bounced back with a pair of ACC victories. Louisville (4-1-0) swept No. 2 Duke (3-1-0) at home and Boston College (2-1-3) on the road.

Senior Adam Wilson and sophomores Ziyad Fekri and Elijah Amo each netted their first goals of the season against the Blue Devils. Junior Cherif Dieye scored the lone goal against the Eagles and leads the team with two goals this year.

Duke loses 3-0 in top-10 matchup

The Wildcats handed the Cardinals their first loss of the season with a 3-0 shutout in Lexington. Less than one week later, U of L returned to Lynn Stadium and swept the second-ranked team in the nation: Duke.

“The focus going into it, after the last game, was to have 90 minutes of relentless effort,” head coach Ken Lolla said. “When we do that we have enough talent and ability to win games.”

The first 45 minutes of the match were scoreless and Louisville held a 6-1 shot advantage over Duke.

Wilson, who finished the game with four shots, finally found the net for the go-ahead goal in the second half. The Scotland native used a left-footed strike that sailed over the Blue Devil goalkeeper.

“The performance we had, the defensiveness and counterattack gave us the opportunities,” Wilson said. “I’m just happy [the ball] went in on one of my shots.”

At the 78 minute mark, Fekri stretched Louisville’s lead to 2-0 with a header off a corner kick. Four minutes later, Amo scored his first collegiate goal and cemented the 3-0 Cardinal victory.

Tate Schmitt, who led the squad last year in goals, assisted two of the scores. So far, the senior has performed well servicing the ball in a reduced scoring role.

“Playing more inside, I have some good guys underneath me,” Schmitt said. “So it’s a lot easier to take the ball, have those guys making the run and find them.”

U of L wins 1-0 at Boston College

Five days after their bout with Duke, Louisville grabbed their first road win of the season with a 1-0 victory at Boston College.

Both sides were scoreless for 80 minutes until Dieye scored the lone goal of the night.

The match was an intense defensive battle. Boston College held a 8-7 shot advantage over U of L and both teams only managed one shot on goal.

“I’m proud of the guys’ effort on a night when we weren’t at our best,” Lolla said. “In difficult conditions, we found a way to win.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Jake Gelnovatch notched one save for his second shutout of the season and seventh of his career.

“Going on the road in a tough place at Boston College and getting a result,” Lolla said. “That’s the growth of the team, the maturity of the team. Championships teams can do it and that’s where we have to grow.”

Men’s soccer hosts Charlotte on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

You can follow the Louisville Cardinal on Twitter @thecardsports.

Photos by Nancy Hanner / The Louisville Cardinal