Louisville Defeats Akron 1-0 in Final Spring Match
April 21, 2014 | Men's Soccer
April 21, 2014
Andrew Brody connected for a trio of goals this spring, including one in each of the final three matches for the Cardinals.
AKRON, Ohio - Andrew Brody scored the only goal of the match as the Louisville men's soccer team closed its spring season with a 1-0 triumph over Akron on Saturday at First Energy Stadium.
Brody settled a brilliantly driven ball from goalkeeper Joachim Ball, dribbled past his defender and slotted the ball to the back post for the lone goal of the match in the 32nd minute. Brody's moves were a familiar scene for the Louisville attack as he has also scored the lone goal for the Cardinals in each of their final three spring matches.
Both teams started the match in a 4-2-3-1 formation and looked to play a possession oriented style. The quality of play made for a high standard in an atmosphere that resembled a fall mid-season match-up.
"Today was a great opportunity for us to develop as we close out the spring season," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla.
The Cardinals created several chances in the first half leading up to the game-winning goal. In the 21st minute, Ricardo Velazco slotted a ball down the right sideline to Ben Strong, whose cross into the box to a streaking Brody drifted just outside of his reach.
In the 25th minute, Brody crossed a ball from the left side to Velazco, who flicked it down to Strong at the top of the box. Strong hit a hard shot to the corner that was saved by the Zips.
On the game-winning goal, Ball saw Brody leaking out wide from his defender and played him a well-timed driven ball just past midfield. Brody brought it down in stride and attacked his defender, slicing right and left toward goal. Once inside the box, Brody slowed down his run, picked out the goalkeeper and calmly slotted a shot to the back side netting.
The second was full of chances for Louisville, particularly after an Akron defender picked up a red card dropping the Zips to 10 players. The Cardinals were in control of the ball for long spells and held the momentum through the final whistle. The Akron goalkeeper made impressive saves on break-away attempts from Will Vitalis and Strong, as well as a dramatic stop on a Brody volley.
"When you look at the full 90 minutes of the match, it's fair to say it was a dominant performance," said Lolla. "This is a performance we can build off of and use as momentum heading into the fall."
2014 Louisville Soccer Season Ticket Information
Season tickets for the University of Louisville's inaugural season at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium and in the Atlantic Coast Conference are currently went on sale to the general public at Saturday night's match. The 2014 Louisville soccer season tickets will provide admission to both men's and women's regular season matches. Click here to learn more about 2014 Louisville soccer season tickets or click here to see the 2014 Louisville soccer season tickets brochure.
Following Louisville Soccer on Social Media
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
