Cardinals Fall to Louisville City FC in Spring Friendly
March 11, 2015 | Men's Soccer
By Corey Goodlett
GoCards.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville men's soccer team officially kicked off its spring exhibition season with a 3-0 loss to Louisville City FC on Wednesday night at Cardinal Park.
"I thought we had moments that were good for us," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla. "I think what was really clear was that we ran out of gas, probably about 15 minutes into the second half. Physically we couldn't endure it. I thought the first 10 to 15 minutes of the second half were pretty good. We had some good moments, some things to build on, especially for (Louisville City FC) being a good team. I thought they wore on us as the game went on."
The match's first half began with a defensive tone as the teams held each side scoreless through the first 24 minutes. Preparing for its first USL season, Louisville City FC scored two goals in the final 10 minutes of the half to take a lead they would hold the rest of the match.
The visitors ended the first half with several solid scoring chances while connecting on two. Louisville City FC midfielder Magnuss Rasmussen broke the scoreless knot by slipping a kick by U of L goalkeeper Theo Jamilloux, who had fallen down on the play. Louisville City FC's Kadeem Dacres assisted on the goal. A second goal was narrowly missed when Fondy fired a kick that clipped the top of the cage in the 35th minute. Fondy broke through just three minutes later at the 38:40 mark when a Rasmussen cross to the middle of the field allowed the forward to extend the Louisville City FC lead to 2-0.
The Cardinals were able to push deep into the Louisville City FC defense several times in the first half, but struggled to find quality shots. The team had two corner-kick opportunities in the opening half, but could not generate any points.
The second half saw a defensive battle from the two teams, as each team struggled to find the net. The final goal of the match was scored by Louisville City FC in the 76th minute, when forward Matt Fondy assisted on a header goal to one of the team's trialists. Fondy was able to push the ball passed the Cardinals' defense, positioning his teammate with a one-on-one situation with Jamilioux. Louisville City FC played most of the second half down one man.
The Cardinals struggled to create scoring opportunities in the second half, despite holding a 2-1 advantage in shots on goal. The Cardinals' best chance of the second half came when midfielder Romilio Hernandez fired a kick to the center of the net that fell into the arms of Louisville City FC trialist goalkeeper Scott Goodwin.
Wednesday's match was the first of five exhibitions the Cardinals will participate in this spring. Up next, U of L will visit the Columbus Crew on March 29, with home matches against Akron (April 4), SIU Edwardsville (April 12), and Xavier (April 18) to follow.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
2015 Louisville Soccer Season Tickets
Season tickets for Louisville's second season at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium are now available. To obtain tickets for the 2015 soccer season, call Dan Cerwinske in the Louisville ticket office at (502) 852-0120 and place your $70 deposit. Ticket prices for the 2015 season will remain the same as the inaugural season and will start as low $45.
Season tickets for 2015 include every home match for both the men's and women's soccer programs. Men's home matches at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium will feature former Big East and American Conference rival Connecticut as well as in-state foe Kentucky. The women's team will once again host matches against the top programs in the ACC highlighted by 2014 College Cup winner Florida State and 21-time national champion North Carolina.
