University of Louisville
UAB (EX)
Cardinals Defeat UAB in Penalty Kicks
August 18, 2015 | Men's Soccer
Postgame Interviews: Eric Izaguirre | Watterson Young
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - After connecting for a pair of late goals to draw even in regulation, the 18th-ranked Louisville men's soccer team defeated visiting UAB 4-2 in penalty kicks in Tuesday night's exhibition match at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium.
Facing a 3-1 deficit, the Cardinals started their rally in the 80th minute when freshman Eric Izaguirre (Mission, Texas) scored inside the left post off a corner kick from freshman Max Stiegwardt (Weston, Fla.). Less than four minutes later, Louisville evened the score at 3-3 when freshman Watterson Young (Vestavia Hills, Ala.) scored inside the right post in the 84th minute for the equalizer.
In penalty kicks, senior Louie Berra (St. Louis, Mo.), freshman Ricardo Oliveros (Weston, Fla.) and sophomore Joey Kunkel (Cincinnati, Ohio) converted three of the first four chances for the Cardinals before sophomore Sawyer Edwards (Parker, Colo.) delivered the match-winner in the final round.
"I was happy with how the guys who came in for the final 25 minutes handled things. They put us in a situation to win the game in penalty kicks and we were able to do that," said Louisville head coach Ken Lolla. "For the guys that brought the energy and effort late in the game, I told them afterwards that I appreciated them modeling what it needs to look like. For those guys, it was a good night but we have a lot of work to do as a team."
UAB opened the scoring in Tuesday's match in the 14th minute when David Valverde curved a corner kick into the goal from the left side of the pitch for the 1-0 advantage. The Cardinals answered moments later after sophomore Tim Kubel (Stuttgart, Germany) connected on a penalty kick to even the score at 1-1 in the 15th minute.
Less than three minutes, the Blazers regained the lead when William White headed in a corner kick in the 18th minute for the 2-1 edge. Berry Sonnenschein set up the chance and was credited with an assist after his corner kick from the right side found White in the box.
Following the halftime break, UAB extended its lead to 3-1 early in the second half on a Lawson Crider goal in the 48th minute. After receiving a ball from Freddy Ruiz and getting behind the Louisville backline, Crider chipped over sophomore goalkeeper Nick Jeffs (Ottawa, Ont., Canada) for the goal.
In the 90 minutes of regulation action, Louisville finished with a 19-9 advantage in shots, including a 9-6 edge on goal. The Cardinals held a 7-4 cushion in corner kicks. The two teams combined to use 47 players (24 for Louisville and 23 for UAB) in the match.
Up next, Louisville will conclude its preseason schedule on Saturday at 7 p.m., ET at Oakland and the match will be televised on ESPN3.
Season tickets start as low as $45 and can be purchased online here or by calling the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office at (502) 852-0120 or (502) 852-5151. Season tickets for 2015 include every regular season home match for both the men's and women's soccer programs.
Single match tickets are also on sale through the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office. Reserved chairback tickets are set at $12 for adults and $6 for youth. Fans can purchase online through www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (502) 852-5151 or in-person at the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office located at Gate 2 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Tickets can also be purchased on match days at Lynn Stadium starting one hour prior to kickoff.
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@UofLmenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/uoflmenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/UofLmenssoccer.
