University of Louisville
12-5-3, 2-4-2
Dayton
8-7-6, 3-1-4
Cardinals Down Dayton, Advance in NCAA Tournament
November 16, 2023 | Men's Soccer
Louisville picked up a 4-3 victory in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
Louisville (12-5-3) advances to take on No. 5 national seed West Virginia on Sunday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET in Morgantown, W.Va.
The victory was the first in the NCAA postseason for the Cardinals since the 2019 season when they reached the third round.
Thursday's contest featured a flurry of first half goals. The duo of Josh Jones and Sander Roed teamed up for the opening goal in the 13th minute. Roed's corner kick found the head of Jones and deflected in off the right post.
Dayton (8-7-6) answered right back though, tying the match up with a goal in the 17th minute.
The goals then came in a hurry, as David Boccuzzo found the left side of the net 80 seconds later to surge the Cardinals back in front. Roed picked up his second assist of the night on the goal, giving him nine on the season.
The Flyers responded in big fashion, tying the match at two 37 seconds after Louisville took the lead back, and then grabbed their first lead of the night with a goal 85 seconds later.
In total, the two sides tallied four goals in a span of three minutes and 22 seconds.
The match slowed from there, with the Cardinals leveling the match at three with just over 10 minutes remaining in the first half. Quentin Elliot launched a long throw into the box which was headed on by Jones. Bryce LeBel got on the end of the sequence, heading home his first goal of the season.
The two teams took the match tied at three apiece to the locker room at halftime after a first half that featured six goals and 22 shots.
After the break, Louisville found the game-winner in the 64th minute. Parker Forbes sent a ball across goal from the right side that was headed in by Brandon McManus for what would prove to be the difference in the match.
Both sides had chances over the final 25 minutes, but neither could break through. Dayton had a shot ring off the left post in the 89th minute, but it stayed out to keep the Cardinals in front.
Louisville finished the night with an 18-16 edge in shots with Alex Svetanoff making five saves in goal in the win.
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Team Stats
Josh Jones (3)
Assisted By: Sander Roed
GOAL by LOU Jones, Josh Assist by Roed, Sander.
12:07
Logan Brown (1)
Assisted By: Hjalti Sigurdsson , Adam Zenzen
GOAL by DAY Brown, Logan Assist by Sigurdsson, Hjalti and Zenzen, Adam.
16:32
David Boccuzzo (1)
Assisted By: Sander Roed
GOAL by LOU Boccuzzo, David Assist by Roed, Sander.
17:52
Casper Svendby (1)
Assisted By: Manny Day
GOAL by DAY Svendby, Casper Assist by Day, Manny.
18:29
Kenji Mboma Dem (9)
Assisted By: Adam Zenzen
GOAL by DAY Mboma Dem, Kenji Assist by Zenzen, Adam.
19:54
Bryce LeBel (1)
Assisted By: Quinton Elliot , Josh Jones
GOAL by LOU LeBel, Bryce Assist by Elliot, Quinton and Jones, Josh.
34:52
Brandon McManus (3)
Assisted By: Parker Forbes
GOAL by LOU McManus, Brandon Assist by Forbes, Parker.
63:27
