Virginia men’s soccer fell to Louisville 2-1 in a Friday night ACC matchup at Lynn Stadium in Louisville, Ky. The Cardinals (4-8-1, 3-2 ACC) scored two goals in the first half to top the Cavaliers (7-7-1, 2-3 ACC) 2-1. With its win, Louisville took the all-time series lead between the teams with a record of 4-3-1 versus Virginia.
After a competitive first 20 minutes of play, Louisville broke the deadlock with a goal in the 24th minute. Freshman forward Aboubacar Camara received a service from the right side of the box and controlled the ball around the penalty spot. Camara’s first shot was blocked by sophomore defender Andreas Ueland before Camara gathered his own rebound and placed the ball past redshirt freshman goalkeeper Alex Rando to put the Cardinals up 1-0.
11 minutes later, Louisville capitalized on a Virginia defensive mistake to give the Cardinals a two-goal advantage. A turnover by the Cavaliers in the 35th minute left freshman midfielder Eric Danquah with an open run towards the goal. Facing Rando one-on-one, Danquah shot the ball underneath Rando’s outstretched arm and into the Virginia net.
Virginia gained some momentum in the second half, but was unable to convert its opportunities into goals. The Cavaliers attempted seven shots in the second half compared to just one in the first. Sophomore forward and midfielder Kevin Ogudugu, one of the team’s leading scorers, had a quality chance in the 53rd minute after a Louisville defender whiffed on a clearance. Ogudugu’s ensuing shot from the edge of the box was saved by senior goalkeeper Detre Bell.
The Cavaliers’ offense finally broke through in the 86th minute. Louisville junior forward Haji Abdikadir was called for a foul in the box against junior forward Cabrel Happi Kamseu. Freshman forward Leo Afonso stepped up to take the penalty kick and converted to bring Virginia within one goal of the Cardinals.
Virginia had a chance for an equalizer in the 89th minute, but graduate student midfielder Joan Gibert Fuertes’s shot off of a corner kick went over the net. The Cavaliers took seven corner kicks in the game but could not get past Bell and the Cardinals’ defense. Louisville secured the victory 2-1 after Virginia ran out of time to tie the game.
Virginia will look to regroup Thursday when it travels to Pittsburgh for its regular season finale. Kick-off for the match is set for 7 p.m.
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