LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The University of Louisville men’s soccer team knocked off its rival and No. 9 Kentucky 3-0, Tuesday night, in the annual Battle of the Bluegrass State inside Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium. The win was the first for the Cardinals under head coach John Michael Hayden.
Emil Elveroth scored his first goal as a Cardinal just 1:49 into the game. Elveroth buried home the rebound off of Cherif Dieye’s shot attempt. It was the earliest the Cardinals have scored a goal since Dieye scored at the 4:42 mark against Georgia State on Aug. 28 of last year.
In the 20th minute, Leonard Getz drew a foul inside the UK box, awarding Louisville a penalty kick. Louka Masset drilled the ball home for his first goal of the season, and giving the Cards a 2-0 lead at halftime.
In the 57th minute, Elijah Amo was shown his second yellow card of the match, resulting in an ejection and putting the Cardinals down a man for the final 33 minutes of the game. Despite playing a man down, Louisville recorded more shots on goal in the final 33 minutes, 4-3, than the Wildcats.
Dieye capped off the night with a goal of his own, as Elveroth found him with a long pass down the left sideline. Dieye sprinted pass his defender, and slipping the ball past the UK goalkeeper into the far right post.
In goal, Jake Gelnovatch recorded a pair of saves in the victory. Cody Cochran made a defensive save in the fifth minute, stopping what would have been a UK goal, but the senior defender swooped in at the last minute to keep the ball from crossing the goal line.
The Cards earned their first win over the Wildcats since 2015, and the three goals scored were the most since a 4-2 win over the Cats in 2007.
Louisville now hits the road for the first time this season as it begins a three-match road trip. First up, the Cardinals travel to Florida Atlantic Friday, September 6, for a 7:30 p.m. match.
