Early Louisville surge hands Lipscomb first loss in 3-1 road defeat
The Lipscomb men’s soccer team dropped a 3-1 decision to the University of Louisville on Thursday night at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium.
The Bisons fell behind early following a quick structural burst from the Cardinals in the opening 12 minutes, but fought back behind a first-half strike before Louisville secured late insurance. Lipscomb redshirt junior goalkeeper Alex Kara delivered a heavy effort in net, stopping seven shots on the night.
Louisville gained early control in the ninth minute when an own goal put the Cardinals ahead 1-0. The host squad doubled its advantage just four minutes later as junior midfielder Braydon Sellers converted off a pass from junior defender Noah De Blasis to push the deficit to 2-0.
Lipscomb answered back in the 34th minute to halve the lead. Freshman forward Jorge Morejon found space in the box and beat Louisville sophomore goalkeeper Nathaniel Abraham off a setup from freshman forward James Sasere to make it 2-1. However, the Cardinals reclaimed their two-goal cushion just before halftime when sophomore forward Johnny Petruso capitalized on an assist from junior midfielder Giacomo Zizza in the 44th minute.
The Bisons created quality chances early in the second half highlighted by a sophomore forward Mateo Secaira strike. The strike hit the top woodwork in the 51st minute and generated four second-half corner kicks. However, Abraham and the Louisville defense held firm down the stretch to close out the 3-1 result.
Lipscomb (0-1-1) returns home to the Lipscomb Soccer Complex on Wednesday, Sept. 2, to host Georgia State.
Featured image courtesy of Lipscomb Athletics.
