Oct. 14, 2009
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Phil Edginton’s goal in the 37th minute lifted No. 7 Louisville to a 1-0 win over the Kentucky men’s soccer team, on a cold Wednesday night in front of 1,134 fans at Cardinal Park.
Kentucky (8-5-0, 1-3-0 Conference USA) dropped its first ever game in Louisville, falling to 5-1-2 against the Cards in games played in the River City. UK owns a 9-4-4 all-time record against Louisville, with the Cardinals claiming two consecutive wins in the series.
The Wildcats battled UL in a tight contest throughout the game, allowing the game-winner in the 37th minute. UK fired 10 shots, four on goal and totaled two corner kicks, while UL finished with 10 shots, six on goal, and four corner kicks.
Louisville (9-1-2, 5-1-1 Big East) notched its fourth consecutive win, equaling the best start to a season in school annals. The Cardinals have lost only once all season, a 4-0 loss at No. 21 Notre Dame.
UK keeper Dan Williams totaled five saves while Louisville keeper Andre Boudreaux finished with two saves. Two team saves were credited to Louisville, after twice in the second half Kentucky sent a header past the UL goalie before it was kicked out by a UL defender.
Louisville got the first goal of the game in the 37th minute, as Edginton connected on a header goal off a free kick from Kenney Walker. Edginton, a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder out of New Zealand, notched his second goal of the season and Walker his third assist of the year.
Kentucky returns to action, traveling to Columbia, S.C., to face off with South Carolina, ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA Ratings Percentage Index. UK will face the Gamecocks at 7 p.m. ET Saturday. South Carolina edged SMU 3-2 in double overtime Wednesday night.
UK had a good shot in the fifth minute, as freshman Chris Jumalon took a shot from about 20 yards out at the top of the box, firing a low-lining shot that missed wide of the far post.
Early in the second half, UK had a good chance as Tyler Burns and Marco dos Santos played the ball into the UL box. With the UL keeper sliding out to try to scoop up the ball, Burns got a shot off, with it trickling slowly towards the net, but a UL player knocked it out for a UK corner kick.
In the 55th minute, UK had two shots taken deep in UL territory that got past the UL keeper and forced goal-saving plays from UL’s defenders. After dos Santos had a header shot saved by Gerardo Chavez inside the UL goal, C.J. Tappel had a corner kick, lofted towards Brad Walker. Walker skied and fired a hard-hit header shot that Walker stepped in front of a batted back into play.
UK’s first-team preseason All-American defender Barry Rice won 3-of-5 contested header attempts, bringing his season total – minus the last game at Memphis – up to 88-for-109, an 81-percent clip.
