No. 9 Kentucky Falls at Louisville
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – No. 9 Kentucky fell to in-state rival Louisville 3-0 on Tuesday night at Lynn Stadium in the Derby City to fall to 1-1 on the season.
Louisville held a 2-0 lead when a second yellow card was issued to the Cardinals’ Elijah Amo in the 57th minute, resulting in a red card. Louisville was down a man for the remaining half hour of the match.
The Wildcats had multiple chances to find the scoreboard, but none were able to find the back of the net. An 83rd-minute goal from Louisville’s Cherif Dieye extended the Cards’ lead to three to put the match out of reach.
Much like a year ago in Lexington, the home team was able to strike quickly on its visiting rival in the first five minutes of the match. Emil Elveroth slipped behind the Kentucky defense and scored the game’s opening goal in the second minute.
The Cards scored their second goal from the penalty spot in 20th minute after Daniel Evans lost his footing and fouled a Louisville forward in the area. Louka Masset took advantage of the opportunity and found the back of the net.
UK forward Jason Reyes had a chance to level the score at one early in the fifth minute when he chipped the Cardinal goalkeeper, but a Louisville defender caught up to the ball before it crossed the goal line. A second chance of the game for Reyes came in the 60th minute, but it hit the crossbar. Daniel Evans’ shot also found the woodwork in the 62nd minute.
Last season, Kentucky defeated Louisville 3-0 in Lexington. Aimé Mabika connected on the final goal with a penalty kick in the 73rd minute after eventual 18th pick in the MLS SuperDraft JJ Williams netted the first two. UK leads the all-time series 15-14-5, including 10-4-3 on the road.
The Wildcats return to action on Friday when they host Tulsa on Youth Night. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET and will be aired on SEC Network+.
For the latest on the Kentucky men’s soccer team, follow @UKMensSoccer on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram,as well as on the web at UKAthletics.com.
