The Bulls fall to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, 4-1.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Nov. 21, 2019) – The University of South Florida men’s soccer team took on Louisville Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament with the Cardinals handing the Bulls a tough 4-1 loss at the Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium. USF finishes the 2019 season at 11-7-1* while advancing to their 21st NCAA tournament appearance in program history.
Louisville was able to open up the first half with a two-goal lead off of two deflections. Bradley Sample gave the Cardinals the upper hand with a goal past Harrison Devenish-Meares (Sydney, Australia) in the 21st minute, then, almost three minutes later, Pedro Fonseca gave Louisville the two-goal edge in the 23rd minute. That margin held up as both teams headed into the halftime break. The Bulls battled in the first half, leading 6-2 in corners and putting pressure on the Cardinals defense, however was not able to convert
Josue Monge (Philadelphia, Pa.) got USF on the board in the 68th minute with a header past a diving Jake Gelnovatch off a Steven Rudderham (St. Petersburg, Fla.) throw-in, cutting the UofL lead to one. Monge’s goal was the second goal of the match to be scored off a restart. Louisville was able to respond with a chip shot by Izaiah Jennings in the 69th minute, and then closed put the scoring with just over eight minutes left on score by Cherif Dieye.
At the end of the night, Louisville held a 12-2 shots advantage and an 6-1 edge in shots on goal.
The Cardinals were able to avenge a 2-0 loss to USF from earlier this season in Tampa. At the time of the match, Louisville was ranked No. 5 in the nation in the United Soccer Coaches Top 25 poll.
Quotable
“The guys put together a successful season and they should be extremely proud of that accomplishment. Unfortunately, it ended sooner than they wanted. They’re a fantastic group of individuals and I’m honored to be their coach.” – USF head coach Bob Butehorn on his team following the loss to Louisville.
Scoring Summary
LOUISVILLE – Bradley Sample (Leonard Getz; 20:09)
LOUISVILLE – Pedro Fonseca (Bradley Sample; 22:57)
USF – Josue Monge (Steven Rudderham; 67:19)
LOUISVILLE – Izaiah Jennings (Cherif Dieye; 68:05)
LOUISVILLE – Cherif Dieye (Unassisted; 81:54)
1 2 F
USF 0 1 1
LOUISVILLE 2 2 4
Shots: USF 2, Louisville 12
Shots on Goal: USF 1, Louisville 6
Saves: USF 2, Louisville 0
Corner Kicks: USF 7, Louisville 5
Notable
– USF has made 21 appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
– Josue Monge, Jonathan Rosales (West Palm Beach, Fla.) each has a shot on the night.
– Harrison Devenish-Meares finished with two saves.
* USF’s overall and American Athletic Conference records include a 2-1 win over Tulsa that counts towards AAC standings but is not recognized by the NCAA.
– #GoBulls –
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