Sept. 28, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Louisville’s Austin Berry headed home the game winner off a corner kick in the 95th minute to lift the 19th-ranked Cardinals past No. 3 Notre Dame, 2-1, in BIG EAST men’s soccer action on Sunday afternoon at Cardinal Park. Senior forward Bright Dike (Edmond, Okla./Edmond North) netted the lone goal for the Irish.
The loss snapped Notre Dame’s seven-game unbeaten streak and its 15-game BIG EAST regular-season unbeaten stretch. The Fighting Irish (6-2-1, 3-1-1) had posted three straight shutouts prior to today.
The game’s momentum shifted in the final minute of regulation as the Cardinals (7-1-2, 2-1-1) were awarded a penalty kick following an Irish foul in the 18-yard box. Aaron Clapham converted and the match went to overtime. That was the first goal surrendered by the Notre Dame defense in just over 395 minutes of game action.
“It was very disappointing to lose a penalty kick in the 90th minute,” said Irish head coach Bobby Clark. “That’s always a tough one. I thought we opened the game well, but I didn’t feel it was one of our better games.”
The first scoring opportunity of the match came in the fourth minute as Cardinal forward Colin Rolfe worked his way deep into Notre Dame territory and put a shot on goal that was deflected by Irish goalkeeper Andrew Quinn (Silver Spring, Md./DeMatha) and then cleared away by the Fighting Irish defense.
Notre Dame controlled possession early in the first half. The best scoring chance of the period for the Irish came in the 25th minute on a counterattack as Dike made a run on the right side and sent a shot on frame that was saved by Andre Boudreaux.
In the 33rd minute, Louisville midfielder J.T. Murray received the ball on the left side and had a good look at the goal, but sent his shot high. The Cardinals threatened again five minutes later when Brent Rosendall placed a shot high from the top of the 18-yard box.
Quinn saved an attempt from Ryan McDonald late in the half to preserve the scoreless tie at the intermission. In the opening half, Louisville out shot Notre Dame 6-3, while the Irish held a 3-0 advantage in corner kicks. The Fighting Irish have yet to surrender a first-half goal this season.
“After we got the goal in the second half, we kind of sat back on it,” commented Clark. “They became very direct and they have some pretty big boys. They are always going to be dangerous whether in corner kicks or long throw-ins. They pinned us in for long periods of the second half.”
Quinn made his presence felt early in the second half as he made two saves within the first five minutes of play.
The Fighting Irish cracked the scoring column in the 51st minute when a Jeb Brovsky (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain) shot was deflected by Boudreaux and Dike gathered the rebound and sent it to the back of the net for his team-leading sixth goal of the season. The senior has scored a goal in three straight games and has a team-high 14 points.
Louisville mounted a surge in the 71st minute, yet the Irish defense held strong. The Cardinals also threatened in the 87th minute with consecutive corner kicks but they could not connect. Louisville out shot Notre Dame, 21-10, for the match and both teams registered four corner kicks.
Quinn made five saves and saw his personal-best 385:07 scoreless streak come to an end. Boudreaux made three stops.
Notre Dame returns to play with a non-conference match against Michigan on Wednesday, Oct. 1. The game will be played at Eastern Michigan University’s Scicluna Field in Ypsilanti, Mich. Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. (ET).
#3 Notre Dame (6-2-1, BE 3-1-1) 0 1 0 – 1
#19 Louisville (7-1-2, BE 2-1-1) 0 1 1 – 2
ND: Bright Dike (unassisted) 50:39; UL: Aaron Clapham (penalty kick) 89:12; UL: Austin Berry (J.T. Murray) 94:11
Shots: ND 3-5-2 – 10, UL 6-13-2 – 21
Corner Kicks: ND 3-0-1 – 4, UL 0-3-1 – 4
Saves: ND 6 (Andrew Quinn 5, Team 1); UL 3 (Andre Boudreaux 3)
Fouls: ND 13, UL 8
Offsides: ND 2, UL 0