Nov. 12, 2010
HARRISON, N.J. – A goal from J.T. Murray in the 54th minute was the difference as No. 1 Louisville topped No. 11 Notre Dame 1-0 in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Men’s Soccer Championship Friday night at Red Bull Arena.
Notre Dame (10-5-4) was the second seed from the BIG EAST Blue Division, while Louisville (16-0-2) is the top seed in the Red Division.
“I think tonight was a good advertisement for BIG EAST soccer,” stated Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “Obviously we’re disappointed. We felt we maybe deserved a little bit more out of the game. It always was going to be a tight game that was going to hinge on a couple things. Hopefully we can meet them (Louisville) again in the NCAA final.”
The Irish threatened early in the match. In the third minute, senior midfielder Jeb Brovsky (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain) sent a shot just high from near the top of the 18-yard box. Sophomore midfielder Dillon Powers (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) had a good look on frame from 18 yards out with 25:53 left in the first half, but a diving save from Cardinal goalkeeper Andre Boudreaux stopped the low blast.
Louisville produced a couple chances later on in the first half. With just over 21 minutes remaining in the stanza, Charlie Campbell placed a shot just high from close range. Four minutes later, Nick DeLeon sent his shot wide of the far post from 16 yards away.
The match was scoreless at halftime. Louisville out shot Notre Dame 7-5 in the first half, but the Irish had the edge in shots on goal, 2-1. The Fighting Irish also gained three more corner kicks (4-1) in the opening stanza.
Louisville nearly cracked the scoring column in the opening minutes of the second half as a shot from Rolfe hit the crossbar. Murray’s goal came after his initial shot was saved by Fighting Irish goalkeeper Philip Tuttle (Hooksett, N.H./Brewster Academy), yet Murray put the rebound away from 10 yards out.
The Irish looked as though they netted the equalizer in the 72nd minute as freshman forward Harrison Shipp (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) headed the ball into the back of the net, yet he was called offside.
Louisville held a 15-11 edge in shots, while both teams had five shots on goal. The Irish produced one more corner kick (4-3). Tuttle made four saves, while Boudreaux had five stops. Senior forward Steven Perry (Edmond, Okla./Bishop McGuinness) and junior midfielder Brendan King (Naperville, Ill./Edison Academic Center [Fla.]) both led the Irish with two shots on goal apiece.
“We have tremendous respect for Louisville,” added Clark. “We know they are a very good team. Our team did not feel intimidated. We went into the game feeling we should get something out of it and we’re disappointed we didn’t.”
Providence defeated Cincinnati 2-1 in Friday’s first semifinal match.
Notre Dame now will await the selections for the 2010 NCAA Championship. The 48-team field will be unveiled between 4:30-5 p.m. (ET) on Monday on ESPNU.
BIG EAST Championship Semifinal
Red Bull Arena – Harrison, N.J.
November 12, 2010
#11 Notre Dame (10-5-4) 0 0 – 0
#1 Louisville (16-0-2) 0 1 – 1
Scoring: UL: J.T. Murray (unassisted) 53:55
Shots: ND 5-6 – 11, UL 7-8 – 15
Corner Kicks: ND 4-0 – 4, UL 1-2 – 3
Goalkeepers: ND: Philip Tuttle – 4 SV, 1 GA, 90:00, L; UL: Andre Boudreaux – 5 SV, 0 GA, 90:00, W
Fouls: ND 6, UL 9
Offsides: ND 7, UL 4
-ND–