“It was disappointing to lose, especially giving up a goal in the last 15 minutes,” said Interim Head Coach following the match. “That’s the fourth time we’ve done that this year, all four losses have happened that way. That was really disappointing but I thought that the amount of effort that our guys put in was incredible. I don’t think we could have asked any more from them.
“The things that we spoke about in our game prep, they executed for the most part. I thought we really grew into the game and started creating some pretty good chances. But once we extended ourselves, I think Louisville’s quality showed and that happened with the two goals. We’re running out of moral victories but I think that we can take some positives from this game. We talked about choosing to fight before the match and with our backs up against the wall, we did that. I’m proud of our guys for how we played tonight, and how we responded to certain things that happened. But we need to learn the lesson and start getting some wins on the board.”
It was a slow first half on both sides as the teams traded fouls through the first 25 minutes. Louisville picked up offensively in the 26th minute, taking four shots in 12 minutes. UE had its best opportunity of the half in the final five minutes as midfielder Nate Roberts found himself alone on the left side of the goal during a corner kick. Roberts got a foot on the ball but sent it high over the net. Diaz-Caneja added the last shot of the first half in the final second outside of the penalty box that went wide right.
The Cardinals quickly pressed to start the second half with two shots in under three minutes. But Evansville found its offense right after, responding with a close shot from winger Auden Engen Vik that hit the right side of the net. It became a back-and-forth battle over the next 22 minutes. Graham had an open opportunity for the Aces in the 73rd minute with a header right in front of the goal that forced Louisville’s goalkeeper to make a diving save left. But the Cardinals found their opportunity in the 79th minute with a goal from the left side of the penalty box that beat Madden in the upper right corner. Louisville tacked on the final goal of the night on a penalty shot in the final five seconds after Madden took down a player on a breakaway in the box.
