LOUISVILLE, Ky. (October 24, 2009) – The Rutgers men’s soccer team dropped a 2-0 result on the road at No. 8/11 Louisville on Saturday, Oct. 24, at Cardinal Park. The Scarlet Knights (7-8, 4-5 BIG EAST) and Cardinals (11-2-2, 6-2-1 BIG EAST) played to a scoreless first half; however, UofL broke the deadlock in the second-half with two goals en route to the victory.
“We played well in the first half,” said head coach Bob Reasso. “It was 0-0 at halftime, in a typical, hotly-contested BIG EAST game. But there’s a reason they haven’t lost a match at home. They’re a very good, competitive team and in the second half they wore us down. They scored 12 minutes into the second half for the first [goal] and it was still 1-0 late so we pushed everyone forward, trying to get back into the game and [Louisville] countered and scored another goal to make it 2-0.
“Our kids played hard but you have to give Ken [Lolla, Louisville head coach] and his team credit. They’re a very mature and competitive team. They were the better team tonight. We have our work cut out for us, but at least we have our last two games at home.”
The first half was tightly contested with Louisville holding just a slight lead in shots, outshooting Rutgers 6-3. The Scarlet Knights, despite not tallying a goal, forced a pair of saves in the opening period. Sophomores Nate Bourdeau (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) and Gaetano Panuccio (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) paced the Scarlet Knights, combining for RU’s two shots on goal.
Louisville’s Paolo DelPiccolo put the Cardinals ahead with a goal in the 57th minute and Colin Rolfe added an insurance tally in the 81st to help seal the win. UofL finished unbeaten at home with a record of 8-0-1 at Cardinal Park.
The Scarlet Knights will play their final two BIG EAST matches of the regular season, hosting Villanova on Wednesday, Oct. 28, and No. 13/7 USF on Saturday, Oct. 31.
