When IU and Louisville met last season, the game ended in a 1-1 draw after double overtime.
This time around, the outcome wasn’t as close. The Cardinals defeated the Hoosiers 2-0 on Thursday night at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
The game never seemed to be going in IU's favor. In the first half, Indiana had just one shot on goal and four total shots taken. In comparison, Louisville had nine total shots with three shots on goal during the first 45 minutes.
“Louisville is always organized.They have a good group, they had a plan and their backs played a little bit higher, so we had to adjust and we couldn’t quite figure that out in the first half,” Coach Amy Berbary said.
Freshman midfielder Emina Ekic was able to score for the Cardinals to make it 1-0 18 minutes into the game, but from then on, IU was able to generate a few corner kicks to balance out the match.
In the final 15 minutes of the first half, IU seemed to bring it all together. IU pushed the Louisville backline to defend a couple of shots, rather than playing passively.
“I think once we got the first round of subs in, we got a fresh set of legs and we were able to get some more momentum going on the flanks up top, and I think it got them on their heels a little bit and from there, we were able to create some chances,” senior midfielder Kylie Kirk said. “We have to take a look at those last 15 minutes in the first half and try to strive for a full 90.”
Despite scoring zero goals in the first half, things began to look better in the second half as IU was able to play solid defense despite Louisville's fast attack. Freshman goalkeeper Bethany Kopel was able to record three great saves in a row before Louisville junior forward Kennadi Carbin scored, which deflated any hope IU had.
One of the bright spots of the game was IU taking six corner kicks, despite Louisville only giving up three corner kicks in its first two matches before Thursday's game. Louisville had 18 shots total compared to 10 for IU, while Kopel also recorded six saves.
“We generated six corners. We had our opportunities. We just couldn’t find the back of the net, so we just have to continue to work and get some more repetitions at practice,” Berbary said.
The Hoosiers couldn’t hit the back of the net, which is something they’ve been struggling with the past two games. Things looked bright after the last game, a competitive 1-0 loss to No. 13 Clemson, but Louisville didn't allow IU too many chances to score.
“We need to change our effort, our drive, our passion,” Berbary said. "I don't think you saw the same team tonight that you saw on Sunday, and that's something that we need to have every single game because everyone wants to win. The question is are you willing to do everything you possibly can and leave it on the field to win, and I'm not quite sure that everyone on the field tonight gave 100 percent effort."
