The 11th-ranked Louisville men’s soccer team rediscovered its offensive mojo Thursday, just in time for the start of post-season play, with a comprehensive 5-0 dismantling of No. 23 Providence.
The game featured consistent finishing in front of goal, something the team has lacked for much of the season. A good deal of the best work was done by All-American Colin Rolfe, who got dinged up on a hard tackle near the end of the first half.
He returned to complete a hat trick with two goals early in the second stanza. The first of those two was a textbook clinical finish of a crossed ball, while his final goal was nothing short of spectacular – a perfectly bent ball over a defender and the ‘keeper into the far upper corner.
Another big positive is the timely emergence of some younger talent. The first goal was scored by Alexander Obbey – a redshirt freshman – who showed great presence of mind as he calmly lined up a rebound for a rocket of a volley. True freshman Shaquille Hamilton got his first career tally with a 25-yard drive that demonstrated the effectiveness of keeping the ball low.
Next up for UofL is a quarterfinal meeting Sunday at Marquette, winner of the Big East’s Blue Division. The Cards likely have assured themselves of a first-round bye in the NCAA tourney, and the goal now is a seeding high enough to assure them of the home-field advantage through at least one – and maybe two – of the next rounds of the tournament.