By Andrew Melnykovych
With a 2-2 tie with top-10 Indiana Wednesday, the University of Louisville men’s soccer team showed once again, that within the friendly confines of Cardinal Park (nearly 3,600 there last night – excellent for a mid-week game), it matches up well with any team in the nation.
In fact, the result just as easily could have been a win for the Cards. They came back from a 1-0 halftime deficit to quickly take a lead, only to give up an equalizer with 21 minutes remaining. Two minutes into the first overtime, it looked as though Ryan Smith had gotten the winning goal for UofL.
But, in an unusual turn of events, Smith was judged by the referee to have committed a foul while scoring, leading to his second yellow card and an ejection. Playing a man down, the Cards were unable to get another shot in the remaining 18 minutes of OT. Smith will be suspended for Saturday’s home contest against St. John’s, another team that gets into the top 10 in many polls.