The University of Louisville men’s soccer team fell 3-2 in a hard-fought match against seventh-ranked Pitt on Friday night. The Cardinals (4-2-0) dropped to 0-2-0 in ACC play, with both conference losses coming by just one goal.
Pitt (5-1-0, 2-0-0 ACC) jumped ahead early, netting the first goal in the 18th minute and adding a second from a penalty kick in the 26th minute to take a 2-0 lead into halftime.
The match remained 2-0 until Louisville finally broke through just after the hour mark. Gage Guerra won possession near the endline and set up Michael Lee on the left flank. Lee delivered a cross to Ethan Subachan, who headed the ball back into the box. Gaetano D’Argento seized the opportunity, sending a left-footed shot that deflected into the net for his first goal of the season.
Pitt appeared to respond immediately, finding the back of the net just 30 seconds later, but a VAR review overturned the goal due to an offside call. The Panthers nearly extended their lead in the 65th minute, but Josh Jones made a crucial sliding deflection to prevent a breakaway goal after Harvey Sellers had come out of the goal.
Louisville came close to equalizing in the 72nd minute when Guerra’s shot hit the crossbar but stayed out. Pitt then stretched the lead back to two with under 10 minutes to play, but Louisville refused to go quietly.
After a series of deflections in the box, Bilal Camara found Jones near the penalty spot, and the senior turned and finished for his second goal of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-2 with just over five minutes remaining.
Sander Roed had Louisville’s last chance to equalize, but his shot from outside the box sailed just over the top right corner. Pitt held on to close out the match.
Pitt outshot Louisville 12-8, and both teams earned two corner kicks.
Next Up:
Louisville will have a week to regroup before hosting Syracuse next Friday at Dr. Mark & Cindy Lynn Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.
