BIG EAST EXCITEMENT

By Benjamin M. Wilson

Coming down to penalty kicks, sophomore Andre Boudreaux helps advance the Cardinals to the Big East semifinals, by making big saves. 

It came down to penalty kicks for the Cardinals on Nov. 7 at Cardinal Park. U of L dominated the first half as they out shot DePaul 8-1.  Pressure was U of L’s strategy, and, in the first 10 minutes of play, the Cardinals had five corner kicks to DePaul’s zero. Unable to convert any corner kicks into goals, the Cards continued their offensive pressure.

U of L’s hard work paid off in the 14th minute of play.  Senior Gerardo Chavez scored on an across the box pass from Freddie Braun. The goal gave Chavez his second on the season and an early Cardinal lead.
“I felt very excited,” said Chavez. “ I thought I was due for a goal, and it was great to get on top of them so fast.”

U of L’s goalkeeper, Andre Boudreaux, was unchallenged by DePaul with zero saves. With most of the action happening on DePaul’s side, the Cards confronted their goalie, Joe Ferrari, with three shots-on-goal. Forcing Ferrari to make two saves.

On paper, Louisville looked to be the dominant force, but that was not the case. Leading DePaul in shots, corner kicks and shots-on-goal, U of L was unable to score another goal in the first half. For head coach Ken Lolla, sometimes things just don’t work out the way a team plans. “I told our guys that there are days were it doesn’t necessarily go your way,” said Coach Lolla “We had opportunities that I don’t think we took as good as we should have.”

The second half saw a switch in DePaul’s mindset. DePaul counteracted the Cardinals’ pressure offense by slowing down their game. In the 51st minute of play DePaul’s Andre Gutierrez scored off a missed shot by Antonio Aguliar, tying the game 1-1.

Boudreaux had more than gloves on his hands in the second half—being challenged to make three saves for U of L. Though being pressured by DePaul, Boudreaux would not be faced with another goal until penalty kicks.
The second half came to a close with the Cardinals’ overwhelming the Blue Demons on stats, but with no goals to show for it.

Both overtimes were as uneventful in the second half. And U of L’s repeated offense attack posed as no threat to DePaul’s defense. U of L senior, Othaniel Yanez, took the only shot-on-goal in both overtimes. As the second overtime came to a close, both the Cardinals and Blue Demons had to choose players for penalty kicks.
Freshman Paolo Delpiccolo’s right-side shot scored on Ferrari.  Patrick Hopkins took the first shot for the Blue Demons, but was blocked by Boudreaux. Next for the Cards was junior Mark Knight. His shot sailed straight through Ferrari, giving the Cards a 2-0 on penalty kicks.  Mark Plotkin, of DePaul, was able to get one past Boudreaux.  U of L’s Phil Edgerton was unable to score on Ferrari. Boudreaux saved Willy Lara’s shot.  JT Murray, of the Cards, nailed his shot past Ferrari—DePaul’s Steffen Vroom answered back with a goal. 

Next for the Cards was senior Freddie Braun. His kick sailed high wide right.  Having a 3-2 shot advantage over the Blue Demons, Boudreaux had to make a stop for a Louisville victory.  Nathan Feltz took DePaul’s tournament saving shot; but kicked it instantly into Boudreaux’s arms. Boudreaux’s save gave Louisville the win and advancement into the Big East semifinals, which will be hosted at Dick Dlesk Soccer Stadium in Morgantown, W.Va Nov. 13 at 5:30 p.m.

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