September 22, 2012
FIRST LOSS
Notre Dame falls to Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A second half penalty kick handed Notre Dame their forst loss of the season as Louisville to a 2-1 victory at Cardinal Park.

The Fighting Irish are 7-1, while Louisville is 5-3-0.

Louisville grabbed a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute as Dylan Mares headed home a goal from six yards away. The tally snapped Notre Dame’s scoreless streak which had reached 268:06 in length.

“Tonight was a disappointing loss, but we also had some positive things happen for us,” stated Notre Dame head coach Bobby Clark. “We played very well in the second half and it appeared that we were the team that was going to win it.”

Senior forward Ryan Finley produced the equalizer for the Irish in the 63rd minute when he deposited a penalty kick. It was his team-leading sixth goal of the season.

Louisville was granted a penalty kick of its own in the 76th minute and Andrew Farrell delivered the game winner for the Cardinals.

“We had a lapse in concentration on their first goal and then got overanxious and committed a penalty that led to their second goal,” commented Clark. “Both penalty kicks tonight were deserved.”

The Fighting Irish had a 17-11 advantage in shots. Louisville had six corner kicks, while Notre Dame had five. Senior goalkeeper Will Walsh made two saves for the Irish and Mike Mauro also had two stops for the Cardinals.

Notre Dame will return to action Wednesday at 7.pm against No. 14 Indiana in Bloomington.