LOUISVILLE, KY - Toledo saw its two-match win streak come to an end with a 4-1 setback to No. 23 Louisville on Friday under the lights at Cardinal Park. With the setback, the Rockets fall to 3-2-0 on the season.
"Obviously, the result wasn't what we were looking for, but give Louisville a lot of credit," Toledo Head Coach Brad Evans said. "They finished their chances extremely well. I thought there were stretches tonight where we were very good and there were moments when Louisville exposed us defensively. We need to take these opportunities against good teams and learn as much as we can and get ready for conference play."
UT jumped on the scoreboard first when senior Erin Flynn tickled the twine at 19:25. The two-time captain received a pass down the right side from sophomore Rachael Kravitz and promptly blasted a shot into the lower right corner of the goal for her second tally of the fall campaign. Flynn's goal marked the first deficit of the season for the Cardinals.
Unfortunately for the Midnight Blue & Gold, they were unable to find the back of the net for the remainder of the match, while the host Cardinals (4-0-0) scored four unanswered goals to remain unbeaten and matched their best start in school history.
Louisville tallied the equalizer in the 27th minute, as Caitlin Rehder connected on the second of back-to-back shots from four yards away. Toledo junior goalkeeper Vicki Travern made a diving stop on the first shot but was unable to control the rebound, which Rehder sent into the lower left corner for the equalizer at 26:37.
Moments later, the home team gained their first lead of the match when Christine Exeter chipped a shot past a charging Traven from 16 yards away on a breakaway at 32:41. Rehder and Angelika Uremovich were credited with assists in setting up Exeter's breakaway scoring chance.
The score remained the same until Louisville's Uremovich converted a penalty kick at 66:29. The PK was setup as Exeter was pulled down from behind by a Rocket defender inside the 18-yard box on another breakaway attempt.
The Cardinals' final goal of the night came in the 89th minute as Exeter earned a takeaway in the Louisville half of the field, sprinted past the Toledo defense and sent her shot past the charging Traven and into the goal from 15 yards away.
Overall, Toledo was outshot, 18-10, including an 8-3 margin in shots-on-goal. UT also finished with a slight 3-2 deficit in corner kicks.
"We played a very good team tonight, and I think the final score did not reflect our performance," Kravitz said. "We played pretty well, but so did Louisville and they were able to convert more opportunities. We definitely had our chances though."
The Rockets return to action next Friday, Sept. 10 when they host Big Ten member Michigan. The opening whistle from Scott Park is slated for 5:00 p.m.
Louisville 4, TOLEDO 1
UT: E. Flynn (R. Kravitz), 19:25
UL: L. Rehder (Unassisted), 26:37
UL: L. Exeter (K. Rehder & A. Uremovich), 32:41
UL: A. Uremovich (Penalty Kick), 66:29
UL: L. Exeter (Unassisted), 88:32
SHOTS: UT 10, UL 18
CORNER KICKS: UT 2, UL 3
SAVES: UT 4, UL 2
FOULS: UT 7, UL 8
