Michigan
Louisville
Michigan Falls to Louisville for First Loss of Season
8/26/2018 4:58:00 PM | Women's Soccer
» Michigan is now 3-1-0 on the season after falling to Louisville.
» Sophomore Nicki Hernandez has scored in all four games for the Maize and Blue.
» Freshman Meredith Haakenson earned her first career start for the Wolverines, playing 62 minutes.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (U-M Soccer Stadium)
Score: Louisville 3, Michigan 1
Records: U-M (3-1-0), Louisville (4-0-0)
Attendance: 476
Next U-M Event: Thursday, Aug. 30 -- at Wake Forest (Winston-Salem, N.C.), 7 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan took its first loss of the season as Louisville defeated the Wolverines, 3-1, at U-M Soccer Stadium on Sunday (Aug. 30) in a non-conference match.
With the loss, Michigan is now 3-1-0 overall on the season, while Louisville improves to 4-0-0.
"I am disappointed in the loss, but I thought we had moments that we created chances, but there were moments when Louisville put us under pressure," said Michigan head coach Jennifer Klein. "We have to learn how to respond and how to solve the game. Overall, it was a good opponent to prepare us for our season moving forward."
Sophomore Nicki Hernandez continued her goal streak, scoring the lone of the afternoon for Michigan. The Naperville, Illinois, native has scored in all four games for the Wolverines, including two game-winners. Sophomore Izzy Nino took the loss in net and made one save for Michigan. Redshirt senior Taylor Timko and freshman Meredith Haakenson -- who made her first career start -- each tallied one shot for the Wolverines on the day.
All three of Louisville's goals were scored by Brooklyn Rivers, whose first goal came unassisted, while she netted the game-winner on a penalty kick in the first half. Rivers added one final tally to her stat line in the second half, when she gave the Cardinals a two-goal lead in the 48th minute. Gabrielle Kouzelos earned the start in net for Louisville, making one save on the afternoon.
The Cardinals were the first to strike when Rivers took the ball off the foot of a Michigan defender and placed a shot into the bottom-right corner of the net past a diving Nino. Hernandez and the Wolverine offense responded 15 seconds later when they worked an attack off the whistle.
The sophomore midfielder recorded her fourth goal in as many matches when she took the ball off the foot of a defender inside the 18-yard box and found herself alone with no keeper between her and the net. Hernandez ripped the ball into the bottom left of the net to even the score at 1 in the seventh minute.
The Cardinals scored their second goal of the game when they were awarded a penalty kick that Rivers put into the bottom-left corner of the net to allow them to take a 2-1 advantage in the 21st minute.
The Maize and Blue offense was unable to get any final shots on net in the final minutes of the half, heading into the locker room trailing, 2-1.
Rivers continued to be the offensive power for the Cardinals when she notched her third goal of the match on a cross from 12-yards out, extending the Louisville lead to 3-1 in the 48th minute.
Michigan found just one shot in the second half, but was unable to close the two-goal gap.
The Wolverines hit the road for the first time in 2018 when they travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for a Thursday (Aug. 30) match against Wake Forest. First touch is slated for 7 p.m.
