Colleges: No.12 Cardinals hand No.3 Bulls second loss of season

No.3 South Florida held off No.12 Louisville for the bulk of the game, but couldn’t prevent Colin Rolfe from breaking the deadlock in the 84th minute as the Cardinals handed the Bulls their second loss of the season with a 1-0 victory on Wednesday night at Cardinal Park, taking control of the Big East Red division in the process.

Louisville had held continual pressure on the Bulls end, and it finally paid off when JT Murray’s cross found Rolfe as he streaked into the penalty area and finished from 15 yards out.

“I felt like our depth and pressure really wore on them,” said Cardinals coach Ken Lolla. “We had a lot of chances early and I knew our time would come. They got stretched and Colin did a great job of beating the defender for the goal.”

South Florida rarely threatened the Cardinals goal, only forcing Louisville goalkeeper Andre Boudreaux into one save. The Cardinals outshot the Bulls 11-4 while holding a 8-0 advantage in corners.

South Florida could face a similar test on Saturday night as it hosts St. John’s at 7:30 p.m. at the USF Soccer Stadium. The Red Storm earned a 2-0 win against Rutgers on Wednesday night to move just one point behind the Bulls in the Red division.