Louisville’s Postseason Run Ends at Kent Roosevelt 3-1 – Boys Soccer
#9 Kent Roosevelt 3, #23 Louisville 1
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The #23-seeded Louisville Leopards Boys Varsity Soccer Team saw its postseason run come to an end with a 3-1 loss to the host #9-seeded Kent Roosevelt Rough Riders in the Division III Northeast 2 District Semifinal Thursday night at Roosevelt Stadium.
Brandon Sanders answered an early Roosevelt goal to send the teams into halftime tied 1-1, but the Rough Riders struck twice in the opening 11 minutes of the second half to take control.
Goalkeeper Justin Keister finished with 10 saves for Louisville, while Sanders scored his team-leading ninth goal of the season.
The Leopards finish the 2026 campaign with a final record of 9-7-3. Kent Roosevelt improves to 15-4 and advances to Saturday’s District Championship.
Knapp Strikes First, Sanders Answers for Louisville
Kent Roosevelt broke the scoreless tie with 31:50 remaining in the opening half.
Kellen Obraza helped create the opportunity after receiving the ball in the middle of the penalty area. Obraza redirected it to Callaghan Knapp, who had space near the center of the box and drove a shot from roughly 17 yards out into the right side of the net to put the Rough Riders ahead 1-0.
The goal was Knapp’s 14th of the season.
Louisville answered just over three minutes later.
Sanders received the ball in the middle of the box and initially had it knocked away by a Roosevelt defender. The loose ball ricocheted off another Rough Rider and directly back into Sanders’ path.
With a clear look at goal, Sanders blasted his shot into the upper-right corner of the net to knot the match at 1-1 with 28:31 remaining in the first half.
The goal was Sanders’ team-leading ninth of the season.
Neither team scored again before halftime as the Leopards and Rough Riders went into the break deadlocked.
Obraza Gives Rough Riders Lead Early in Second Half
Kent Roosevelt quickly regained the advantage after halftime.
Ian Mikula threaded a pass between a pair of Louisville defenders and into the penalty area, where Obraza gained control as the Leopard defense closed in.
Obraza managed to get his shot away and slipped it just past Keister and into the left side of the net with 32:13 remaining to give Roosevelt a 2-1 lead.
The goal was Obraza’s 17th of the season, while Mikula recorded his ninth assist.
Obraza entered the night as one of several dangerous pieces in a Roosevelt attack that has featured multiple high-volume scorers throughout the season.
Roberts Extends Lead Following Barkley Punt
The Rough Riders struck again just 3:12 later on a sequence that began with Louisville threatening at the opposite end.
Parker Daum unleashed a long shot that Roosevelt goalkeeper Eli Barkley stopped with a diving save. Barkley quickly transitioned the play by punting the ball deep toward the Louisville end.
The punt landed around the football 35-yard line and took a favorable bounce toward the Leopard goal.
Isan Roberts charged onto the ball and headed it forward from roughly 30 yards out, essentially pushing the ball into space for himself as he continued his run.
Roberts then gained possession on the right side of the box and lifted a shot over Keister and into the upper-middle portion of the net to extend Roosevelt’s advantage to 3-1 with 29:01 remaining.
The goal was Roberts’ 18th of the season, giving him a team-high 58 points on the year when combined with his 22 assists.
Keister Finishes with 10 Saves
Louisville continued searching for a way back into the match, but the two-goal deficit held for the remainder of the contest.
Keister turned away 10 Roosevelt shots on the night to keep the Leopards within striking distance, but Louisville was unable to produce another goal after Sanders’ first-half equalizer.
The Rough Riders’ defense protected the advantage through the final whistle to end Louisville’s four-game winning streak and six-match unbeaten run.
Louisville Boys Soccer Tournament History
Thursday’s loss moves Louisville to 26-27 all-time in postseason play.
The Leopards are now 11-18 in road tournament games and 1-11 all-time in District Semifinals.
Louisville’s lone victory in the District Semifinal round came on October 26, 2021, when the Leopards defeated Tallmadge 2-1 in the Division II Akron East 1 District Semifinal. Louisville went on to finish as the district runner-up that season.
Since the OHSAA expanded boys soccer to seven divisions and Louisville moved into Division III in 2024, the Leopards are 4-3 in postseason play.
Head coach Jared Komo is now 15-9 in tournament games since taking over the program in 2018. Louisville was 11-18 in postseason play prior to Komo’s tenure.
Leopards Still Seeking First Win Against Kent Roosevelt
Thursday marked the sixth all-time meeting between Louisville and Kent Roosevelt and the first in postseason play.
The Rough Riders now lead the series 4-0-2, while Louisville remains winless against Roosevelt at 0-2 at home and 0-2-2 on the road.
The teams most recently met in 2025, when Kent Roosevelt won 4-2 at Louisville. The Leopards’ last trip to Roosevelt came in 2024, when the teams played to a 2-2 draw.
Kent Roosevelt has now outscored Louisville 15-8 across the six meetings.
Thursday also made the Rough Riders the 33rd different opponent Louisville has faced in postseason play.
<<< Previous 2025 | Kent Roosevelt All-Time Series
Roosevelt Advances to District Championship
Kent Roosevelt will advance to face the #3-seeded CVCA Royals in the Division III Northeast 2 District Championship on Saturday, October 31. CVCA shutout #26-seeded Gilmour Academy 5-0 at home Thursday night to punch their ticket to the District Final.
The championship match is scheduled for 4:00 PM on the blue “smurf” turf at Gilcrest Field at Portage Community Bank Stadium in Ravenna.
The Rough Riders enter the district final at 15-4 after winning nine of their last 10 matches.
Leopards’ Tournament Run Ends After 12th Sectional Title
Louisville reached Thursday’s District Semifinal after putting together another successful postseason run.
The Leopards opened tournament play with a 1-0 home shutout of St. Vincent-St. Mary before traveling to Alliance and blanking the Aviators 1-0 in the Sectional Final.
That victory gave Louisville its 12th sectional championship in program history and extended its streak of advancing to the district round to eight consecutive seasons.
The Leopards entered Thursday having won four consecutive games and gone unbeaten in six straight before Roosevelt ended both streaks.
Louisville closes the 2026 season at 9-7-3.
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Louisville at Kent Roosevelt Boys Soccer Box Score
ROUGH RIDERS 3, LEOPARDS 1
Team 1-2–TOTAL
Louisville 1-0–01
Roosevelt 1-2–03
1st Half
KENT ROOSEVELT – Callaghan Knapp (Kellen Obraza) | LHS 0, KRHS 1, 31:50
LOUISVILLE – Brandon Sanders (Unassisted) | LHS 1, KRHS 1, 28:31
2nd Half
KENT ROOSEVELT – Kellen Obraza (Ian Mikula) | LHS 1, KRHS 2, 32:13
KENT ROOSEVELT – Isan Roberts (Eli Barkley) | LHS 1, KRHS 3, 29:01
Saves: Justin Keister 10
Records: Louisville 9-7-3, Kent Roosevelt 15-4
