Louisville Scores Twice in 22 Seconds to Upset Hawken 3-1 in Sectional Final – Boys Soccer
#25 Louisville 3, #14 Hawken 1
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The #25 seed Louisville Leopards Boys Soccer Team rallied to upset the host #14 seed Hawken Hawks 3-1 in their DIII Mayfield Sectional Final tournament game Thursday night at Humphrey Field at Walton Stadium. With the victory, Louisville improves to 8-7-2 on the season and advances to play at #21 seed Marlington in the DIII Mayfield District Semifinals on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 PM.
Leopards Erase Early Deficit with 2 Goals in 22 Seconds
Hawken took the first lead of the contest when their corner kick deflected off a Louisville defender and into the back of the net near the end of the 14th minute.
The Leopards answered back less than five minutes later with back-to-back goals. Carter Burton crossed a pass to Dominic Porter-Kovacich that was perfectly placed through the air between two defenders. Porter-Kovacich then booted the ball past the charging goalkeeper to tie the game at 1-1 with 21:48 remaining in the first half.
On the next sequence, Kadan Swope took control of a deflected ball around midfield. He launched the ball deep downfield as Burton was charging toward the penalty box. Burton beat the goalkeeper to the ball and kicked it into the open net. The goal expanded the Leopard lead to 2-1 just 22 seconds after they knotted the game at 1-1 with the game-tying goal.
Louisville Holds 3-1 Halftime Lead to the End
Louisville tacked on an insurance goal in the 35th minute. After some quick passes, Porter-Kovacich popped the ball into the left corner that was retrieved by Will Pochubay. This drew the attention of the Hawk defenders and goalkeeper, leaving the right side of the net open. Pochubay crossed a pass through the box that found the feet of Nick Johnston in midair. The goalkeeper was unable to recover fast enough and Johnston blasted the ball into the right side of the goal to put the Leopards ahead 3-1 with 5:41 left in the first half.
Louisville would carry that 3-1 lead into halftime. The Leopard defense along with goalkeeper Gio Foradis kept Hawken off the board in the second half to clinch a trip to districts. Foradis finished with 6 saves in goal for the Leopards.
Leopards Capture 3rd Straight Sectional Title
Louisville has now won six sectional championships in six years across three different divisions. They won back-to-back DI sectional titles the past two seasons and three straight DII sectional crowns prior to that. The Leopards now compete in Division III after the OHSAA switched to seven divisions for soccer beginning this year.
Louisville is now 23-24 all-time in the postseason, which includes a 9-15 mark when playing on the road in the playoffs. The Leopards are now 14-8 in tournament play since Head Coach Jared Komo took over the program in 2018.
<<< 2023 Vs. Aurora | Tournament History | Next At Marlington >>>
Louisville to Face a Familiar Foe at District
This was the first ever meeting between Louisville and Hawken in boys soccer. The Hawks are the 66th unique opponent that the Leopards have faced in their history and 31st different school they have challenged in the postseason. Hawken finishes the season with a 9-4-4 record.
That storyline will change next Thursday when they travel to face their most familiar opponent in next door neighbor Marlington. The Dukes shutout the #20 seed Alliance Aviators 4-0 in their sectional final game on Wednesday. Louisville and Marlington have squared off 5 times previously in the postseason and an LHS team record 28 times overall. The Leopards will look to win at Marlington for just the second time in team history with a chance to advance to the district title game for only the second time in program history.
UP NEXT: The #25 Leopards will travel to take on the host #21 Marlington Dukes in the DIII Mayfield District Semifinals on Thursday, October 24 at 7:00 PM.
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Louisville at Hawken Boys Soccer Box Score
LEOPARDS 3, HAWKS 1
Team 1-2–TOTAL
Louisville 3-0–03
Hawken 1-0–01
1st Half
HAWKEN – Own Goal | LHS 0, HHS 1, 26:02
LOUISVILLE – Dominic Porter-Kovacich (Carter Burton) | LHS 1, HHS 1, 21:48
LOUISVILLE – Carter Burton (Kadan Swope) | LHS 2, HHS 1, 21:26
LOUISVILLE – Nick Johnston (Will Pochubay) | LHS 3, HHS 1, 5:41
2nd Half
NO SCORING
Records: Louisville 8-7-2, Hawken 9-4-4
