Leopards Season Ends At Jackson 2-0, Finish 14-5 – Boys Soccer

By Leopard Nation · Published October 26, 2022 · Updated November 4, 2022

#5 Jackson 2, #14 Louisville 0

<<< Previous At Solon | Boys Soccer Schedule

The #14 seed Louisville Leopards Boys Soccer Team was shutout by the host #5 seed Jackson Polar Bears in their DI Cleveland 1 District Semifinal match on a windy, rainy Wednesday Night at Rick Neitzelt Stadium. With the loss, Louisville finishes the season with a final record of 14-5.

Game Recap | Box Score

Baker Puts Polar Bears on the Board

The two teams played a scoreless deadlock until the 37th minute of action. Polar Bear senior forward Conlan Wanzer found a clearing and booted the ball toward the right side of the net from just outside the top middle of the penalty box. The ball deflected off the goalkeeper and landed right in front of the open net. Senior forward Tyler Baker used his left foot to easily score the first goal of the contest with 3:03 left to play before halftime.

Morrison Seals Victory for Jackson

Jackson held their 1-0 lead for 39 minutes of game time deep into the second half. Both teams had scoring chances, but neither could connect to change the tally on the scoreboard until the Polar Bears found the back of the net again at the end of the 76th minute.

The ball was defended out of the box and was gathered by sophomore fullback Brayden Morrison. He side-stepped a Leopard defender and then took a sliding shot just inside the penalty box as another Louisville defender closed in. The ball rocketed into the left side of the net to put Jackson ahead 2-0 with 4:03 left to play.

Louisville Now 0-2 Vs. Jackson

The Leopards are now 0-2 against the Polar Bears all-time with both losses coming at Rick Neitzelt Stadium. Louisville was also shutout at Jackson 5-0 in their DI Austintown Sectional Final match played on October 22, 2016.

The Polar Bears are now 9-6-2 and advance to take on the #2 seed North Canton Hoover Vikings in the DI Cleveland 1 District Championship on Saturday, October 29. Game time is set for 2:00 PM from Sharkey Stadium in Barberton. The two rivals tied 1-1 earlier this season back on September 8 at Hoover.

<<< Previous 2016 | Jackson All-Time Series

Leopard Postseason By the Numbers

The Leopards are now 21-23 in the postseason, which includes a 10-5 record under current Head Coach Jared Komo. Louisville falls to 8-15 on the road in tournament play with the loss, which includes a 1-4 record in away postseason games while playing in Division I. The Leopards are now 4-5 when playing in the Division I tournament overall as they were also in Division I from 2013-2016.

Making the jump from Division II to Division I is a significant leap. Louisville is the second smallest school in terms of enrollment in the 35-team DI Cleveland East Super Region and smallest public school in that same super region. Yet, they still knocked off longtime nemesis GlenOak on a Golden Goal and stunned Solon on their home field 2-1 to earn a date with Jackson. The Leopards fell a little short against the 6-time defending district champion Polar Bears, but they should hold their heads high after looking back on all that they have accomplished in 2022.

<<< Previous at Solon | Boys Soccer Tournament History

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