Louisville’s Historic 15-3 Season Ends in 5-2 Sectional Final Upset Against NDCL – Girls Soccer
#27 NDCL 5, #7 Louisville 2
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The #7 seed Louisville Leopards Girls Varsity Soccer Team generated chance after chance Thursday night, but #27 Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin weathered the pressure and made the most of its opportunities to upset the Lady Leopards 5-2 in the DIII Northeast 1 Sectional Final at Louisville Leopards Stadium.
Reese Riley scored both Louisville goals to finish the season with 25 goals and 49 for her varsity career, tying Morgan Keelan for third on the program’s all-time career goals list. Haile Folk assisted on Louisville’s final goal to tie the Lady Leopards’ single-season record with 15 assists.
Louisville continually pressured the Lion goal, finishing with commanding advantages of 34-18 in total shot attempts and 24-10 in shots on goal. Junior goalkeeper Sadie Wurm answered with 22 saves for NDCL, while the Lions capitalized on their opportunities at the opposite end.
The loss snapped Louisville’s program-record 10-game winning streak and seven-game home winning streak as the Lady Leopards finished their record-setting season at 15-3.
View Game Recap | View Box Score
Louisville Controls Early, But Ko Strikes First
Louisville applied heavy pressure throughout the opening half and held an 11-2 advantage in shot attempts before Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin connected on its first shot on goal of the night.
With 14:12 remaining, junior midfielder Gabriella Ko gained possession near the right edge of the penalty area and laced a shot across goal into the left side of the net to put the Lions ahead 1-0.
NDCL produced its second shot on goal in the 27th minute. Carolina Bell stepped in front of the initial attempt to get a piece of it before goalkeeper Tristyn Edgein made a diving save to secure the ball.
Louisville continued pushing for the equalizer.
Following a yellow card against Sofia Belfiore with 9:36 remaining, Edgein sent the ensuing free kick forward toward the penalty area. Wurm charged off her line and punched the ball away with both hands while colliding with a Louisville player to extinguish the threat.
Wurm Denies Louisville’s Best First-Half Chance
One of Louisville’s best opportunities of the opening half came in the 35th minute.
Emily Pauli dropped a pass into the box and Riley raced onto it. Riley quickly fired from the left side toward the opposite corner, but Wurm managed to get her fingertips on the shot.
The rebound fell to Ava Waggoner, who attempted to knock the loose ball home, but Wurm recovered and dove in front of the follow-up before securing it against her chest.
Louisville entered halftime trailing 1-0 despite holding significant advantages in key offensive categories.
The Lady Leopards led 17-7 in total shot attempts, 12-2 in shots on goal, and 1-0 in corner kicks through the opening 40 minutes.
Lions Double Lead on Zulandt Goal
Louisville nearly equalized again just minutes into the second half.
In the 43rd minute, Folk worked a give-and-go with Ava Seitz before directing a shot toward goal. Wurm knocked the attempt away, but Seitz was there for the rebound. Wurm recovered again to deflect Seitz’s follow-up before senior defender Elizabeth Keefe cleared the ball out of danger.
NDCL then struck at the opposite end.
Ko crossed from the right corner into a crowded goal box, where freshman forward Emmaleigh Zulandt found space among several Louisville defenders and knocked the ball into the left side of the net with 36:12 remaining.
The goal extended the Lions’ advantage to 2-0.
Louisville Breaks Through with Riley Goal in 58th Minute
Louisville finally broke through with 22:11 remaining.
Kasey Lint weaved through the Lion defense and directed a pass to Riley in the center of the penalty area. Riley got a touch on the ball coming from her right before firing back the opposite direction into the left side of the net to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The assist was Lint’s fourth of the season and 10th of her varsity career.
Louisville continued searching for the equalizer. In the 60th minute, an NDCL foul just outside the penalty area set up a Folk free kick. Folk slid the ball to Riley, who found space and fired toward goal, but Wurm hauled it in to preserve the Lions’ advantage.
Ko Hat Trick Breaks Game Open Late
Louisville remained within striking distance until Ko took over late.
With 13:12 remaining, Ko weaved her way through the right side of the Louisville defense and fired from the right side of the box across goal into the left side of the net to restore NDCL’s two-goal advantage at 3-1.
The Lady Leopards nearly answered again with under six minutes remaining when Riley hammered another shot toward goal, but Wurm smothered the attempt.
Wurm followed with a booming punt that bounced toward midfield. Zulandt gained possession, dribbled out of traffic, and pushed a lead pass ahead to Ko on the right side.
Ko finished the counterattack by driving a shot into the upper-right corner of the net with 5:27 remaining, completing her hat trick and stretching the NDCL lead to 4-1.
The Lions struck once more less than two minutes later.
Ro carried the ball down the right sideline and fired from the right side of the box. Edgein deflected the initial attempt away, but Ro followed her own rebound and sent the ball bouncing into the back of the net.
The slow-developing sequence made the reality of Louisville’s impending season-ending loss increasingly unavoidable as NDCL took a 5-1 lead with 3:37 remaining.
Folk and Riley Have Final Word on Historic Season
Even facing a four-goal deficit in the closing minutes, the Lady Leopards did not go quietly.
Following an NDCL foul, Folk stood over a free kick from 24 yards away. She slid a pass into the middle of the box as Riley broke free from the defense.
Riley met the ball in stride and one-timed it into the upper-left corner of the net with 2:23 remaining.
It was fitting that the combination of Folk and Riley produced the final goal of Louisville’s season after both played such significant roles throughout the Lady Leopards’ record-setting campaign.
Folk’s assist was her 15th of the season, tying Sami Keefe’s 2015 Louisville single-season record. Folk finished her varsity career with 23 assists.
Riley’s goal was her 25th of the season and 49th of her varsity career, moving her into a tie with Morgan Keelan for third place on Louisville’s all-time career goals list.
Only Rachel Baughman, who scored 119 goals from 2011-14, and Carley Adams, who scored 64 from 2003-06, finished their Louisville careers with more.
Wurm Makes 22 Saves Against Relentless Louisville Attack
The final score did not reflect the volume of opportunities Louisville generated throughout the night.
The Lady Leopards finished with 34 total shot attempts, placing 24 on frame. NDCL attempted 18 shots with 10 on goal.
Wurm was forced to make 22 saves as Louisville continually tested the Lion goal throughout the contest.
Edgein finished with five saves for the Lady Leopards.
Louisville also held a 2-1 advantage in corner kicks.
Despite the disparity in shots on goal, NDCL converted five of its 10 attempts on frame while Wurm repeatedly denied Louisville at the opposite end.
Record-Setting Louisville Season Comes to an End
The loss brought an abrupt conclusion to one of the most successful seasons in Louisville Girls Soccer history.
The Lady Leopards had not lost since a 2-1 setback at Lake on September 19, rattling off a school-record 10 consecutive victories before Thursday’s sectional final.
Louisville had also won seven straight games at Louisville Leopards Stadium since its previous home loss, a 4-2 defeat against CVCA.
The Lady Leopards finished 15-3 overall, tying the 2012 and 2013 teams for the most victories in a single season. The 2012 squad finished 15-3-1, while the 2013 team went 15-2-1.
Louisville’s 2026 team also established a Lady Leopards Soccer program record with 15 regular-season victories, completed the school’s first perfect 10-0 run through the All-American Conference, and captured the outright AAC championship in its first season as a member of the league.
Lady Leopards Suffer Third Straight Postseason Defeat
Thursday marked the third consecutive postseason loss for Louisville since their 2024 District Championship win over Aurora. The Lady Leopards fell 2-0 to Bay in the 2024 Regional Semifinal before dropping a rain-soaked 1-0 District Semifinal at Copley in 2025.
The Lady Leopards are now 13-24 all-time in OHSAA tournament play, including a 7-3 record at home.
Since the OHSAA expanded girls soccer to seven divisions beginning in 2024, Louisville is 2-3 in Division III tournament games.
<<< 2025 At Copley | Tournament History
NDCL Takes 2-0 Lead in All-Time Series
Thursday was only the second meeting between Louisville and Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin.
The Lions also won the first matchup, defeating Louisville 1-0 at NDCL in their 2022 Division I Cleveland 1 Sectional Final.
NDCL now leads the all-time series 2-0 and has outscored Louisville 6-2 across the two tournament meetings.
<<< Previous 2022 | NDCL All-Time Series
Lions Advance to District Semifinal at Rocky River
The Lions improved to 5-9-4 with the victory and have now won two straight after going winless across their previous eight matches.
Notre Dame-Cathedral Latin advances to visit #17 Rocky River on Tuesday, October 27 at 7:00 PM. Rocky River advanced with a 2-0 shutout of #12 Field.
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NDCL at Louisville Girls Soccer Box Score
LIONS 5, LEOPARDS 2
Team 1-2–TOTAL
NDCL 1-4–05
Louisville 0-2–02
1st Half
NDCL – Gabriella Ko | LHS 0, NDCL 1, 14:12
2nd Half
NDCL – Emmaleigh Zulandt (Gabriella Ko) | LHS 0, NDCL 2, 36:12
LOUISVILLE – Reese Riley (Kasey Lint) | LHS 1, NDCL 2, 22:11
NDCL – Gabriella Ko | LHS 1, NDCL 3, 13:12
NDCL – Gabriella Ko (Emmaleigh Zulandt) | LHS 1, NDCL 4, 3:37
NDCL – Gabriella Ko | LHS 1, NDCL 5, 3:37
LOUISVILLE – Reese Riley (Haile Folk) | LHS 2, NDCL 5, 2:23
Unofficial Stats
Shots on Goal: Louisville 24, NDCL 10
Total Shot Attempts: Louisville 34, NDCL 18
Corner Kicks: Louisville 2, NDCL 1
Goalkeeper Saves: Sadie Wurm (NDCL) 22, Tristyn Edgein (Louisville) 5
Yellow Card: Sofia Belfiore (9:36 1st)
Records: NDCL 5-9-4, Louisville 15-3
