In Brief: Bulls’ season ends in Louisville

USF men’s soccer’s season is over following a 4-1 loss to Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday evening in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Cardinals struck twice early, scoring two goals in the span of three minutes —  Bradley Sample scored in the 21st minute, while Pedro Fonseca followed in the 23rd.

The game stayed 2-0 until Josue Monge got USF to within one in the 68th minute.

The Cardinals struck back a little over a minute later with a goal by Izaiah Jennings, giving Louisville a two-goal lead again.

Cherif Dieye scored in the 82nd minute to round out the scoring for the Cardinals.

USF was drastically outshot, 12-2. Half of Louisville’s shots were on target, while the Bulls’ only one was Monge’s goal.

Louisville’s win makes it 1-1 on the season against USF. The Bulls defeated the then-No. 5 Cardinals 2-0 at Corbett Stadium on Sept. 9 in a game that featured a lot of physicality, including a straight red card to Jennings for tripping USF’s Emilio Ycaza in the 74th minute.

Despite the loss, coach Bob Butehorn was proud of the overall accomplishment of making the NCAA Tournament  — USF’s 21st overall and first since 2016.

“The guys put together a successful season and they should be extremely proud of that accomplishment,” Butehorn said in a statement. “Unfortunately, it ended sooner than they wanted. They’re a fantastic group of individuals and I’m honored to be their coach.”