LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The FGCU men’s soccer team (4-5-3, 3-0-0 Atlantic Sun Conference) couldn’t overcome two first-half goals as No. 23 Louisville (6-5-1, 3-2-0 ACC) halted the Eagles’ three-game winning streak with a 2-1 non-conference victory Tuesday night.

FGCU’s goal came on a penalty kick by Isaiah Madrid (Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS/Westminster) in the final minute of the first half. The reigning A-Sun Freshman of the Year stepped up and fired his shot inside the left netting for his second career PK finish and second goal in the last three games after being held scoreless through the first six matches of the year.

Louisville, which was ranked No. 6 in the nation two weeks ago by the official NCAA poll (NSCAA/Continental Tire), was receiving votes in the latest poll on Tuesday after suffering through a four-game losing streak. However, the Cardinals – who netted goals in the 10th and 40th minutes – were ranked No. 23 in the country by Top Drawer Soccer (one of the nation’s most reputable soccer media outlets) entering the contest.

The Cardinals scored their first goal when Andrew Brody played a ball into the 6-yard area from near the left goal line and onto the foot of Ben Strong, who redirected the ball past the diving effort of FGCU goalkeeper Nathan Ingham (Keswick, Ontario/Keswick HS). Louisville added its second goal following a questionable FGCU foul in the box as the ACC member was rewarded a penalty kick which Tim Kubel converted.

Looking for anything to get their night going as they faced the two-goal deficit, the Eagles got just that when substitute Felipe DeSousa (Tampa, Fla./Wharton HS) made a few nice moves in the open field and eventually was fouled as he crossed into the box as he tried to side-step the final defender. That prompted the penalty kick opportunity for Madrid, who is now 2-2 in his career on PK chances.

FGCU started the second half with some urgency and controlled much of the opening 10-15 minutes. The best effort came in the 51st minute when DeSousa curved an effort with his right foot which appeared ticketed for the upper-right 90 before a leaping punch save from Joachim Ball prevented the junior from his team-leading fifth goal of the campaign. The Green and Blue finished with a 6-4 shot advantage in the second half, but particularly had the edge in the closing 41 minutes as they out-shot the Cardinals, 5-2.

“For whatever reason we were a little bit loose and not as sharp at the beginning of the game, and that’s not our normal personality trait and it cost us,” said head coach Bob Butehorn. I thought the penalty that they got was a little soft, but you’ll get that on the road. I was really pleased with how the guys responded as we played pretty well in the second half and had a few good chances we didn’t capitalize on.”

The meeting was the first between FGCU and Louisville, and also represented the first time in program history that FGCU had played an ACC member. The Eagles matched up with Syracuse in 2008, but that was when the Orange were a member of the Big East Conference.

FGCU – which leads the A-Sun in nearly every defensive category – had only allowed multiple goals in a game once all year prior to Tuesday, and that was also a 2-1 setback which came on Sept. 24 at FIU. The Eagles entered action with a goals-against average of 0.68, which ranked 21st in the nation, while its team save percentage of .837 was 24th-best in the country.

The matchup was just the latest for the Eagles in a grueling non-conference slate during the 2014 season. FGCU entered the night with an RPI of 84 – the highest among all A-Sun teams – as a result of the demanding non-league docket, which now includes seven top-75 RPI programs and the No. 2 RPI team, Washington. The Eagles have played four top-50 non-conference RPI teams this year as Louisville commenced the evening 39th in the RPI.

FGCU had played three previous A-Sun members before heading to Louisville and were coming off a 3-1 win at Northern Kentucky University on Saturday evening. Due to the departure of ETSU and Mercer to the Southern Conference this summer, FGCU will still play two more non-league matches this year and three more A-Sun contests.

The Eagles, who are in a nearly two-week break from A-Sun action, have a week off before returning home on Tuesday, Oct. 21, for a non-conference tilt with FAU at 7 p.m. The Eagles will be in action again a few days later as they resume league play with a contest against North Florida on Friday, Oct. 24, at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: Louisville’s four-game losing streak was its longest since the 2008 season … FGCU has now scored at least one goal in five straight games after not scoring a single goal in the previous four games combined … Ingham made three saves … only three of the 10 goals FGCU has allowed this year have come in the regular run of play; the other seven have come in the form of an own goal, set-piece strike, two penalty kicks and three corners.

FGCU has been the preeminent program in the A-Sun since 2010 as the Eagles boast an incredible record of 31-3-2 in A-Sun regular-season games since the start of the 2010 season. All three of those conference losses have come on the road, and out of a possible 108 points that could have been earned in that time, the Eagles have claimed an impressive 95 of them.

Additionally, FGCU has the longest home regular-season conference unbeaten streak in the nation. The 24-game unbeaten run dates back to 2008 (22-0-2). Included in that run is a 19-game winning streak, which was snapped in the second-to-last match last year when the Green and Blue tied Mercer, 0-0. FGCU’s last home regular-season conference loss came to Jacksonville, 2-0, on Oct. 19, 2008.

Furthermore, combined with the men’s soccer program, FGCU’s women’s soccer team (5-0) and volleyball team (5-0) have combined to produce a dominant 13-0 record in A-Sun action so far this year.

For men’s soccer ticket information, visit the Alico Arena Ticket Office, call 239-590-7145 or log on to FGCUAthletics.com/Tickets. For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the program, follow on Twitter @FGCU_MSoccer and Instagram @FGCU_MSoccer.

FGCU is led by Bob Butehorn, who has coached 30 A-Sun All-Conference selections since FGCU started its program in 2007. In just three years of postseason eligibility, Butehorn has guided FGCU to the NCAA Tournament twice – in 2011 and 2012 – and has won an unprecedented four-straight A-Sun regular-season championships. His teams have been ranked nationally on several occasions by multiple media outlets, and in 2013 he won his 100th career game.

FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics’ charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.