Senior midfielder Max Moller shields a defender form the ball during a game against Akron on Sept. 24 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. OSU lost, 3-1. Credit: Ben Jackson / For The Lantern

Senior midfielder Max Moller shields a defender form the ball during a game against Akron on Sept. 24 at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. OSU lost, 3-1.
Credit: Ben Jackson / For The Lantern

In the midst of a three-game losing streak, the Ohio State men’s soccer team might not have been banking on a win at No. 8 Louisville on Tuesday night.

But the Buckeyes were surely glad to get it.

OSU (3-3-3, 1-1-0) defeated Louisville, 1-0, to snap its losing slide on the strength of a first-half goal by senior midfielder Yianni Sarris.

Sarris capitalized off a turnover by the Cardinals (5-2-1) late in the 34th minute and scored his third goal of the season, putting his team ahead for good.

OSU was outshot, 15-6, in a contest that saw Louisville control the possession for most of the game. However, redshirt-senior goalkeeper Alex Ivanov’s three saves made sure Sarris’s goal held as the decider to seal the upset on the road.

Ivanov keeping Louisville off the scoreboard for his fourth shutout of the season was especially impressive given the potency of the Cardinals’ offense.

Louisville had scored 14 goals over a four-game winning streak coming into Tuesday night’s game, including four in a win against Pittsburgh on Friday. The Cardinals fired nine shots on goal in that game, compared to four against the Buckeyes.

The win marked the first in an away game for the Buckeyes since 2012, breaking a 13-game winless streak. This season, they defeated Elon University in Wilmington, N.C., on Sept. 7, but that game was considered to be at a neutral site. OSU is now 1-2-1 in away matches this season.

It was also the first loss at home this season for the Cardinals, who came into the game 3-0-1 in Louisville, Ky.

The Buckeyes are set to take on another top-25 team when No. 14 Michigan State visits OSU on Saturday night. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium.