by Kyle Wehr

The excitement of game day—something that is common among all colleges. Whether it be football, basketball or soccer, game day brings many things to mind from tailgating, to the bar scene and house parties.

It doesn’t matter how you choose to enjoy it, anything is up for grabs when it comes to the weekly college holiday known as game day.

Hinkle Fieldhouse is the top option for watching any and all home games here on campus.

“The entire atmosphere at Hinkle just makes it irresistible for a fan,” junior Ryan Medas said.

One factor to keep in mind for this season is that Butler will be playing a lot of teams from high-scale programs, and most of those match-ups will be off campus.

Men’s basketball games against Louisville and Xavier are big match-ups that will be played on the floor of Hinkle Fieldhouse this season.

“Rivalry games are the best to watch at the bars in Broad Ripple,” senior Wyllie Wagoner said, “but when it comes to playoff games, you have to be on campus.”

The atmosphere of campus during basketball games seemed to be attractive for students.

For junior Kyle Johannsen, superstition also plays a big factor.

She said she prefers to watch the games at the Tao Kappa Epsilon fraternity house “because every time I watch a game there, Butler wins.”

However, for the less superstitious, it comes down to comfort and the social scene.

Medas and sophomore Bryce Campbell like watching with friends regardless of where the game is being played.

“My friend’s house on the knoll is the best place to watch a game,” Campbell said. “There are drinks, food, sports and bonding with friends.”

Medas agreed.

“I prefer to watch [the games] in my fraternity house,” he said. “I am surrounded by people I know, and it is within the comfort of my own home.”

After being on the winning side of four straight matches, the Butler men’s soccer team suffered a 4-0 loss to defending national champion Louisville on Saturday.

The Cardinals (7-1), who boast a No. 7 ranking nationally, showed they were comfortable playing at home in a non-conference game.

“Louisville is clearly one of the best teams in the nation,” Butler head coach Paul Snape said. “They’re very sharp, they control the ball, they have great flow and rhythm, and they’re very tight defensively.”

The Cardinals got their first goal in the 19th minute when redshirt senior Mark Knight deposited a header into the net for a 1-0 Louisville lead.

Minutes later, the Cardinals boosted their advantage to 2-0 on a goal from junior Michael Roman.

“We have to get better defensively, and we have to keep the ball and use it wisely,” Snape said.

A first half struggle that saw Butler outshot 12-3 continued in the second half for the Bulldogs.

Louisville juniors Buck Tufty and Chase Rodgers added goals two and a half minutes apart to hand the Cardinals a commanding 4-0 lead.

The Cardinals dominated the Bulldogs in shots (24-7) and shots on goal (7-1) as they controlled the offensive attack throughout the contest.

“Some of our guys had never played in a game with such high tempo, and that will help us as we move forward,” Snape said.

Butler freshman Zach Steinberger and sophomore Adekunle Oluyedun each had two shots for the Bulldogs, with Oluyedun responsible for the only shot on goal.

Sophomore goalkeeper Jon Dawson had three saves in a full game of action but went home with his second loss of the season.

“We played well for a 20-minute stretch in the second half,” Snape said. “We were creating chances, and if you came in at that time and didn’t look at the scoreboard, you would have thought the match was even.”

The Bulldogs will end their six-match road trip on Wednesday against Indiana University—Purdue University Fort Wayne.

After that, they will return to the friendly confines of the Butler Bowl for their Horizon League opener versus Milwaukee-Wisconsin on Saturday at 5 p.m.

The Panthers (3-4-0) lost their only road game so far this season 4-1 to IPFW.

Last year, Butler traveled to Concordia University to take on Milwaukee. There, the Bulldogs walked away with a 2-0 shutout victory.

Despite the win, the Panthers still lead the lifetime series 15-11-1.