SUNDAY SUPERLATIVES -- FH, WSOC, VB ALL WINNERS -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Sunday was a good day for the Louisville Field Hockey, women's Soccer and Volleyball squads...all winning their matches against foes. The action began late Sunday morning for Cardinal squads and ended up late Sunday afternoon in Louisville, Chapel Hill, NC and Boone, NC...despite the different locations...the results were the same...wins for UofL teams! 


FIELD HOCKEY GETS A SUPER COOPER EFFORT

Justine Sowry's stick swingers traveled to Boone, NC to take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers in Field Hockey on Sunday and got a great performance from freshman Erica Cooper offensively in a 4-0 win. 

Cooper, a freshman from Louisville's Assumption high school, delivered all four of the Cardinal scores and didn't waste anytime in getting started. Just 30 seconds into the contest, she took a feed from sophomore Bethany Russ in the middle of the circle and sent a shot toward the net that found success and the Cards first score. 

That 1-0  lead increased just 90 second later to 2-0 when Cooper positioned herself low in the circle and got a tap-in against App. State goalie Rachel Gaines. The Cards kept firing, they ended up with 14 shots in the contest...10 of those on goal...and Cooper became the first Card to turn in a hat trick since Nicole Woods last year against Kent State when she followed up a rebound of a shot she took 30 minutes into the first half and guided that rebound into the net to make it 3-0. 

The first half ended that way 3-0 and Sowry encouraged The Stick Girls to continue to work hard and stay mentally focused in the final 35 minutes.

Aussie "Nic" Youman was a Cardinal FH great. 

Cooper's final tally came with ten minutes left in the contest. Mercedes "Meche" Pastor attempted a shot that was blocked by a App. State defender and Cooper was there to follow up the loose ball and knock it in. With the score, Cooper became the first Cardinal to reach four goals since September 17th, 2010 when Nicole Youman produced a four-bagger against Georgetown. 

With the win, Louisville improves to 7-3 on the season. They'll return to action Saturday when they travel to Virginia for a match against Wahoo Nation...UVA.



SOCCER SCORES LATE TO DOWN SYRACUSE 1-0

Louisville women's Soccer took the field Sunday afternoon in overcast and blustery conditions to face 3-7 Syracuse in ACC play. Most figured the 8-1 Cards would take the contest over the Orange...but few could have predicted just how they did it. 

The Cardinals began the first half, and spent much of the game, in Syracuse territory trying shots against both Syracuse goalkeepers (they switched the net-tenders at halftime) but the crosses weren't quite connecting and after 45 minutes of play, the teams were still right where they started...locked in a 0-0 contest. 


We don't know exactly what Louisville head soccer coach Karen Ferguson Dayes said to the squad at halftime...Coach told us post game that she'd been "rough" on the girls lately during the intermission breaks...but whatever she said seemed to inspire a more consistent and organized attack on Syracuse. 

The emotion level seemed to be more pronounced in the Cardinal players in the final half. The shots kept coming...Louisville had a 9-4 advantage in shots in the first half and a 10-3 domination in the final 45...but the Syracuse goalkeepers combined for 10 saves in the contest. Still, nothing was crossing the line and as time ticked down, it certainly appeared that we would be heading to overtime soccer.

Then, the "Rivers" flowed. 

With 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Maisie Whitsett drove toward the goal for what appeared to be another attempt to score. She deftly got a pass to Brooklynn Rivers on her left, though...the pass fooled the Orange keeper and Rivers drove it home with nine seconds on the clock. A beautiful cross...and the Cards had a 1-0 lead. 

Pandemonium erupted on the field nine seconds later and the Cards were now owners of a 9-1 record and 3-0 in the ACC. 

Our photographer Jared Anderson captured the celebration post-game. Another late win for Louisville, against a determined Syracuse squad that didn't play like a team that was 3-7 and 0-2 in conference. 

Cardinal goalkeep Gabby Kouzelos had a relatively quiet event, only having three shots on goal to defend. The 19-7 Louisville shot advantage included 11 shots on goal, Emina Ekic and Callie McKinney trying four shots. 

We caught up with a joyful Rivers after the contest. You can hear both her and Coach K's post-game remarks below: 

POST-GAME BROOKLYNN RIVERS

KAREN FERGUSON DAYES POST GAME REMARKS

One of the best starts in history for Louisville women's soccer. A team that was pre-season picked to finish ninth in the ACC now sits atop the conference standings with North Carolina. That showdown between #1 and #2 looms.... 

Louisville returns to action September 29th., when the Cards travel to Chapel Hill, NC to face the North Carolina Tar Heels. 




(Thanks to Jared for the WSOC pictures you see in today's column and the post-game remarks.)


VOLLEYBALL WINS IN FIVE OVER UNC

The Serve and Volley Cards completed the Sunday activities for Louisville women's sports and survived a five-set, back and forth tilt with the TarHeels in Chapel Hill...25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13. 

A match that featured 19 Melanie McHenry kills and 18 from Megan Sloan. It came down to a 13-13 tie in the fifth set. For UofL, though, Amanda Green stepped up with two straight kills to clinch game, set and match for the Cards...who go to 9-4 on the season and 2-0 in the ACC. 

A relatively easy first set for Dani Busboom Kelly's squad, jumping out to a 7-2 lead and leading 18-12 before taking the five-point victory. Emily Scott had three straight points in the set (two blocks and a kill) and Jasmine Bennett delivered the final kill to put the first one in the win column

Set two featured a high hitting average for UNC (.353) and the Tar Heels held a 21-16 lead before Louisville battled back to get within two at 23-21. North Carolina took two of the final three points, thoug, to get the three-point win. 

UofL rallied back after the break despite a slow beginning to the third set...trailing 7-1. The Cards evened the match at 15-15 on a McHenry kill and found themselves knotted with UNC 20-20 before running off the final five points. McHenry's service ace closed out the 25-20 Louisville win in set three. 

A back and forth set followed, the Cards leading early 5-1 but NC rallying to tie it at 8-8. Plenty of ties in the set (14) and it came down to a 25-25 tie before two straight North Carolina kills closed it out and a fifth set awaited. 

Louisville returns to the hardwood later in the week with another road trip...beginning Friday, Sept 28th. in Atlanta against Georgia Tech and then to Clemson to face the Tigers on Sunday, Sept 30th. 

A great Sunday for Cardinal women's athletics. Despite a rather dismal start to the weekend...when Cardinal Football fell on their face at Virginia 27-3...the sun came up Sunday morning and the Cards gather three wins. 

Have a great week, everyone! Enjoy what Jared and Case provide here the rest of the week and I'll "see you on the radio" and Facebook Live on Saturday with The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. 


paulie
xxxxx

Women's Sports Galore Today -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Golf

Weather is wreaking havoc with events all around the region

In Nashville, the women's golf schedule for the Mason Rudolph Championship has been altered due to rain.  Play was halted early Friday, and schedules altered for yesterday and today to try to accommodate.  They're trying to get 54 holes in for the event, but that may not happen.

Louisville currently sits in 11th place, with play scheduled to resume this morning at about the time of this writing.

Junior Lauren Hartlage is currently in 27th, while junior Mairead Martin is making a splash with her 32nd place standing.  Junior Delaney Shah is in 41st, Freshman Lauren Thibodeau sits 52nd, and Senior (how is she a Senior already?!) Olivia Cason currently in the clubhouse 62nd.

Good luck to the Women's Golf team...first of all just getting 54 in, and then to finish as well as they can given less than ideal conditions.

Volleyball

Volleyball is back in action today, now in conference play, with a match against UNC at 1 p.m.  This one is available on ACC Network Extra.

The Cards have seemed to shrug off their poor play from last week and are back playing to the level that we know they can.  Let's hope they keep it up today against the Tarheels.

As I mentioned on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour yesterday, I did get to catch some of the Notre Dame vs UNC match from Friday night.  UNC came out of the locker room looking just absolutely terrible, but by the end of the match they managed to get it put back together and really provide a challenge to Notre Dame.

This was also my first real look at Notre Dame, and their coaching succession this year doesn't seem to have slowed down the rebuilding process that program had in process.  Previous head coach Jim McLaughlin resigned in the off season due to medical problems with his back.  McLaughlin has been a fine coach for numerous programs over the years and all of the volleyball community wishes him well.  The Notre Dame program was taken over by previous Associate Head Coach Mike Johnson, who doesn't seem to have missed a beat.  This is a team that absolutely imploded 4 years ago, and while they're not back to powerhouse status, they continue to improve and work their way back into high quality play.

The Cards will continue the road-trip next weekend with matches against Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and Clemson in Clemson.  These should be opportunities for a couple of more wins for UofL.  The Cards just need to come out and play the way we know they can play and the should be fine this weekend.


Women's Soccer

Action today at Lynn Stadium, when the Cards and the Syracuse Orange take to the pitch at 1 p.m. 

It'll be wet going on the field with morning rains in Louisville creating watery conditions. 

The Cards are at 8-1 and 2-0 in the ACC. The "Cuse comes in with a 3-7 overall record and 0-2 in the ACC. The Cards have been getting great production out of Maisie Whitsett andd Brooklyn Rivers lately. Couple that with the out-of-this-world passing skills from Emina Ekic and you have a formula for success, when you also add in the staunch and solid defensive line...with Gabby squared and the other defenders. 

You can get this one on the ACC Network Extra if you can't get out to Lynn in person. WE recommend you go, though. Sunday fooball and wait and there's really nothing to discuss about Cardinal Football, except that they are 2-2 and need a whole lot of work...

Field Hockey

After a disappointing loss to an unranked Wake Forest team Friday, the Cards will likely be on the
warpath at Appalachian State today.

This one starts at 11am, and no video availability has yet been found for it.  Will Bethany Russ continue her scoring streak?  I'd say there's a good chance of it.  If the Cards can also get Mercedes Pastor loosened back up, look for a solid win over App State.

The Field Hockey schedule gets a little out of it's normal pattern this week, with only a single matchup next weekend with UVA in Charlottesville on Saturday.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

I'm still looking for an error-free performance as engineer for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour, and yesterday wasn't it.  Regardless, I think it was a good show, as it always is when Daryl Foust joins us in the magnificen, massivet media mansion on Mellwood at WCHQ.  We had a great time chatting about Women's Soccer, a bit of Football, Volleyball, and even caught up with Fall activities for Softball and Lacrosse.  We heard audio from Brooklyn Rivers and Karen Ferguson-Dayes of Women's Soccer, Holly Aprile of Softball, and Scott Teeter of Lacrosse (and somewhat sleep deprived new dad).

You can check out the fun at:

https://www.facebook.com/WCHQfm/videos/266444797542304/

-- 

JMcA

Volleyball Wins ACC Opener; Field Hockey Stumbles on Road -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Takes Down NC State in Raleigh

Last season, the only match I managed to make it to for volleyball was when NC State came to town. It was a huge ACC matchup in Cardinal Arena late in the season. Last night's match against the Wolfpack was not quite as high profile as 2017's version, but it was still an important match, acting as both teams' ACC opener. It was made even more important for Louisville because of their less than stellar performance last weekend and their uninspiring performances on the road thus far this season. 

The Cards put both of those demons behind them for the time being as they beat NC State 3-1 in a fairly close match. Louisville won 25-19, 28-26, 20-25, and 25-18. Barring the slip-up in the third, Louisville very nearly took down the Pack in straight sets, which would have been an even bigger confidence boost. Unfortunately, you don't have to look very far to locate the source of the third set struggle, as the Cards hit only .087 in the third. Overall, it was a much better match than last week, as Louisville finished with a .227 over four sets. It's not a world beating hitting percentage, but it was serviceable, and will win you matches if your opponent hits only .160.

A big improvement over last weekend came for Melanie McHenry, who was very much not herself against the Cats and Mocs. Kentucky had her locked down while she was just missing spots badly against Chattanooga. McHenry finished with 8 errors, still, but also killed 17 points and contributed to 4 total blocks. McHenry has shown that she can be the offensive leader of the team and Coach Dani Busboom Kelly has shown that she wants McHenry to do so. Now we just need to see a bit more consistency from the sophomore for her to become a feared hitter across the land. 

McHenry was joined in double digit kills by Amanda Green (13), Jasmine Bennett (12), and Megan Sloan (10). Wilma Rivera was very much in system, assisting on 53 of 60 kills and being forced into only 8 digs. Molly Sauer was stalwart on defense, picking up 26 digs and adding 4 assists. Nobody on the team was particularly useful on the serve, as the Cards finished with 11 service errors and only 3 aces. Serving has been a strength of this team early in the season, so we'll consider last night an exception rather than the rule. 

After a big win to begin the conference season, Louisville will stay in the Tarheel State for their next match, taking on North Carolina tomorrow at 1PM. The Cards started off the ACC last season with a huge winning streak. Let's see if they can duplicate such success this season. They're off to the right kind of start.

Corners Doom Field Hockey at Wake Forest

The Cards dropped their second ACC game of the season yesterday in Winston Salem as a 7-2 penalty corner disadvantage led to a 4-2 loss at the hands Wake Forest. It was Wake's (1-1) first ACC win of the season and the Demon Deacons were unranked going into the game. Louisville is sure to fall from their number 7 position after the loss but there is a long season remaining. The Cards will look to get back on track tomorrow against Appalachian State before returning to ACC play against Virginia next Saturday.

To open the scoring, it was Bethany Russ capitalizing on a penalty corner rebound. It was the first of two Louisville scores and the first of two times they would take the lead. The second came in the second half when Whena Munn broke the 1-1 tie off of a goal during the run of play. Louisville played well in the open field, and defended the run of play solidly. Unfortunately, Wake earned corner after corner, finishing with 7 corners that led to 15 shots (9 on goal). Ayeisha McFerran picked up 5 saves but all four goals for the Deacs came as a result of a penalty corner conversion. Louisville finished the game with only 4 shots, both on goal shots finding the back of the cage.

Penalty corner conversion, both offensive and defensive, is often an indicator of game results. Louisville completed 50% of their chances. Wake completed only 57%. However, the difference also comes in volume. 1/2 is usually going to fall to 4/7. Without having watched the game, I can't speak to exactly what was happening for the Cards to be hit so hard and give up so many corners, but I know that if you're giving up so many attempts on goal, you're usually going to have a bad time, even with the best goalie in the world. 

There isn't much else to say on this one. Coach Sowry will surely have the team poring over film on the off-day as they seek to determine what went wrong. The Cards have had some good wins, but again, their inability to create consistent offense (still no more than 2 goals in a single game) has come back to bite them. I don't know what the answer is, but I'm sure that everyone related to the team is trying their best to figure it out as well.

Wrap-Up Thoughts on WSoc vs Notre Dame

After nearly turning my iPhone into a brick while attempting to update yesterday, I was waiting patiently for my computer to update so I could finish fixing everything. While not being able to do anything, I decided to check in on Cardinal Couple and saw someone request my thoughts on Thursday's game in the comments. I had a nice big comment written up when my computer decided that it didn't need to ask me if I wanted to restart to finish the updates; it just went for it. Anyway, let's get into what I saw Thursday night against the Irish.

Straight out of the gate, Louisville did not look fully prepared to play. The Cards were sluggish and almost refused to run to the ball. Numerous times, players were jogging while within striking distance of a Notre Dame pass. There was simply no urgency from Louisville. In addition to the lackadaisical ball hunting, the Cardinals were also getting out-physicaled left and right by the Irish. I could probably count on one hand the number of fifty-fifty balls Louisville came away with in the first half. If not for some spectacular defensive play by the back line and a save by Gabby Kouzelos, Louisville could have been in major trouble in the first half. For most of that time, I considered it only a matter of time before the Irish broke through. They looked like the better team for much of the night.

During the second half, Notre Dame's pressure intensified. They put five shots on goal in the second half, forcing Kouzelos into four second half saves. The potential first goal of the game was saved off of the line by a Louisville defender after bouncing dangerously past Kouzelos. Still, Louisville lacked hustle and creativity. Every ball won by the defense was slammed forward with no intent. The area talent scouts seated behind me had the same thoughts saying, "They've got no ideas." It was true. I was busy mentally lamenting Louisville's passing rate (it was extremely low) when the sequence that led to the first goal began. Louisville was able to make crisp passes into space, avoid defenders, and get forward dangerously before Brooklynn Rivers headed home what was ultimately the winner. It was a similar sequence later in the game when Maisie Whitsett regained the team points lead with her goal. 

Louisville is a better team when they pass well. They have some straight line speed, but they were not physical enough against Notre Dame to commit to the long ball style of play. I would much prefer to see them continue to create thoughtful attacking chances rather than just hitting the ball upfield and hoping for the best. Additionally, the time for slowly growing into a game has passed. Poor starts like the one Thursday night will haunt against better finishing teams or on a night that the defense is not up to their very best as they were Thursday. I'm not sure what was going on, but let's hope it was isolated. 

I won't be able to make it to Sunday's game against the Orange, but this season's results show that Syracuse is not the threat that Notre Dame was. That said, Louisville cannot come out slow and play down to their opponent. I'll depend on Paulie and Jared to relay the "perkiness" of the team and how they look compared to Thursday night. Louisville finished last season with only 11 points in the conference standings, and they've already got 6 through their first two games. A win against Syracuse would be huge for this team's standing in the conference and the nation and for their confidence, as well. Let's see what they figured out in film review and training between the two games.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Jared and I are both MIA from the studio this morning, but that doesn't mean you won't be treated to
a (nearly) full house with a great show. Daryl Foust sits in with Paulie and Jeff, and she's got more than enough talent to replace the two of us. The Crew will talk the three major fall sports that were in action of the last couple of days and do what they do best in bringing the Joy and Excitement of Louisville Women's Sports. Tune into WCHQ FM at 11 AM for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour via 100.9FM, wchqfm.com, the WCHQ app, and on Facebook Live. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

WSOC Shuts Out Notre Dame 2-0 -- A Look at the Weekend -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Soccer Shuts Out Notre Dame

Louisville relied on second half goals by Brooklynn Rivers and Maisie Whitsett to defeat Notre Dame 2-0.  The victory propels the Cards to an 8-1-0 record and a 2-0-0 start in conference play.

The two conference foes, who currently play every other year, have had a history of close matches.  In 2016, the Irish won in double overtime at Lynn Stadium.  In 2014, Notre Dame claimed a 1-0 victory in South Bend.  Back tracking to 2011, the Cards defeated Notre Dame twice- 1-0 in South Bend and 2-1 in the Big East Tournament semifinals.

The Cards had a few opportunities to score in the first half and should have had a one- or two-goal lead, but the shots sailed over the crossbar.  If they were kicking field goals things would have been going great.

In the 60th minute, Mollie Rouse passed off to Allison Whitfield, who set Rivers from just outside the box.  Whitfield's ball crossed the box to the far side where Rivers had a height advantage over the defender to head the ball in.  The goal was the sixth of the season for the junior.

Whitsett added to the lead 18 minutes later.  Emina Ekic passed off to her right after drawing two
defenders her way.  Whitsett was there patiently waiting and had an angle, sending the ball in for her eighth goal of the season.

Goalkeeper Gabby Kouzelos had her hands full with a Notre Dame offense that was desperately trying to get onto the board  Kouzelos had Sports Center worthy saves, fighting to preserve the shutout.  She was credited with five saves on the night, but mixing her way into the defense a lot more than that.  Niamh Nelson helped Kouzelos out on one in the first half.  Kouzelous knocked the ball down on one of her saves but bounced toward a Notre Dame player.  Nelson slid in to kick it away and earn a save for herself.

In the post-game interviews, we got a golf cart drive-by during the Rivers interview and a train offered its congratulations at the end of the Karen Ferguson Dayes clip.



Video Interview with Brooklynn Rivers

POST GAME KAREN FERGUSON DAYES AFTER NOTRE DAME


A Look into the Weekend

--Friday, Sept 21

Women's golf visits Franklin, TN (Callie McKinney's hometown) for the Mason Rudolph Championship.  The Cards will compete with some of the best teams in the country.

Field Hockey visits Wake Forest.  The Cards claimed a victory at Trager last year in shootout fashion and the Demon Deacons are looking for revenge.  Wake Forest heads into the match 3-4 and unranked, but the ACC is too dominant of a conference to base things just off the record.

Volleyball visits NC State.  The Wolfpack has a similar record to the Cards, but could prove to be trouble in Raleigh if Louisville doesn't pick up the pace.  However, this is about where the Cards sat going into conference play last year so don't count them out.

Men's Soccer hosts Pittsburgh.  On paper the Cards should win, but it depends if they play like they did versus Kentucky or if they play like they did versus Duke.

--Saturday, Sept 22

Softball hosts an inter-squad scrimmage in preparation for their upcoming fall schedule.

Football visits Virginia.  This Cardinals team just looks bad and things could get ugly on the road
even against a lesser ACC team.

Women's Golf goes into the second day of the Mason Rudolph Championship.

--Sunday, Sept 23

Women's Golf wraps up play in Tennessee with hopes of another high finish.

Field Hockey visits Appalachian State.  They're 4-4 and barely breaking top 50 in the rpi.  On paper this should be an easy victory for UofL.  Never underestimate an opponent or you will regret it.

Volleyball visits North Carolina.  The Tar Heels are struggling this year, but they've owned the series against Louisville lately.  The Cards got the late season 3-2 thriller at home last year but had lost four straight since joining the ACC before that.

Women's Soccer hosts Syracuse for an early afternoon match.  Syracuse is so far down the list in rpi (223) that you'd need a big fishing pole to reach that far.  This could be a great opportunity to improve to 9-1-0 and start 3-0-0 in the ACC.  A win would almost solidify a top 25 spot in the next coaches poll.

There's not much happening on Floyd Street this weekend other than Lynn Stadium's busy weekend of Thursday, Friday, and Sunday so your best bet to catch any of the Cardinal Couple crew is the Sunday match.


ON A LIGHTER NOTE: 

Get your weekend off to a rousing start by checking out the clip below of Groucho Marx and crew singing the praises of Lydia the Tatooted Lady. 

Be warned, that song WILL stick in your head if you're not careful...the antics are hilarious as well. They don't write 'em like that anymore. 

LYDIA THE TATTOOED LADY

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

- Jared -

SCOTT TEETER INTERVIEW...WSOC PREPARES FOR NOTRE DAME -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

INTERVIEW WITH LOUISVILLE LACROSSE HEAD COACH SCOTT TEETER

Wednesday morning brought the opportunity to talk with Louisville Lacrosse coach Scott Teeter in his office at the "Little YUM" -- the facility that houses the basketball teams at UofL and Lacrosse. It's always quite fun talking with Coach Teeter, he brings a great perspective to anything he discusses and I also wanted to get an update on his and Jen's one-month old son Lucas. 

Lacrosse S.I.D. Nick Evans sat in on the interview as well...you gotta love Nick...his personality and the work he does for Louisville athletics. We also got guest appearances (walk on roles) who brought valuable information from assistant coach Renee Poulott and the effervescent Director of Operations for Lacrosse Patty Norton. We had five in the office at one time, enough to go over and scrimmage women's basketball next door. 

OK, that probably wouldn't have gone so well...so, on to the interview. 

As the interview rolls, listen for the following points: 

-- How are the Teeter's doing with the birth of Lucas? 

-- How are things looking with fall lacrosse so far? 

-- How was Coach Teeter's experience coaching the Boston Storm? 

-- Who will the Cards play in the fall and how many are at home? 

-- Why "satellite" clinics?  Scott explains the process and reasoning.

-- What's the word on freshman Shay Clevenger? 

-- Scott's overview of the 2019 roster and depth.  

-- Scott vs. Ken Lolla ?? 

A great visit yesterday with the Louisville Lacrosse head coach Scott Teeter and a chance to catch up on the fall work they do. You can see Louisville Lacrosse, as Coach mentioned, on September 30th. at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium, when they take on Marquette (10 a.m.) and Butler (1:30 p.m.). It's also Alumnae Weekend for Lacrosse, so don't miss this great opportunity to see Louisville LAX this fall! 

A special thanks to Nick Evans for setting up the interview and to Coach Teeter, who reminded me I gave him Mendelssohn in the Kentucky Derby. 


LINK TO COACH'S INTERVIEW:  INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT TEETER



WSOC PLAYS NOTRE DAME TONIGHT

University of Louisville women's soccer puts their perfect ACC record on the line tonight against visiting Notre Dame in Lynn Stadium. The 7 p.m. match pits the 7-1 (1-0) Cards against a 4-4 Irish squad that was ranked in the top 25 early in the season but has since dropped out of that category. 

The media had the chance to talk to Coach Karen Ferguson Dayes and Louisville middle defender Gabrielle Vincent yesterday, so I headed over there after my interview with Scott Teeter. Links for those two WSOC interviews below: 


We also got an unexpected musical interlude during the Karen Ferguson Dayes interview. Ah, those tricky interns.... 

A special thanks to Coach for doing this, Gabrielle for participating and WSOC SID Kim Pemberton for setting the opportunity up: 

Go. Cards. Beat. Irish.

INTERVIEW WITH GABRIELLE VINCENT

INTERVIEW WITH KAREN FERGUSON DAYES


Have a tremendous Thursday and please come out and support UofL Women's Soccer tonight at Lynn Stadium against Notre Dame! 

paulie
xxxxx

Softball Interview with head coach Holly Aprile -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

INTERVIEW WITH HOLLY APRILE

Cardinal Couple had the chance to catch up with Louisville head softball coach Holly Aprile Tuesday afternoon to discuss softball and the UofL fall exhibition schedule. 

The Cards played EKU at Richmond, KY on Sunday and split with the Colonels 5-0, 4-5 according to reports. A chance for Aprile and the staff to see all the players in action and face some competition other than themselves.

Speaking of intra-squad competition, Softball will have a Red vs. Black scrimmage on Saturday around 12:30 p.m.. 

Admission is free. Be advised that concessions will not be open, though, and the event was designed primarily for player's families to attend...although you are welcome to stop by. 

My interview with Coach Aprile (also known as Paulie talks to Holly) took place on the Ulmer Stadium field on a bright and warm day. Softball S.I.D. Lori Korte caught some of it on video, so look for a segment of that to maybe surface on Go Cards or elsewhere. We have the audio version in today's article.

As you listen, here are a few listening points: 

-- How did the scrimmage goes against EKU? 

-- Coach Aprile has been here two months..how's the move from Pittsburgh going?

-- What aspects of "Holly-ball" can Cardinal fans look forward to this fall and in the regular season? 

-- The upcoming fall contests for the "Hit and Pitch" Cards.

-- What players are mentioned ? (two are returnees, one red-shirted last year).

-- How is Coach adapting to campus?

-- Did coach celebrate National Cheeseburger Day and where's a spot she enjoys eating? 


A great afternoon to talk a little softball with Coach Holly Aprile on a day that would have been pretty ideal to "play two"! We appreciate the chance to get together with her and a special thanks to Lori Korte for setting it up. LINK TO AUDIO BELOW: 

HOLLY APRILE INTERVIEW


paulie
xxxxx

Louisville women's basketball schedule filled with challenges -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

UCONN, KENTUCKY PART OF THE 2018-19 WBB SLATE

Never let it be said that Jeff Walz shies away from the tough match-ups or the road.

The Louisville women's basketball non-conference schedule starts the season spending basically the month of November travelling before coming home in late November to play in the KFC YUM! Center. Much like Walz and his penchant for spanning the globe to check out prospect (Coach was recently in Japan and Canada checking out players). UofL WBB will be the road warriors to start the 2018-19 season.

The Cards get it underway on Tuesday, Nov. 6th. with a trip to Western Kentucky. The 'Toppers may look a little different this year on the bench with former Walz assistant Michelle Clark Heard no longer there (she's moved on to Cincinnati) but another former Cardinal assistant in Greg Collins will take the fight to the Cards. 

Jim Foster is gone at UTC. I'm gonna miss that guy.
Caption this picture, if you will. 

Three days later, the Cards continue in Tennessee with a trip to the southeast corner of the Volunteer state for a contest against Chattanooga.  The Mocs also recently had a coaching change with Katie Burrows replacing Jim Foster. Katie's a former UTC WBB player and also was an assistant to Foster at Chattanooga. 

Louisville takes a few days away from the opponents before their next foe. They'll travel to Boise, Idaho to face the Broncos of Boise State on Monday, Nov 19th.
Gordy Presnell has been the Broncs skipper for 12 years and has coached for 30 years. His squad won the Mountain West championship last year and came to Louisville to start their NCAA quest. The Cards defeated them on March 16th. 74-42 

The western swing continues with UofL landing in Vegas next for the Southpoint Shootout. First up is Arizona State on Friday Nov 23rd. Charli Turner Thorne has coached the Sun Devils since 1996 and has over 450 wins for the Tempe, Arizona school.  Her Devils made it to the NCAA Tournament second round last year -- beating Nebraska to open before bowing out to Texas 85-65 in Austin, TX. 

The next night, the action swings to playing Hartford in the Shootout. The Saturday, November 24th. tussle against the Hawks. Kim O'Neill is the head coach of the Connecticut school and she started her tenure there in 2016. She led  "that kind of bird" to a 19-13 record and the finals of the America East conference championship before they ran into a foraging bunch of Black Bears and fell to Maine 74-65. Never mess with Mama Bears...

Finally, the Cards come home. Monday, November 26th is the 2018-19 debut for Cardinal WBB in the KFC Yum! Center and they bring the Miami (OH) RedHawks in for another bird battle. You might remember Megan Duffy from her WNBA career and/or the time she spent as a player at Notre Dame. She's been at Miami since 2016 and her version of red birds went 21-11 last year...making the WNIT Tournament but ending their season in the first round against Duquesne 69-56 in Oxford, OH. 

Louisville hosts Nebraska next for a Thursday night battle of the boards on November 29th. The Cornhuskers are coached by Amy Williams, who came south from South Dakota to take the program over in 2016. Amy was named Big 10 Coach of the Year last season and the 'Huskers went 21-11 last year. Their season ended, as mentioned above, with a loss to Arizona State in first round NCAA Tournament play 73-62.


Asia Durr's squad takes on another two from Tennessee next in the KFC YUM! Center, beginning with Tennessee State on Sunday December 2nd. These Nashville Tigers got caught by their own tail last year with a 6-21 record...including a 95-56 de-clawing by Louisville on Dec. 12th, 2017 in the KFC YUM! Center. Jessica Kern became the ringmaster of these Tigers in 2016...Tennessee State is one of five major colleges in Music City...can you name the other four? 

UT-Martin is the Cards ninth opponent of the season and they come to visit on Tuesday, Dec. 4th. More birds in the YUM!...the SkyHawks were 19-16 in 2017-18 and visited Louisville on Tuesday, Dec 5th. last year. They didn't fly so high by the river, losing 91-56. Kevin McMillan, one of the nicest coaches in the game, has 10 years in at UTM. 

The home stand continues on Dec 9th., when Matthew Mitchell brings the the Kentucky Wildcats to town. UofL went to Memorial Barnyard last year and staged their own dance with a 87-63 hoe-down over Big Blue. Matty's minions went 15-17 last year and didn't go anywhere last year...except back to the locker room in Nashville after ending their season when they got chased out of the SEC Quarterfinals by some Bulldogs from Starkvillle ...81-58.

The Cards don't return to games until Saturday, Dec. 15th. when they bring Northern Kentucky to town. A rough 9-22 season last year for the Norse, who compete in the Horizon League. Emmy Souder, from the Mercer County's Kentucky girls basketball state championship team, will be a freshman at NKU this season. Head coach Camryn Whitaker has been the head coach at Northern Kentucky since 2016. The Cards haven't played NKU since 1989 and are 10-11 against them overall. 

Dec 20th. features the Cards taking a road trip to Mount Pleasant, Michigan to chip away at the Central Michigan Chippewas. This Thursday night contest is Louisville's last non-conference before entering ACC play. CMU made a great deal of noise last year with a 30-5 record. They knocked off LSU and Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament before running into Oregon in the Sweet Sixteen in Spokane and losing 83-69. The "Chips" are dealt by Sue Guevara, who has been there 11 years. She led CMU to an upset win over #23 Louisville back in 2010. Sue was a softball coach for 10 years at Saginaw St. before switching to hoops. OK, you Jeopardy wanna-be's...do you know what a Chippewa is? 



The Cards do have one more non-conference game in the regular season, some Huskies from Storrs are dog-sledding down at the end of January. We'll discuss that one in much more detail down the road.  

A challenging slate before conference play. Coach Walz most likely is a fan of the St. Jerome quote pictured here from yesteryear. 

In addition to the non-conference slate, the Cards will play 16 ACC games. WE'll cover that another time here at the couple once we start to find out a little more about the opponenets and how they're looking in their non-conference slates. 

Here's a link to the complete 2018-19 UofL WBB schedule: 2018-19 Cards WBB schedule

49 days until Louisville WBB begins the regular season...I need one of those tear-off, day-by-day office calendars. To Office Depot! 


IT'S NATIONAL CHEESEBURGER DAY!

Jump off the diet and go for one today.

Kaelin's Restaurant, here in Louisville, KY, claims to have invented the cheeseburger. In case you want to challenge them, they're on Newburg Rd. across from St. Agnes Catholic Parish. 

The Courier-Journal investigated that last year: LINK BELOW.

DID KAELIN'S INVENT THE CHEESEBURGER?

To celebrate...here's Jimmy Buffett's song immortalizing the sandwich: 

CHEESEBURGER IN PARADISE -- JIMMY BUFFETT





paulie
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