Soccer, Field Hockey, Softball and Volleyball record wins...Dream ties it up with Fever

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CARDINAL COUPLE MONDAY:

-Soccer downs Providence 1-0.

-Field Hockey upsets #7 New Hampshire.

-Softball takes two from Morehead St.

-Volleyball sweeps Connecticut.

-The Dream force game three.

The University of Louisville soccer team defeated Providence on the road yesterday...getting a goal from sophomore standout Christine Exeter...to take a 1-0 decision in scenic Rhode Island.


Chloe gets another shutout
for the Cards.



Exeter took a pass from senior Jennifer Jones in the first half and found paydirt midway through the first quarter for the only score of the game. It was her fourth goal of the season and third straight game this year she has scored in.

Stepping up big again for the Cards was senior goalkeeper Chloe Kiefer who recorded her fourth shutout for the year. She was greated aided by the Cardinal defense...which only allowed Providence four total shots and just one shot-on-goal. Louisville now sits a 4-4-3 on the season and 2-2-0 in the BIG EAST.

The Cards return home to prepare for two more BIG EAST match-ups this weekend...hosting Marquette (Friday, Sept 30th., 7 p.m.) and the South Florida Bulls (Sunday, OCt. 2nd., 1 p.m.)

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Louisville Field Hockey successfully defended Trager Stadium yesterday with an upset over #7 New Hampshire 3-1. Freshman Katlyn Soucy had her first career multiple scoring effort with two goals to help guide the Cards to victory.

Haley Jurich also scored
for the Cards

Louisville recorded the game's first score when Soucy took a feed from sophomore Elizabeth Vance and fired successfully past New Hampshire goalie Katherine Nagengast. The Wildcats responded, though, near the end of the first half to send the teams into the break tied a 1-1.

Soucy found the net early in second half action, returning a missed shot-on-goal by Cardinal Paige Monsen past Nagengast for the Cards second score of the afternoon. Louisville put an insurance goal on the scoreboard just a couple of minutes later when Haley Jurich sent a rebound from Heather Stevens' attempt into the net.

Erin Conrad delivered another steady performance between the pipes with five saves. The Cards (7-3, 1-1)
take to the highway for their next one...visiting #4 
                              Connecticut on Saturday, Oct. 1st.

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Trimble's two run blast
gave the Cards a 5-4 win. 

Sandy Pearsall's softball squad concluded fall play with a 5-4, 1-0 sweep over the Morehead State Eagles at Ulmer Stadium yesterday. Jordan Trimble wore the hero's hat in the first game, belting a bottom of the seventh two-run, walk-off home run to give the Cards the game. Louisville entered the bottom of the seventh trailing 4-2...but a couple of freshman helped get the win. Kayla Soles pounded a double and scored on Whitney Arion's single...setting the stage for Trimble's base-clearer.

In game two, senior Kristin Austin's run in the first proved to be all the Cards needed. She drew a game-opening walk, advanced on a fielding error and scored on
Taner Fowler's fielder choice.

Sandy Pearsall has to be happy with the contributions from the freshmen and sophomores this fall. Louisville will get the regular season underway on Feburary 10th...in Miami for three days at the Florida International University Tournament.

Florida in late winter...wonder if they need a bat-boy....

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Louisville volleyball won easily in the YUM! yesterday against UConn. Be sure to read Donny's take on both weekend games in Sunday's post. Lola was Lola again...18 kills.

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CARDINAL COUPLE contributing writer Sandy Walker witnessed the Atlanta Dream's 94-77 win over the Indiana Fever yesterday. Here's her take on it:

Dream 94 -Fever 77

She's baaack! Angel McCoughtry' 13-point first quarter immediately set the tone for the game. Each of the Dream's starters, led by Angel's 27 points, caught fire and finished in double figures. Angel's previous post-season tournament foul woes were just a bad memory as she played with an intensity which burned through the entire team yesterday in front of an energized and dynamic Philips Arena crowd of over 8,000.

The Fever could not handle Atlanta's half-court transition game - sparked by Izzy Castro-Marquez's 30 point effort - who started in place of fellow Brazilian Erika De Souza. DeSouza has gone to fulfill a prior commitment to her home country's national team...which is playing a tournament in Columbia in an effort to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. 

On a sad note, with less than five minutes remaining in the game...the Fever's Tamika Catchings (2011 WNBA MVP) sustained an injury - which was reported as a tear to her Achilles tendon - while attempting to block an Atlanta shot. An MRI will be done today to determine the exact extent of her injury. Teammates carried her to the locker room and she did not return to the court. 

Katie Douglas led the Fever in scoring with 25 points. The probable loss of Catchings, though, doesn't bode well for Indiana's upcoming Tuesday night quest to advance to the WNBA finals.

The Dream's Sunday win sets the stage for the final game of the best-out-of-three series in Indianapolis. Awaiting are the Minnesota Lynx, who swept Phoenix 2-0 to capture the Western Conference title. Maya Moore had 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists in Minnesota's win. The Lynx will host the first game of the finals on Sunday, Oct. 2nd.

Maya Moore vs. Angel. Sets up a great potential rematch of the two stars that battled in the 2009 NCAA Women's College Basketball Championship game. Make it so, Angel.

(Thanks to Sandy for a great write-up on the Dream's impressive win yesterday! Be sure to catch Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Tuesday night on ESPN 2...and hopefully another report from Sandy on the action.)
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