Sunday Cardinal Couple -- Lacrosse Routs Rutgers...Softball falls to UCF

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-  Boltja scores four in 18-6 Lax win

- Grand slam does softball in @ UCF

HAPPY EASTER TO YOU! WE HOPE IT IS A DAY FILLED WITH HAPPINESS, JOY AND LOVE AND THE EASTER BUNNY PAYS YOU A VISIT. HE IS RISEN. HALLEUJAH.

Nikki Boltja totaled four goals and Faye "Fabian" Brust led all scorers with five as Louisville Lacrosse held Rutgers to two second half scores in a 18-6 Cardinal win at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Louisville (12-3, 6-0) clinch a share of the BIG EAST Title yesterday and the defense played a huge roll in the win...holding Rutgers to two goals in the final 30 minutes.

The win had Kellie Young almost speechless...standing on the sidelines with tears in her eyes...watching her team dash across the field as the clock hit zero to thank the over 500 fans in the stands for cheering them on.

" I am a little bit speechless because we have worked really hard to get to this place. It is something that we have talked aboutfor seven years. So, to finally accomplish it (winning the BIG EAST title) makes me proud of this team, these seniors...all of these players who have come here before and worked really hard to build a confident and determined program.

Rutgers hung around early...taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1 before the Cardinal defense put the clamps on and Faye Brust and Boltja took over. The Cards put six unanswered scores on the board...Colleen O'Malley providing two of them...to go up 7-2 with 11:20 left in the half. UofL took a 8-4 lead into the locker room at halftime.

Coach Young didn't make many adjustments for the final 30.

" I basically told them to keep tightening up on their scorers and attack the goal in the second half." 

Louisville was "all-in". The Cards scored the first six goals of the final period..over a eight minute stretch and led 14-4 after Boltja found the back of the net. At that point, the clock ran continuosly for most of the rest of the game and senior Anna Kopecka tallied Louisville's final score with two seconds left.

The Rutgers squad is a rough-and-tumble bunch...drawing numerous penalties and sending Kay (it's OK to call her Kay...I asked) to the turf several times. The refs halted action in the final half to call both coaches over and warn them about excessive checking and contact. They were talking to the Rutgers head coach while Kellie Young stood there shoeless and incredulous. I asked about the barefoot look...she had on heels earlier for Senior Day ceremonies. Those are tough  to run in...so I hear...and Coach gets in several miles a game on the sidelines.

Losing hurts, no doubt...but the Scarlet Knights seemed determined to deliver malicious, intentional stick swings and body slams against several Louisville players. That's not the way the game should be played and Julie Hermann would be well advised to take a look at the game film and pull scholarships from a couple of the Rutgers thugs.

Louisville returns to action Thursday against Marquette for the final home game of the 2014 season. First draw is 4 p.m.

Maybe someone will explain how Faye got the "Fabian" monicker then...my query about it to Coach Young got an eye-rolling response and the comment...

" They can be pretty goofy and silly at times. I don't know where they come up with this stuff..."

Stay goofy...girls. College goes by way too fast.

Goofy is forever.


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Softball took a loss in the final game of the series against UCF Saturday...the major damage coming in the form of a grand slam home run during the sixth inning. Maryssa Becker had completed five innings of shutout softball before the Golden Knights big sixth inning. The scoreless game was changed to a 5-0 UCF lead when the Cards finally got their chance to bat in the top of the seventh.

Taner Fowler did get UofL on the board with a solo shot...her sixth of the year...but Louisville was unable to put anything else behind it and falls to 28-17 overall and 9-6 in AAC play. Fowler's fence-clearer was one of just five hits that the Cards produced on the day.

paulie