Field Hockey wins...Soccer ties...Dream advances...Golf today...BIG EAST defections

MONDAY, MONDAY @ CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Vance leads Field Hockey to win over #17 American

-Women's Soccer ties DePaul

-Angel pushes Atlanta past the Sun

-Wild Eggs Cardinal Cup tees off today

-Bye, bye Orange and Pitt

Vance advances Cards to
a shutout win.

The University of Louisville Field Hockey team recorded their fourth straight shutout with a 1-0 win over American University Sunday in Washington, D.C. Sophomore Elizabeth Vance connected with the net shortly before the first half ended to give the Cards the only goal they needed in the win.

Erin Conrad with another masterful job guarding the pipes for the Cards again.

"What a great result today and a successful weekend for Louisville field hockey. We played hard and tough for the full seventy minutes of the game...Our defense was outstanding today, absorbing a lot of pressure and not faltering at all." Justine Sowry -Cardinal Head Coach.

Louisville returns home to battle #5 Syracuse on Friday and #10 New Hampshire on Sunday at Trager Stadium.

**************************************************************************************************************

Exeter produced the
Cards lone score.

The UofL women's soccer team returned home after a 1-0 win over Notre Dame Friday to face the DePaul Blue Demons. Fans at Cardinal Park got to see a hard-fought overtime battle that ended up in a 1-1 tie. Christine Exeter tallied the lone Cardinal goal almost eighty minutes into the contest....taking a pass from Erin Yenney and driving one in from the right side. Just seconds before, DePaul had taken a 1-0 lead.  

"We had plenty of chances to score a goal and win this game, but we didn't do that. The biggest lesson from this is that we must capitalize on the chances we get." - head women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes.

The Cards(3-4-2) hit the road for their next two...facing Connecticut Friday and Providence Sunday. 

***********************************************************************************

Angel and Atlanta do it again.

The Atlanta Dream used a 25-13 fourth quarter to scoot past the Connecticut Sun and advance to the WNBA's Eastern Conference finals yesterday 69-64. Sluggish starts seem to be the norm for Angel and her teammates...but strong finishes have been quite commonplace as well. Angel McCoughtry scored all 12 of her points in the final half...one of four Dream to finish in double figures.

"We were down...and it didn't seem to bother us. I'll tell you what. Get us to the fourth quarter and we're pretty good. It was all about our defense, and it wasn't anything the coaches were saying." -Atlanta head coach Marynell Meadows. 

Atlanta waits to see who's next...the third and deciding game between Indiana and New York takes place tonight in Indianapolis's Conseco Fieldhouse.

*************************************************************************************************************

Anna heads up the
Cardinal five some.

Fourteen teams will face soggy conditions a the Cardinal Club Golf Course in Simpsonville, KY this morning, as first round play of the Wild Eggs Cardinal Cup gets underway. The 54 hole, two-day event will feature 36 holes today (maybe...) and conclude with 18 on Tuesday.

All eight Cardinal women's golfers will participate in the event. The starting lineup consists of Anna-Karin Ljungstrom, Maria Castellanos, Katie Petrino, Tara Lyons and Emily Haas. Candace Wiley, Sara Karlsson and Maike Klein will shoot as individuals.

Ljungstrom fared the best of the Cardinals in the recent Ptamigan Ram fall classic with a 228, but the scores were pretty close to her from her teammates...Castellanos fired a 229, Petrino 230 and both Lyons and Haas finished at 232.

Good luck, girls. I don't think the heavy stuff is going to come down for quite a while. (Carl Spackler, from Caddyshack)

************************************************************************************************************



Reported destruction of the BIG EAST
may be premature.  Co-Co is ready, though and
would gladly implode the CarrierDome if asked.



The news reverberated around Commonwealth Stadium Saturday night like a bowling ball travelling down a flight of metal stairs. Pittsburgh and Syracuse are leaving the BIG EAST.  Like the game where you whisper in someone's ear and they pass the message on...the message got distorted by the second time it reached us - after the game. The BIG EAST was folding...Louisville was hoping for an SEC bid. I had to chuckle. The BIG EAST isn't going anywhere. Pitt and Syracuse are headed to the ACC. Certainly a blow for football and possibly men's hoops...but of no consequence to BIG EAST women's athletics.

Let's look at the top two revenue producers in BIG EAST women's athletics...basketball and volleyball. In hoops, it's UConn, Notre Dame, Louisville, Rutgers, DePaul and Louisville who will battle for the top four spots and conference crown. No Orange or Panthers here. Louisville, Cincinnati, Notre Dame and South Florida will vye for the volleyball title again this year. Don't see a Pitt or Syracuse on this list.

Granted, the Orange have won the BIG EAST softball tournament the last two years. Syracuse is always a strong contender in field hockey and soccer. They can be replaced. Exactly what has Pitt produced in women's sports? Ever? Besides the class act Agnes Berenato in hoops...I can't think of a single thing.

Louisville to the SEC? Bring it. Road trips to watch Walz play Vandy, Tennessee and the Lexington Cats are a heck of a lot shorter than heading to Pittsburgh or Syracuse. SEC Volleyball would be a step up and a great challenge for the dynasty Anne Kordes is laying the blueprints for in volleyball. Sandy Pearsall produces winning, NCAA Tournament bound softball teams every year. SEC softball is big-time. Accept the upgrade. They don't play a whole lot of field hockey or lacrosse down south, though. That would hurt.

Who knows what will happen down the road? The defection of Syracuse and Pitt won't hurt Jeff Walz in recruiting. It won't ruin Anne Kordes' incoming classes. Sandy Pearsall won't miss spring trips to Pittsburgh or Syracuse to play in 40 degree weather. Wherever Louisville ends up...if they go anywhere at all...shouldn't affect University of Louisville women's sports.

I do not believe that UofL would ever be offered an SEC membership. Not as long as UK is a member. They'd block it with the fervor of Gwen Rucker soaring above the net to deflect a spike attempt.

Unfortunately, women's sports aren't the leading driving economic engines that are under Tom Jurich's guidance. This is all about football. Should be mucho interesting days ahead for the BIG EAST. If the BIG 12 evaporates into the thin air...time to go shopping, John Marinatto. Cards fans have seen it before. MVC to Metro. Metro to C-USA. C-USA to BIG EAST.

Just like mafia wars...the families need to have a little cleansing and shake-up every few years. Get out the mattresses and find a war-time consiglere. 

.