Thursday Cardinal Couple -- Women's Soccer ties Vols....Carol staying in town

THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


- CARDS TIE VOLS IN WOMEN'S SOCCER


- CAROL BRUGGEMAN APPOINTED TO NFCA DIRECTOR'S JOB.

The fall sports season has finally gotten underway with competition. 

Louisville's women's soccer team traveled to

Knoxville, TN Wednesday night to face Tennessee and played to a 1-1 tie in an exhibition game

UT was picked to finish fifth in the SEC preseason coaches poll. 

UT's Hannah Wilkinson scored in the 28th minute and freshman goalkeeper Alexis Smith made seven saves as Tennessee and Louisville played to 1-1 tie on Wednesday in an exhibition match at Regal Soccer Stadium.

Wilkinson shook the Louisville goalkeeper inside the box and scored on an open net in the 28th minute. Louisville's Alison Price netted the equalizer in the 42nd minute past a diving Smith. Price is a freshman forward from Clemmons, NC. 

Tennessee finished with 10 shots to Louisville's 16. The Cardinals managed three corner kicks to UT's two.

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Former UofL Softball Coach Carol Bruggeman didn't have to go far to find her next job.


NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association announces that former UofL asst. softball coach Carol Bruggeman, a long time NCAA Division I coach at Michigan, Purdue and Louisville, has been named to to the position of Associate Executive Director with the Association. 

Beginning on September 1, Bruggeman will represent the NFCA as the new Division I staff liaison while undertaking various roles with coaching education, recruiting issues, special projects and as a national speaker, clinician and educator. 

"I would like to thank Executive Director Lacy Lee Baker and the NFCA Board of Directors for the opportunity to work for the prestigious NFCA organization,” Bruggeman said. “I am incredibly humbled to be offered the newly created position of Associate Executive Director. This new position seemed to be a natural fit; having been a long-time Division I softball coach and holding various leadership roles within the NFCA. The future looks very exciting for the NFCA. I am proud to join the current motivated staff in executing the vision for the organization and in serving fastpitch softball coaches across the world."

Bruggeman is certainly no stranger to the Association having been an active member for 25 years while unselfishly serving the NFCA in numerous capacities. Included are a four-year term as president and stints as both the past-president and fourth vice president on the NFCA’s Board of Directors, as the board’s Division I Representative and as a featured instructor at numerous National Fastpitch Coaches College courses throughout the country. Over September 12-13, 2014, in Lexington, Ky., Bruggeman will again lend her expertise to the NFCC by serving on the staff of Course 406: Coaching Dynamic Team Practices.

She has also been a featured speaker at more than 125 national softball clinics and professional business organizations. In 2013, she wrote a chapter entitled "Understanding Today's Player" for the NFCA book, The Softball Coaches Bible, Volume 2, and co-wrote a chapter entitled “Warm-up Drills for Softball” included in The Softball Drill Book, which was published in 2007. In 2002, Bruggeman penned a chapter entitled "Competing with Class" for the NFCA publication, The Softball Coaches Bible. She served as the color analyst for Fox Sports Chicago's television coverage of the 2002 Big Ten softball tournament. Bruggeman also co-produced Level 1 and Level 2 instructional DVDs on softball specific athlete development and has also produced instructional DVDs on base running and defense. In July 2011, Bruggeman traveled to Australia as head coach of the college team that won a gold medal with USA-Athletes International. She also traveled to the Czech Republic in 2009 in the same role.

In nine years at Louisville, Bruggeman helped build the Cardinal program into a perennial national contender. During
her tenure at UofL, the Cards picked up three BIG EAST Conference titles, an American Athletic Conference crown and secured nine straight NCAA Tournament berths, while boasting almost 60 combined all-conference selections, 17 NFCA All-Region inclusions, eight NFCA All-Americans and three conference player or pitcher of the year honorees.

During her coaching career, Bruggeman has been a part of over 700 victories, reaching that impressive personal milestone back on March 23, 2013, with a 4-1 triumph over Indiana. In 2012, she played an integral role in guiding a Louisville squad that won a school-record 55 games on the way to BIG EAST regular-season and tournament crowns and a top-10 national ranking.

Bruggeman came to Louisville from Purdue, where she started the Boilermaker softball program and served as head coach from 1994 to 2005. She guided the team to a 21-17-1 inaugural campaign in 1994, posting the best first-year record in Big Ten Conference history. Her squads posted 30 or more victories in nine of her last 10 seasons at Purdue. With Bruggeman at the helm, Purdue had 23 All-Big Ten selections, 24 NFCA All-Mideast Region Selections and one NFCA First Team All-American.

Paulie