Field Hockey downs Bobcats...Different players, different strategy for WBB -- Wednesday Cardinal Couple

FIELD HOCKEY IMPROVES TO 12-4 WITH OHIO WIN


A weekday road-trip to Athens, Ohio resulted in a 2-0 win for Louisville Field Hockey Tuesday afternoon. The win improved the Cards' record to 12-4 on the season...while dropping the Ohio Bobcats to 3-9. The victory came hours after Louisville received news they had maintained a #7 ranking in the NCAA Field Hockey Poll. 

Go figure the wacky world of Field Hockey rankings. UNC remains #1 and Duke is #4. The Cards defeated both this season. Virginia, Syracuse and Boston College...schools who have dealt the Stick Cards losses this season...are ranked behind the Cards. 

Louisville and the Bobcats battled to a scoreless tie in the

first half of yesterday's game. The Cards wasted no time getting on the board in the final half....though...scoring just 2:33 into the action when Alyssa Voelmle deflected a Chile Garcia shot into the goal on the first penalty corner of the half. 

That lead held until the Cards increased it with five minutes remaining in the match...similar circumstances...this time Nicole Woods deflecting another Chile Garcia shot into the net on a penalty corner. 

The Cards attempted eight shots in the game...five of them on goal. Ohio U. could only manage three shots in 70 minutes and just one on goal. 

  

Parity reigns in the ACC. In the nineteen games between league opponents...15 have been decided by one goal. 18 of the 19 have been decided by two or less goals. Eight of the contests have gone to overtime. All seven ACC Field Hockey schools are ranked in the top 14. 

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Different personnel? Different stategy...

We get a lot of comments here at Cardinal Couple about

women's basketball. Go figure. One of the hot button items that we've been seeing concerns the task of Jeff Walz replacing his three leading three-point shooters from last season. 

We don't think he has to. 

You play to your strengths and this year's squad is rock solid in the paint and features several guards adept at driving to the goal for scoring and rebounding. 

The key is having a couple of outside threats that will keep defenses honest and from packing the paint defensively. It appears Walz has a few that can "drain the trey" in Jude, Syd, Mariya, Megan and Arica. Or even Sara...

Very few coaches utilize their teams' talent and can design offenses to their players' strength better than the eighth-year coach out of Ft. Thomas Highlands. 

"Threedom" may not reign as frequently in the KFC YUM! Center as frequently as it has over the past few years...but what we think you will find is that "paint points" will fall like leaves from a maple tree in the fall. 

And the fast break, transition basketball sparked by defense that has been a signature of "Walz Ball" since he arrived? You know that isn't changing. It was evident when Walz helped coached the U17 team this summer and you can expect to see it from the 2014-15 Cardinals. 

Is that Sara preparing to go skydiving? Noooo...it's her
and Coach Walz arriving in Greensboro, NC for ACC Media Day.

We see rebounding being the strongest for the "mad scientist" since he got off a flight from Baltimore and told Tom Jurich he'd like to set up a laboratory in Louisville.

Click the link below to hear senior Sara Hammond talkin' hoops:  

SARA HAMMOND TALKS HOOPS ON MEDIA DAY

paulie
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