Soccer ties NC State...Volleyball beats BC...Field Hockey readies for BC -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WSOC, PACK battle to two-overtime tie. 

Yep, you guessed it. If it's Louisville women's soccer...there's probably going to be extra time on the field and a 25% chance of a tie. Such was the case last night in Lynn Stadium...where the #21 Louisville Cardinals women's soccer squad went 110 minutes against the #24 North Carolina State Wolfpack and finished tied at 1-1. 

Both teams scored within less than a minute of each other at the start of the second half. The Wolfpack got the first tally 4:24 into play when Kristina Schuster found a gap in the Cardinal back line and send a rocket past Louisville goalie Taylor Bucklin to the top right corner of the net. 54 seconds later, the Cards retaliated on corner kick opportunity..."K.B" (Inger Katrine Bjerke) "using her head" to take a Brooklyn Rivers in-bounds kick and find the back of the net. 

The Cards narrowly missed a chance to get a second goal in the 81st minute-mark...a Rivers inbounds on a corner kick found Niamh Nelson but her header bounced off the top crossbar and back onto the field...where the Pack was able to make the clear. 

Neither squad was able to get the game winner in the double overtime format...the Cards had a clutch save from Bucklin in the final minute of the first overtime and UofL had back-to-back chances on corner kicks in the second overtime but were unable to get a shot off on goal. 

The Cards (7-3-3, 2-1-2) took 21 shots in the match...nine of them on goal and NC State attempted 21 shots...ten of those on goal. Bucklin finished with nive saves between the pipes. 

The home stand ends Sunday when #15 Clemson comes to Lynn for a 1 p.m. contest. We did notice Cardinal WBB players Briahanna Jackson, Kylee Shook and Bionca Dunham in attendance last night, cheering on the Kickin' Cards. (We didn't see Deb Antonelli but it's just a matter of time until she resurfaces...) 


Paulie caught up with Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson Dayes and Bjerke after the game. You can hear those comments below:  

LINK: INTERVIEW WITH KAREN FERGUSON DAYES

LINK: POST GAME INGER KATRINE BJERKE


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VOLLEYBALL RALLIES ON ROAD TO BEAT BOSTON COLLEGE

After losing the third set 25-14 to the Eagles...one wondered if the Cards could break their four game losing streak...on the road and against a scrappy Boston College squad. Louisville responded in fine fashion, though...squeaking out a 26-24 fourth set and taking the final set 15-12 in chestnut Hill. 

Tess Clark provided a strong punch for Anne Kordes' squad...the middle-blocker getting 16 kills and five blocks. The "J&J" juggernaut...Jasmine Bennett and Janelle Jenkins also figured heavily in the win...with 18 and 14 kills respectively. Molly Sauer put in a very big effort with consistent passing, big serves and gutty defense. 



Anne Kordes was effusive in her praise for her squad: 

"That win felt fantastic. It was similar to so many of last year's wins...where we accomplished so much relying on a team effort. Everyone brought something to the floor at different times."

After losing the first set 23-25, the Wide Netters from the Ville roared back for a 25-18 win. After the break, Boston College dominated the third set 25-14 and jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the fourth set. The Cards got it back to an 11-11 tie but found themselves faced with a 21-23 deficit late. Tied at 24, Louisville benefited from a BC error and Molly Sauer's service ace gave Louisville the come-from-behind win. 

UofL jumped out to an commanding 11-5 lead in the final set but had to hold off a determined Eagles effort to get the 15-13 win. At 13-12, kills from Melanie McHenry and Tess Clark gave the Cards the three-point victory. 

Louisville (6-9, 1-4) gets their first ACC win of the season and will head to Syracuse next for a 1 p.m. match against the Orange on Sunday.


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TOP 15 MATCH TONIGHT IN TRAGER IN LOUISVILLE VS BC

"Wait a second, Skipper. Didn't Louisville
just play Boston College?" 

A different group of Eagles fly into Trager Stadium tonight...these being the Field Hockey variety for Boston College as the #8 Cards take to the pitch for a 6 p.m. affair in ACC action.

Don't let the 4-6 record for the Bostonians fool you. They've been competitive in each game this season and do own wins against #18 Stanford and #3 North Carolina this year. They're currently on a three game slide...but the competition has been stout with contests against top 25 foes Virginia, UMass and Duke. 


Louisville (10-2) is in the middle of a five game home-stand...defeating Iowa 2-1 last Sunday.  

The teams last met in Chestnut Hill last October...the Cards getting a 3-2 come-from-behind win. Current Cardinals Stephanie Byrne and Nicole Woods scored late goals to propel the Cards to that victory. Both of those players, in addition to leading scorer Minout Mink and goalkeeper Ayeshia McFerran will be counted on for big performances tonight. 

It's FRIENDS OF JACKLYN night at Trager, so get out and help support this very worthy cause from an organization that promotes improving the quality of life for children with brain tumors and other childhood cancer by pairing them with a sports team. 

If you can't make it, the contest will be shown on the ACC Network Extra...the indefatigable and eloquent Sean Moth handling play-by-play.


paulie
xxxxx