Ayeisha McFerran -- Volleyball Uniforms -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Field Hockey's Clutch Defender

The roar of the unusually large crowd echoed through the confines of Trager Stadium.  Despite the chilly weather fans and players alike were dripping in sweat from head to toe.  The two teams huddled together in their respective groups just in front of the midfield point.  Every eye was on what was happening at the north goal.  Lined up directly in front of the goal was Duke's Haley Schleicher, who had hopes of putting the equalizer into the net.  Peering through the cage-like mask was Louisville's only chance of defending the final shootout of the heavily-favored Blue Devils.

Schleicher drug the ball to her right, hoping to race around the corner to beat the keeper off the edge.  With one final breath she attempted to fire a shot into the goal, but was stopped after traveling just a few inches.  The ball deflected off of the padding and stick of the defender and seemed to travel at a snail's pace to the side of the goal and out of bounds.  The Louisville players, decked in red uniforms with a white and black bold lettering outline rushed to their goalkeeper.  A victory over Duke sent the Cardinals into their first ever ACC Championship game.

Louisville's savior?  Ayeisha McFerran.

McFerran posted a career-best 18 saves in the game.  Her stellar defense gave Louisville the fighting chance they needed to march to victory.  In the five-shot shootout, the Irish goalkeeper silenced Duke twice.  It was just enough for the Cards to slip by in the shootout, 4-3.

Now, a rising senior, McFerran has her eyes on not only Louisville's first ever ACC Championship, but also on an NCAA Championship.  However, before she can begin her final season in the Red and Black, McFerran must help Ireland's national team on their journey through the ranks of the World Cup.  Yesterday, Ireland defeated India 1-0 to advance to the Women's Field Hockey World Cup quarterfinals using a bit more McFerran magic. Behind her shutout, the Irish snuck their way through their second victory of the tournament.  In their first game of the World Cup, the Irish upset the United States (and Nicole Woods) 3-1. Now in the quarterfinals, the Green Army will face England on Sunday, July 29.

For the Louisville side of things for McFerran, the Cards will have their annual Alumnae game on Saturday, August 18, at 1:00 p.m.  They will then head to Columbus to face Michigan in a friendly they following day at 4:00 p.m.  August 24 will be the official start of the season when Louisville visits Indiana.

Their first home game will be against Ohio State on Sunday, August 26, at 1:00 p.m.  Admission into Trager Stadium at Cardinal Park is free, but be wary of any attempts to sneak in outside food and drinks, as those are prohibited.  Look for Paulie and Worldwide in the press box and myself on the field and don't forget to say hi!

Volleyball Takes Over UofL Social Media




For you social media gurus out there you may have noticed a lot happening on the GoCards accounts about UofL volleyball.  Yesterday was their preseason photo and videoshoot day.  It was also the first sneak peek at the 2018 uniforms.  It's not too late to get season tickets or individual game tickets for the season!  Worldwide convinced Case to come in a major ACC match-up and the Cards won it in a five-set thriller.  You can catch Worldwide in the stands, Paulie on the media bench, and myself trying to figure out how to work my camera again.


What are your thoughts on their new look?

*Note: You can click on the image to enlarge it if viewing from a computer.  This does not work for mobile devices.*

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

After overnight storms threatened to disrupt last week's episode of The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour, everything appears to be in order to return to action tomorrow at the Magnificent, Majestic Media Mansion on Mellwood (did I say that correctly?).  The four knuckleheads will be back in the studio to discuss whatever comes to mind as well as take another one of the highly-coveted Cardinal Couple Quizzes!  Tune in to see if you can beat us! Catch us on Facebook Live to see why we have faces for radio.

What Day Is it?

Why, it's National Scotch Day, so if you like this type of whiskey -- have some! (in moderation, of course). It's also Creme Brulee Day and feel free to indulge in the vanilla custard with the caramelized sugar crust/topping. Just be careful if you're mixing the two treats. 8 oz. of Brulee isn't that much but 8 oz. of Scotch might have you mumbling this old saying from Scotland:  "Whit's for ye'll no go past ye" -- which roughly means "whatever is meant to happen to you, will happen to you".


Happy Friday and Go Cards!

- Jared -