Rouse to Miss Beginning of Louisville Season -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Mollie Rouse Named to England U20 WWC Roster

After attending training camp for the upcoming Under-20 Women's World Cup this summer with England, Mollie Rouse has officially been named to the squad that will compete in the event. While this is wonderful for Mollie, of course. We've mentioned before while talking about Mollie and the UofL field hockey players currently participating in their world cup how great the experience of playing on an international level is. However, it does mean that she is guaranteed to miss some time for UofL as the season begins. 

Although there are only 16 teams and the rest periods are not as drawn out as the men's world cup that just finished, the upcoming event will still take place over 19 days this August. Group play begins on August 5th with England taking on North Korea on Matchday 1. England's group could be tough with Mexico and Brazil rounding out the group. Matchday 3 for the group stage is on 8/12, so Rouse is guaranteed to miss the opener against Morehead State. Should England go on a run and make it to the semifinals, Rouse would miss UofL games against Wright State, Xavier, and Dayton, and would likely miss the 8/26 game at Michigan. The final and third place games are on 8/24 and Rouse would require travel time and rest. We would hope she would return available in time for the Kentucky game on 8/31.

In addition to Rouse, the USA also qualified for the event. Should the USA make a long run, Michigan would be without their goalkeeper come time for the game against the Cards. Louisville opponents have a total of 7 players on the USA squad for this event with the aforementioned keeper from Michigan, one player from UNC, one from Virginia Tech, and a whopping four players from Virginia. Virginia is the most represent club on the 21 player roster.

Rouse could be missed if she is unable to return to the team for an entire month. In her freshman season, Mollie gathered two goals and an assist in 865 minutes over 15 games. Those stats don't stand out as a team leader, but she is poised to have a larger role as the midfield looks to create more cohesion this season with greater experience. While Rouse will be competing against some of the most talented players at her level next month, team chemistry cannot be understated, especially for midfield players. Louisville will look forward to her return whenever England's time in France is complete. 

Myisha Hines-Allen Stops by Practice

During the WNBA All-Star Break, Myisha Hines-Allen became the most recent former UofL athlete to stop by her old stomping grounds and socialize with some former teammates. Coaches of different UofL sports operate in many different ways when it comes to returning alums, but it is good to see that former WBB players feel welcomed enough to return to practice. MHA was a force that will be nearly impossible to replace on this team, but supporting her former teammates is sure to bring them some positive energy. I always look forward to stories like this that help to remind me that UofL is not just a stopping place for athletes on their way to the next step in their life. For many, UofL becomes their home, and I am happy to see that the door of their home remains open to them.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

You can't keep us away for long. Jared and I are both back in the studio today after having last week off and we'll join Paulie and Worldwide in the studio as the summer is drawing to a close. The quiz will continue, but for the first time in a long time, the Louisville all-sports calendar is not completely collapsed. Tune in at 11 AM for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour however you listen to or stream music. WCHQ is available at 100.9 LPFM, wchqfm.com, the WCHQ app, or on Facebook live. The link to watch our stream is available on the right side of the site. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-