CARDS WIN, CARDS LOSE -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S SOCCER WINS AT MICHIGAN

As is our custom here at CARDINAL COUPLE, we try to bring you the joy and excitement of Louisville women's athletics. So, we'll start the Monday column with that..another win for Karen Ferguson Dayes' soccer program. UofL went to Ann Arbor, Michigan and came away with a 3-1 win. It was Louisville's fourth straight "W" to start the season. 

Maybe we should say Brooklynn 3 - Michigan 1.

Brooklynn (#13) gives it up for #14 Gabrielle Vincent

Brooklynn Rivers, a junior midfielder for the Cards scored all three goals against the Wolverines in Sunday afternoon action and went about it three different ways. 

She opened the Cards' scoring 6:49 into the match when she gained control of the ball from a Michigan player and  placed a shot into the bottom, right area of the goal past UM keeper Izzy Nino from about 15 yards out.  The UM squad was quick to respond, though, scoring just 15 seconds after UofL's tally to tie it at 1-1. 

Rivers wasn't done, though. Not by a long shot. Louisville earned a penalty corner shot at the 21:04 mark of the contest and Rivers stepped up and drilled one into the left lower corner of the goal to give the Cards back. And, that's the way the squads entered the half. Louisville holding the 2-1 edge after 45 minutes of action. 

It continued to be the Brooklynn show to start the final half. The Fort Thomas, KY native got loose after a Arianna Ferraro feed in the third minute of the second session and beat Nino again with found pay-dirt for the third time. Goal, Cards! 

Take off the hats and send them onto the turf.

The hat trick by Rivers is the first of the year for the Cards.  Why do they call it a hat trick? The term came about in the sport of cricket back in 1858 when an English player delivered three consecutive attempts that succeeded in taking wickets. The fans in attendance took up a collection and bought the player a new hat with the money. 

Coincidentally, the WSOC squad's last hat trick was on 8/26/18 when Gabrielle Vincent scored the triplicate against UAB. 

The Cardinal defense was stellar in the final 45 minutes, allowing just one shot on Cards keeper Gabby Kouzelos. 

Louisville returns home with a 4-0  record to prepare for the annual "Battle of the Bluegrass" against Kentucky at Lynn Stadium on Friday, August 31st. These two will meet at 5:30 p.m....the first of two that night on Floyd Street. Louisville men's soccer faces St. Louis (no, not the Cardinals...the Billikens) at roughly 7:30 p.m.  It's a "two-fer" Come on out! 

The Cards defeated UK in Lexington last year 3-1 on Sept. 1st. Emina Ekic scored twice against UK in that one and provided the assist to Alison Price for her goal. 

Our remaining question, I suppose, is just how many rivers flow through Brooklyn? If you know, let us know in the comments section.  

(Thanks to Jared Anderson for forwarding two of the pics above from Mark Vincent) 


FIELD HOCKEY FALLS TO OSU IN OVERTIME

It was a tale of two halves yesterday in Trager Stadium. 

The Cards controlled action and possession in the first 35 minutes and built a 2-0 led on the visiting Buckeyes. Goals from Mercedes Pastor and Erica Cooper gave Louisville that edge and it looked like the Cards were on their way to another win over a BIG 10 foe. 

Then, came the second half. 

The Buckeyes basically outworked the Cards and got an early second half score and one with less than three minutes left in regulation to tie the match. Going into the 10 minute, seven-on-seven extra session, the Columbus, Ohio school shocked Louisville with the game ending score just 89 seconds into the overtime. 3-2, The Ohio State University over UofL. 

Coach Justine Sowry's description of the afternoon will get no argument from me. Jared Anderson, one of three CARDINAL COUPLE representatives at the contest (along with me and Worldwide Jeff McAdams) caught the post-game recap and you can see the un-cut version at the link below: 

FIELD HOCKEY POSTGAME WITH JUSTINE SOWRY -- OHIO ST.

A true disappointment, no doubt, with the #24 ranked Buckeyes coming into Trager and knocking off the #8 Cards. Maybe a wake-up call, of sorts, early into the season for Louisville to not under-estimate any foe and play hard to the final horn. 


Coach Sowry was quite understandably disappointed and dismayed by the Cards second half performance and we were as well. This is a much better team than they presented in the final 37 minutes of action yesterday when they play as a unit. Louisville has the best goalkeeper in the world in Ayeshia McFerran and a defensive breakdown leading to three scores against her was shocking. 

Confidence remains high, though, that the Cards will work out the dilemma and be quite prepared and motivated for their next foe. 

(A special "Thank You!"! to our Jared Anderson for providing the FH pictures! ) 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MS. "B" !!

At least the afternoon ended on a quite positive note when the Cardinal team and coaches gathered to celebrate Sherrill Brakmeier's 96th. birthday. Ms. "B", as she's affectionately called, played Field Hockey at UofL from 1941-44 and was the head coach of the squad for three decades. She was inducted to the Cardinal Hall of Fame in 1990.

The team presented her several gifts and a chocolate cake to honor her and she had a ear-to-ear smile with each presentation. As is custom, she has a seat of honor in the Louisville press box when she attends matches, and we did a bit of respectful and tribute scrambling to re-locate from those seats and make room for her and her daughter Sherill Zimmerman when they arrived shortly after the contest began.


Ms. B. embodies the spirit and long tradition of Louisville Field Hockey. I remember a short interview I did with her a few years back and her great memory of her coaching days. The money was tight back then...the administration would give her $50 for a road trip, that involved two carloads full of players and her and ask her to not spend it all on just one trip. 

The girls dined on hamburgers and soft drinks after away games and Ms. B would slice up oranges and put them in bags as a treat for the girls. 

Louisville Field Hockey hits the road for their next match, travelling to Richmond, VA for a test against U Mass Lowell on Saturday, Sept 1st. The Cards return home after playing at Delaware on Sept. 3rd. for four straight home games against North Carolina, California, Boston College and Northwestern.

You can catch the Cards for free anytime they play at Trager Stadium. Seven home contests remain. And, CARDINAL COUPLE will be a source for reporting action on Louisville Field Hockey home or away.  






paulie
xxxxx