What to Expect with Women's Soccer -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

There's plenty to focus on right now.  Women's Basketball starts in a week.  Volleyball is fighting to stay near the top of the ACC.  Field Hockey is about ready to start the ACC Tournament.  Women's Soccer is also preparing for postseason with Thursday's Senior Day having major implications on seeding.

What to Expect with Women's Soccer

Nimah Nelson is out.  The red card she received will cause the senior to miss her final home game.  She will get to participate in the Senior Day ceremonies but will have to leave the premises right after that.

With the senior centerback out the question surrounding Thursday's match is how the defense will look.  Gabby Kouzelos remains at goal and will be assisted by her other centerbsck, Sarah Hernandez.  Wingbacks Arianna Ferraro and Ravin Alexander are both expected to play.

We saw both Maisie Whitsett and Allison Whitfield get action in the wingback position this season.  There is a chance we may see Alexander or Ferraro slide to the middle and one of the forwards make their way to the corner.  There's also the possibility either Whitsett or Whitfield will take the centerback position and have the normal wings as insurance in case of broken coverage up the middle.  The rest of the starting 11 should remain the same.

What's at Stake

Seeding for the ACC Tournament is the big thing.  UNC has secured the 1-seed.  FSU and Virginia
are tied with each other for the 2/3 seed.  The Cards sit at 4th currently with 17 points.  Duke is close behind with 15 points.

A Louisville win secures the 4-seed.  A Louisville draw and a Duke loss/draw also gives the Cards the 4-seed.  A Louisville loss and Duke win would knock Louisville down to the 5-seed and out of home field advantage for the ACC Quarterfinals.  If Louisville draws and Duke wins the two teams would be tied with points at 18.

If Louisville and Duke finish the season tied here's what happens...

The Cards have scored 28 goals on the year and surrendered 12 (+16).  Duke has scored 34 goals and allowed 11 (+23).  If you break it down in conference games only the Cards are +1 and the Blue Devils are +8.  Since the Cards and Blue Devils drew in their head-to-head match-up the tiebreaker falls to goal differential.

If Louisville earns the 4-seed then they will host an ACC Quarterfinal at Lynn Stadium this Sunday.  Most likely it would be against Duke but there is the possibility NC State could leapfrog Duke for the 5-seed.  Clemson could finish tied for points with Duke but the Blue Devils own the tiebreaker.

There is no game time announced for Sunday, nor will one be announced until all ACC regular season games have concluded.  It is not expected to be an evening game but has a good chance at being a mid-afternoon game.

Before any of that, though, an important Thursday. Let's hope the WSOC Cards get a few treats and don't get tricked by the Wolfpack.


Senior Day

Louisville has eight seniors.  Five carry numbered jerseys while the other three remain with the team
and had early endings to their careers.

Sarah Feola played up through junior year but battled an achilles injury.

Sanela Hodzic played for two seasons before multiple ACL and leg injuries forced her to retire.

Bailey Florek battled several injuries and was limited in her first two years.

Arianna Ferraro became a starter her sophomore season after moving from the midfield back to defense.

Niamh Nelson was a defensive starter from the get-go.  She missed a few games sophomore year due to injury.

Brooklynn Rivers has been a starter her entire career and has been top two in scoring each season.

Callie McKinney started a majority of matches at Louisville and has been a strong defensive midfielder, although she found the back of the net in nearly every season.

Allison Whitfield is a senior from Louisville (duPont Manual).  She's bounced back-and-forth between being a starter and being a first off the bench player.

Join Paulie, Case, and myself at Lynn Stadium this Thursday night at 5:00 p.m. to honor the seniors and cheer on the Cards.Throwing candy this Halloween night game at me is a pretty good way to ensure you'll get me to take a picture of you.


Also, make sure to catch Paulie's coverage of today's WBB Media Day in the Thursday Cardinal Couple. I'm pretty sure you'll get much more than the 30 seconds the local TV channels might show during their nightly news.



Jared