Cards FH defeat Duke again 3-1 -- Angel, Aces force game five -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CARDS FH DOWN DUKE 3-1 ON SUNDAY

Louisville Field Hockey used a strong second half to power past Duke Sunday at Trager Stadium, getting a 3-1 win over the Blue Devils. 

The first half turned out to be a strong defensive battle between both squads, the Cards not getting on the board until just 38 seconds remained in first half action. Erica Cooper connected on an attempt from the top right of the circle after gathering in a missed Mercedes Pastor shot to put the Cards on the board. The lead was short-lived, though, as Duke got a score just 19 seconds later when Noor van de Laar drove home a tying shot from mid-circle. 

The half ended with that 1-1 tied. Duke held a 5-4 advantage on shots and had held Cardinal student-athlete Mercedes Pastor scoreless in the first 30 minutes, after a two-goal performance on Saturday. 

The Cards refocused to start the second half and started to take the offensive to the Blue Devils more aggressively. That increased offensive effort paid off just 2:26 into second half action when Louisville received a penalty corner attempt and Katie Schneider fired a shot on goal that was deflected by Duke goalkeeper Piper Hampsch. Schneider was there to collect the rebound though, and fire on goal again, this time finding the back of the net to put the Cards up 2-1. 

Four minutes later, the Cards drew another penalty corner and, this time, the other Schneider sister (Meghan) took the inbounds pass and fed Emilia Kaczmarczyk , who fired a reverse stick shot to the right side of the cage past the Duke defenders for the Cards third score. 

Louisville looked significantly better on both defense and offense in the second half, holding the Blue Devils scoreless and compiling a 12-5 shot advantage. Hollyn Barr had three saves in goalkeep and the Cards has a 9-2 advantage in penalty corners for the match.

Coach Sowry's post-game comments below:

POST GAME JUSTINE SOWRY 9-27-20 

Here is the Microsoft Teams audio and video of Coach and my post-game presser: 

Audio and Video of Coach Sowry's comments following 3-1 win over Duke

Of note...

-  All three Louisville scores came from substitutes, displaying the depth of the Louisville squad. 

- Cardinal midfield/forward Mattie Tabor suffered a knee injury in the first half and was escorted off the field. She left on crutches after the game and her knee was wrapping in ice. 

- The Cards bring in #1 UNC Friday, October 2nd for a scheduled 4:30 p.m. match. The Tar Heels won their opening match of the season 3-1 over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem back on Sept. 20th. 

(Thanks to Jared Anderson for the excellent Field Hockey photos from Saturday and Sunday!) 

ACES 84- SUN 75

Angel McCoughtry and her Las Vegas teammates are not ready to leave the wubble in Bradenton just yet.

Behind 29 points from the former Louisville women's basketball G.O.A.T, the Aces used a huge third quarter to build a lead on the Connecticut Sun and force a game five in the WNBA semifinals. 

McCoughtry magic was on display in the second half...she had 16 points in the pivotal third period and Las Vegas outscored Connecticut 28-16. That gave Las Vegas a 65-54 lead after three and they never relinquished it. 

To borrow a term from Cardinal Couple writer Case Hoskins...Playoff Angel was in the house. She saw 33 minutes and added six assists and five rebounds to her team-high 29 points. 

Angel went 13-22 from the floor to force a Tuesday 7:30 p.m. semifinal game. A'ja Wilson and Danielle Robinson both had 18 points for the Aces, who 48% from the hardwood. The winner of the upcoming game five will face Seattle, who eliminated Minnesota 92-71

Have a meaningful Monday!

paulie                                                                                                                                          

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