Re-Predicting the Rest of the Season --TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Reviewing the Season and Re-Predicting the Record

Now that we are most of the way through the season we have seen some Cardinal squads surprise us while others have ended up right on par.

Field Hockey has been the big shocker so far.  The Cards are 5-0 that featured victories over two 2019 Final Four squads in North Carolina and Boston College.

Volleyball has been right on par.  We had plenty of debate on if the Cards would go 7-1 or 6-2, with 7-1 being more hopeful and 6-2 more likely.  After a season-opening loss to Notre Dame, Louisville has been dominant and leads the nation in blocks with a 4-1 record.

Soccer has also been on par this season.  We had a pretty strong consensus that the Cards would finish about 5-3 with the possibility of one more win or loss.  Both losses so far have come against Top 10 opponents and hold a 4-2 record.

So let's predict the rest of the season for these three sports.

Field Hockey, who will now play one less game than the original scheduled listed due to weather, is three wins away from a perfect 8-0 fall season.  With the high level of play from all ACC teams that will be an extremely difficult task.

Louisville has two matches scheduled against Virginia and one match against Syracuse, all on the road.  These two teams are third and fourth, respectively.  I now put them at 2-1 the rest of the year with a loss to Virginia in the mix.  The Cards will finish 7-1 and take the ACC title for the first time.

Volleyball is scheduled for two more matches, both at Pitt, with hopes of rescheduling their match against Notre Dame.  The Panthers have not been as good as predicted and sit at 3-3.  The Irish are part of a three-way tie for second place at 4-1.

The Cards appear to be in good shape to sweep Pitt on the road after getting red hot.  They have dominated defensively, leading the country in blocks and easily knocking opponents out of system.  If they do reschedule the home match against Notre Dame, the Cards will get revenge and go into a four or five set thriller.  They will finish the season either 6-1 or 7-1 and earn a share of the ACC fall title.

Soccer has a tough schedule remaining that includes #14 Notre Dame and #1 North Carolina.  Their 12 points on the season have been good enough to put them into a tie for third with Clemson.  UNC and FSU are tied for first with 18 points.

The Irish have been good when winning and not so good when losing.  They have outscored opponents 10-0 when winning and been outscored 8-1 when losing.  Louisville will rely on a strong defense to get the win against Notre Dame.  The Tar Heels are a different story, outscoring opponents 14-1 this year.  A win against Notre Dame will be the final points for the Cards as they go 5-3-0 for 15 points (three points per win, one point per draw) in conference play.

We will be in attendance for the remaining soccer matches on Sunday and the following Thursday.  If volleyball reschedules their home match then you can expect us there too.  Field hockey is on the road for the remainder of the season so our in-person coverage has concluded.  You can still look forward to coverage via social media and here at Cardinal Couple for all matches, home and on the road.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared