Louisville at Pitt -- Four Cards Earn Postgrad Scholarship Awards -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Louisville Travels to Pitt

Louisville women's basketball begins their final road trip with a trip to Pittsburgh tonight. Having already earned a double-bye in the ACC Tournament, the Cards can clench the 2-seed with a win tonight.

Teams: #4 Louisville vs Pittsburgh

Records: Louisville (23-3, 14-2 ACC), Pittsburgh (11-16, 2-14 ACC)

Where: "The Pete" Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pa.

When: 6:00 p.m. ET

TV: ACC Network Extra (online)

Radio: 790-AM WKRD

Head-to-Head Record: Louisville leads 22-2

Coaches: Jeff Walz (15th season as Louisville head coach)

                Lance White (4th season as Pittsburgh head coach)

Key Players: Louisville: Hailey Van Lith (13.6 ppg, .355 3-pt pct), Kianna Smith (11.8 ppg, 3.0 assists per game .388 3-pt pct), Emily Engstler (11.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg, .426 3-pt pt), Olivia Cochran (8.7 ppg, 5.5 rpg)

                    Pittsburgh:  Dayshanette Harris (10.0 ppg, 2.88 assists per game), .326 3-pt pct), Amber Brown (9.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Liatu King (6.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg)

Pitt is riding near the bottom of the ACC and their NCAA Tournament chances ride solely on winning the ACC Tournament. Louisville throttled Pitt 89-31 earlier this season. The Panthers' two wins in conference play came against Wake Forest at home and at Clemson in overtime.

One big change in the Pitt lineup is that leading scorer Jayla Everett was dismissed from the Panthers squad on Sunday, for unspecified reasons. She was Pitt's leading scorer.

Since the thumping earlier this year, Pitt has shown signs of improvement  (if you can call losing by 15 or less each game improvement). Overall, on the year, the Panthers have just a -3.1 scoring margin.

The one good thing Pitt is good at is drawing fouls to shoot free throws. However, they aren't good at making free throws. The Panthers rank 14th in the conference with a 64.1 free throw percentage. With Louisville's poor luck with fouls, there is reason for concern in terms of players getting in foul trouble.

Tonight's biggest concern is the mentality and attitude Louisville has going into the game. With the 1-seed in the ACC Tournament no longer possible and a tie for the ACC regular season title highly unlikely, a game against a bottom dweller can be tough to get motivated for. Still, with Jeff Walz and Co, the Cards should be more than prepared for tonight's game.

Four Cards Earn Postgraduate Scholarship Awards

UofL prides itself on academic success in its athletics and four Cards just received postgraduate scholarship awards.

Alli Bitting, Michaela Dukes, and Gabriela Leon were among 54 recipients of the 2022 Weaver-James-Corrigan-Swofford Postgraduate Scholarship Award while Kianna Smith was named an honorary recipient by the ACC.

All four Cards have been on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll and have been named to their respective All-ACC Academic Teams. 

There's certainly plenty of reason to congratulate all four of them.

Weekend Events + Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

Yes, our normal Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast is still on as usual this weekend. The crew on air might be a little slim as we see spring sports clashing with our normal time slot. Both lacrosse and softball are known to have early games on Saturday. Softball is down south in the Wooo Pig Clasic in Fayetteville, Arkansas and Scott Teeter's LAX squad is set for a noon start this Saturday, opening ACC play by hosting Va. Tech. Paulie is debating on whether he will hop on air or head out to the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium. I will be out there taking pics in the Cards' ACC opener.

Tune in Saturday to see just who is on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast at 11 a.m. Check out the CCRHP You Tube site at THIS link.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Field Hockey Academic Honors -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Field Hockey Academic Honors

We're stepping away from Louisville Women's Basketball for a day to look back at a fall sport and some awesome academic accomplishments for some of the student-athletes. Louisville Field Hockey is one of the smartest team sports due to the hard work and effort of many of the players on the team.

The Cards placed seven student-athletes on the All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team. The requirements to making the teams are a cumulative 3.0 GPA for your career and a 3.0 GPA in each of the last two semesters. So, averaging a 3.0+ GPA for your career but having a semester where you had a sub-3.0 GPA gets you off the list.

Maintaining a 3.0 GPA or better is already difficult for any student due to the amount of work and studying involved, but adding the athlete part of that (practices, workouts, matches, travel) makes it that much more impressive.

Alli Bitting, Erica Cooper, Mila de Kuijer, Julie Kouijzer, Aimee Plumb, Katie Schneider, and Mattie Tabor were all named to the All-ACC Field Hockey Academic Team.

Bitting had even more great news come in as she was named the ACC Field Hockey Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year. North Carolina's Erin Matson shares the honor with Bitting.

Bitting, who graduated in December with a degree in sport administration, was named to the Dean's List and AD Honor Roll every semester she was a student at Louisville. She is also a four-time ACC Honor Roll selection. On top of her academic accomplishments, Bitting is a three-time NFHCA All-American (first team 2021, second team 2020, 2019) and will have her banner hung alongside the other All-Americans at Trager Stadium.

As much as we love reporting the on-field successes of our student-athletes, we love reporting on their academic successes even more.

Louisville has always prided itself on the academic successes of its student-athletes and it's great to see that tradition continue.

                                                        *************************

We're in a three-day break from any women's sporting events. Jeff Walz's squad breaks that hiatus with an 8:00 p.m., tip-off against Florida State on Thursday. The Cards look to extend their winning streak and solidify their second spot in the ACC standings above Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, both whom are looming nearby. Including Thursday, UofL has 11 games remaining in the regular season, and we know A LOT can change in that time span.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

FH Drops ACC Semi, VBall Sweeps -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Penalty Strokes Down Louisville in ACC Semis

Louisville's offensive woes, which have plagued them intermittently throughout the season, struck again yesterday when Virginia once more held Louisville to just one goal as they did in the regular season matchup. Unlike that previous match, though, Louisville was unable to keep Virginia out of the cage and the teams headed to overtime, double-overtime, and, ultimately, penalty strokes. It took six rounds, but the Cavaliers eventually won out and the Cards will once again miss out on their opportunity to win the ACC Championship. With UNC's upset of Syracuse in the later game, the ACC is guaranteed a repeat champion, though Virginia has only won it once. UNC will be playing for their 24th ACC Field Hockey title. The next closest active member (Maryland has ten) is Wake Forest with four. Boston College, Duke, Louisville, and Syracuse are all still seeking their first title. 

The Cards were on the back foot early in yesterday's match, which was a bit disappointing, given the advantage they had by earning the first-round bye. Not only had Virginia had to play the day before, they played later than anticipated after snow delayed the beginning of the first round by 90 minutes. The Cavaliers didn't have much trouble handling Boston College, but they still had to play a full game the day before this one. It certainly didn't show. Virginia earned the first four shots of the match, with three coming from back-to-back penalty corners. Mila de Kuijer and the Louisville defense were able to keep them out for the first quarter, though, and Katie Schneider forced a save for Louisville late in the period.

In the second quarter, it was once again Virginia with the early advantage. This is unlike how Louisville has performed recently, inability to score in droves aside, and it is a bit concerning looking ahead to the NCAA tournament. Neither team made much headway in the first portion of the quarter, but Virginia came alive halfway through. A penalty corner led to two shots, blocked and saved, but Louisville couldn't get out of their defensive end. A minute later, Virginia picked up another shot, this one needing to be saved by a defender. Unfortunately, Julie Kouijzer's defensive save was ruled illegal, and a penalty stroke was awarded. In what may have been an omen of what was to come, Virginia's shot clanked against the cage and the Cavs led 1-0. Louisville earned their first penalty corner later in the quarter, but they were unable to even get a shot off. The two teams traded shots, with Virginia nearly doubling their advantage, but the half ended with the score remaining 1-0.

Louisville appeared to regain some interest in winning this one when they emerged from the locker room, as they held Virginia to no offensive plays in the third quarter. On the offensive end, Louisville added three shots, forcing two saves, but could not find an equalizer. The fourth started much the same way. Louisville again commanded possession and worked to tie the match. They were successful on their fourth penalty corner of the match, with Alli Bitting sending the corner to Filippa Niebuhr, who deftly sent a return pass right back to Bitting for the goal. It was all UVA after that. For the remaining nine minutes of the match, Virginia hounded the Louisville goal looking for a winner. Virginia put up seven shots in the final stages, with just one penalty corner in the sequence. They forced four saves and two blocks as just one of the seven shots was off target. To their credit, Louisville was able to hold the line, and regulation ended in a 1-1 tie.

The first overtime saw a pair of tentative teams, as neither was able to work much offense. They traded yellow cards, with each team getting about a minute and a half of player advantage, but only one shot was had by either team. Aimee Plumb did her best to gather her fourth game-winning goal of the season, but Virginia's Tyler Kennedy was able to make the save. In the second overtime, no plays were recorded for either team, as they fought over possession of the ball for ten minutes, with neither team wanting to open themselves up to give up the golden goal so late in the match.

As the shootout began, Coach Justine Sowry made an interesting decision, as she pulled Mila de Kuijer from the cage in favor of sophomore Maitland Demand. Demand, who is not even listed as a goalkeeper on the roster, has been the emergency goalie in Sam Minrath's absence, but has not had to play yet. Mila de Kuijer had earned eight saves to that point in the game, so I don't quite understand this move, unless she felt unconfident after the Virginia stroke earlier. Virginia went first in the opening stage of the shootout, a guaranteed five stroke faceoff, and scored their first three. Louisville scored on two of three and faced a deficit with time running out. Demand was able to pick up a save, which Louisville answered with a goal on the fourth shot to tie, and both teams scored their fifth stroke. The next phase is sudden death, with each team getting one stroke until the score is no longer tied. Louisville had the first attempt in this portion, and Charlie van Oirschot's shot was saved. Laura Janssen scored on the next play and that was that. The ball found the back of the cage a total of 12 times, but the final scoreline reflects only that Louisville lost 2-1. 

This was Louisville's first overtime loss of the season, as they had won the previous six matches that couldn't be decided in regulation. Their last penalty shootout loss was also in a semifinal match, last season's NCAA semifinal against Michigan. With Syracuse's loss, the Cards should still find themselves in a position to be the highest ranked ACC team entering the tournament and should host their first round game as a result. However, by losing their five-game winning streak, they are likely to lose ground in the overall rankings, making an extended hosting period in the NCAA tournament unlikely. Louisville will find out their fate tomorrow at 10PM when the 2021 selection show airs live on NCAA.com.

Volleyball Sweeps NC State in Raleigh

Claire Chaussee is on a roll right now. With ten kills in last night's match, she led the team in kills for the third straight match. Chaussee can be a bit mercurial at times, but when she is feeling it, she is a danger for any team to have to go against. With Anna DeBeer, Anna Stevenson, and Aiko Jones also terrorizing opposing teams' front lines, Chaussee being in her groove makes Louisville an even tougher challenge. Such was the case for NC State last night, as the Cards went into the Wolfpack's arena and did a little fall cleaning with a 25-19, 25-20, 25-21 sweep.

The Cards were fairly dominant, despite the close score, as they outhit the Wolfpack 0.250 to 0.160, won the aces battle 9-1, and won the blocking battle 9-2. Louisville was never really in any danger of dropping a set last night, as early runs in each gave them at least a 15-10 advantage in each set. The closest NC State would get after Louisville hit the 15 point mark was when a quick run pulled them to within one point at 18-17 in the third set. Louisville responded by winning six of the next eight points to give themselves five attempts at match point. They ended up needing three, but Chaussee ended things with a kill.

Joining Chaussee at the top was Stevenson, who finished with eight kills. Stevenson added three block assists, but her 1.5 total blocks couldn't surpass Chaussee for the lead in that category either, as Claire had two solo blocks and two assists for a total of 3.0. Next highest was Aiko Jones, who finished with one and three for a total of 2.5 blocks. Jones also chipped in five kills, tied with Amaya Tillman. Anna DeBeer had an up-and-down evening, as she finished with the third highest number of kills at six and tied for the team-high with three aces, but posted team-highs in errors (5) and service errors (2). Ayden Bartlett was the other leader in aces, and Stevenson and Tori Dilfer added two and one, respectively, to round out the total of nine. 

After allowing Duke back into last week's match in the third set, it looked like Louisville might flirt with doing it again last night when NC State made a late charge. However, the Cards were able to buckle down and close out the match in a tough environment. NC State hasn't had the team they once did when they were competing with Louisville near the top of the ACC in years past, but they still brought in 1,600 people for last night's match. They entered the match at 13-10 (7-5), but have had to do some record recovery after losing four of six to start the season and three of four to start conference play. Having now played all three of their matches against Pitt, GT, and Louisville (and taking a set off of GT on the road), the Wolfpack could still finish out strong.

Louisville's ability to close this one out and not allowing NC State to extend the match was critical. Louisville had dropped a set in three of the previous four matches after losing the sweep streak, so to get this one to start a road weekend is confidence boosting. The Cards will stay in the Tar Heel State for the third match in a row as they take on UNC tomorrow. The match in Chapel Hill will get underway at 1PM and be available on the ACC Network Extra.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We're back this week with another episode of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast. We'll still be without Daryl for a few weeks longer, but she should return once we're in the thick of basketball season. We're sorting out what the show will look like with Louisville football's upcoming noon kickoffs but things will be normal this week as we talk volleyball, field hockey, and the opening women's basketball scrimmage. As always, you can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Breaker: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

FH Clinches ACC Title -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Hold on to Beat Cuse 2-1

Louisville entered yesterday afternoon's match with a share of the ACC regular season title in hand, but the number one seed in the ACC tournament--and the bye that comes with it--was still up for grabs. As the last home match of the regular season, yesterday marked Louisville's Senior Day. The Cards honored Alli Bitting, Erica Cooper, Mackenzie Karl, Sam Minrath, Camryn Pichea, and Katie Schneider. Outside of Minrath, every other senior earned a start. In a big game for the team and the players, the Cards responded with a big win.

The top-ten matchup was expected to be a tough one, as Syracuse was nearly undefeated in the ACC just like Louisville, though they dropped their last match against Virginia. As expected, it delivered with a close match in the end. The two teams hounded each other offensively, with both registering double-digit shots. Louisville turned fifteen shots into nine on target, while the Orange put six of eleven toward goal. Both goalies were up to the task as well, as they combined for 12 saves. Though Coach Justine Sowry lamented her defense sagging a bit in the second half, the Cards were stout when it mattered, keeping Syracuse out of goal on all five of their corner attempts in the first half and not allowing them to earn any in the second half.

Of those five corners Syracuse earned, four came in the first quarter. In fact, all four came in a row. Just under four minutes in, the Orange worked their way into the circle and fired a shot toward the cage that was blocked by a defender. The block gave Syracuse a corner, and the sequence began. Their first corner came to nothing, though it was put out for another opportunity. The second resulted in a shot, and Mila de Kuijer was up to her first test. The ball wasn't cleared, however, and another corner was given. Third time wasn't the charm, as again it came to nothing but another corner. On the fourth opportunity, Louisville again prevented a shot, this time finally clearing the ball to end the threat. To recap, Syracuse had four corners in 30 seconds and turned them into one shot, which was saved. Bravo to the Cards.

After that, it was Louisville's turn. A couple of minutes later, Charlie van Oirschot found herself with an opportunity on goal and fired a shot that was saved. She'd recover the ball and get another chance, but that shot went wide. Shortly after that sequence, Sowry went to a round of offensive substitutions, and they paid off. Nine minutes into the quarter, five minutes after Syracuse's barrage, Louisville found themselves in position to run the offense. That opportunity resulted in Aimee Plumb finding Filippa Niebuhr in the circle. Niebuhr fired a shot to the right side, and the Cards led 1-0. Syracuse would grab two more shots in the first quarter, but neither were on frame, and Louisville took their lead into the quarter break.

In the second quarter, it was the Cards that came out firing, and it looked as though they may be able to extend their advantage. Mattie Tabor put the first shot of the quarter towards goal just 40 seconds in, but the shot was wide. A couple of minutes later, Louisville started a sequence similar to the one Cuse had in the first quarter. Tabor again got a shot off in open play, and this one was one target but saved. The save resulted in a corner, which saw Emilia Kaczmarczyk have her shot blocked. For the second corner, Aimee Plumb turned the ball over to Alli Bitting to play in. Bitting returned the favor by sending it back to Plumb, who fired a shot on goal, only to have it saved. Bitting recovered the rebound, but her second effort was wide of the cage. After a pair of traded green cards, Syracuse got another chance with a pair of shots, one coming from a corner, but de Kuijer responded with a pair of saves to keep the score line at 1-0 as the teams hit the locker room.

As we have often seen with this team, they come out of the halftime break with intensity. Yesterday was no different, as Louisville found themselves in attacking position just a couple of minutes into the half. After earning a corner, Karl had her shot saved, but another corner was awarded. This time, it was Kouijzer who took the reception, but she passed it instead of firing a first time shot. This proved quite fruitful, as Erica Cooper fired a shot towards goal, and the Syracuse defender who tried to block it away succeeded only in deflecting it past the goalie. Cards led 2-0.

It would be nice to say that the Cards coasted off into the sunset to collect their ACC trophy after that, but then I would be lying. With five minutes left in the quarter, Syracuse worked their offense forward to put a shot on target. This one snuck past de Kuijer, but a defender's stick managed to find the path and earn a defensive save. Unfortunately, the joy was short lived, as the rebound went right back to Syracuse, who knocked it into the cage. 2-1 Cards. On the sequence, Bitting earned a yellow card, giving Syracuse a player advantage and a bit of momentum. They used that momentum to work out another shot a couple of minutes later, but de Kuijer was back on form to pick up the save. A Syracuse yellow card evened the field once more and the score remained as the quarter ended.

Louisville opened the fourth quarter with a flurry of activity. After a couple of minutes to get their feet under them, the Cards went on the attack. Over a minute and change, Louisville grabbed five total shots and two corners, resulting in three saves and a block. Ultimately, the fifth shot was wide and the threat was ended, but it was clear that Louisville was not satisfied with the one-goal lead. Two minutes later, it appeared they would get another opportunity to widen the gap when Syracuse saw a yellow card, but Louisville could do nothing with the advantage as Minna Tremonti got the same treatment 18 seconds later. Syracuse would go on to get one more shot in the match, but it was blocked. Unlike UNC, Syracuse did not gamble with an early goalie pull. They would employ the tactic, but they did it with four minutes left. It would prove to be too late, as the Orange could not even put up a shot with the extra attacker. 

Here's what Sowry, Bitting, and Cooper had to say after the win:

Justine Sowry Postgame Interview

Alli Bitting Postgame Interview

Erica Cooper Postgame Interview

Louisville's 2-1 victory gave them 16 wins on the season. That mark ties the school record for most wins in a season, and the Cards will certainly be hoping to break that record as early as next week. I'm sure they'd love to blow it out of the water by winning their remaining five potential games to snag the ACC and NCAA tournament titles, neither of which the Cards have ever claimed. Louisville will get the winner of the BC and UVA game on Friday at 1PM, as they automatically advance to the ACC Semifinals. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

Jeff is back this week so the live YouTube portion of the show should return. We'll see about that, though, as we've been haunted by technological issues recently. At any rate, we'll have four in the house to recap the week that was. Volleyball was off yesterday so we'll have plenty of time to talk about the big win over Pitt from Sunday, the field hockey regular season title, and the wrap up of the women's soccer season. If there's time, we'll look at the WBB Tip-off Luncheon, which Paulie will cover in more detail next week. As always, you can check out the live stream of the show by going to the Cardinal Couple YouTube page and clicking on the live video. Jeff usually creates that about an hour before the show, which officially starts at 11 AM Eastern. If the live time doesn't work for you, there are plenty of playback options, so be sure to check out whichever is best for you!

Cardinal Couple YouTube: Link

Anchor (podcast host): Link

Apple Podcasts: Link

Breaker: Link

Google Podcasts: Link

Overcast (free account required): Link

Pocket Casts (free account and app required): Link

RadioPublic: Link

Spotify: Link

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Volleyball now #12 -- Bitting Defensive Player of the Week --WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

LOUISVILLE VOLLEYBALL CLIMBS TO #12

It wasn't a dramatic jump in the rankings, but it was a move in the right direction, as Louisville Volleyball checks in at #12 in the nation, according to the AVCA Coaches Poll. The Cards were previously #13 in the poll last week. 

Louisville sits at 3-0 on the young season, having travelled to Tempe, AZ to begin the 2021 campaign and winning matches against Cal Poly, TAMCC, and Arizona State. The opening two were "get out the broom" wins -- of 3-0 sweep sets. ASU proved to be a bit more difficult and challenging -- but the Cards outlasted them three sets to two on the Sun Devils home court. 

Any early analysis of Louisville Volleyball's play could be pretty well summed up by saying that most of the weapons are back from last year, the weapons are working and on-target and the Cards did what they had to do (and what most expected) out in Arizona. 

This upcoming weekend brings Louisville home, hosting the Cardinal Invitational and three foes (Missouri, South Dakota and Northern Ky come to the L&N Federal Credit Union to test the Anna's, Aiko, Alexa, Ayden, Amaya, the rest of the "A" team and the Dani Busboom Kelly squad. 

There are no top-25 ranked foes in the the next group visiting LNFCU, and none of the three are "ar" squads (also receiving votes). One would expect the Cards to handle all three of the visitors...but, as is the case in college sports, when you have that "bullseye" of a top 15-ranked squad on your back, you're going to get upset-minded, trying to make a name for yourself opponents. 

The action begins Friday, and we'll have Jeff in the stands leading cheers and Jared will get you ready with a breakdown of the first opponent (Missouri) in his Friday column. We are playing a bit of musical chairs again this week -- I handled yesterday and today's columns and you get Jared for Thursday and Friday. Unlike last week, Volleyball is the only UofL women's sport on Floyd Street for Friday and Saturday. Field Hockey is headed to Princeton for two matches and Women's Soccer visits the Arch in St. Louis Thursday and will also chase down Billikens on SLU's home field -- Hermann Stadium.

I'm 99.9% sure the facility wasn't named after the former executive senior associate director of athletics at Louisville - turned realtor Julie Hermann. 

BITTING BRINGS IN MAJOR AWARD

University of Louisville fifth-year senior Alli Bitting has been named the first 2021 recipient of the ACC Field Hockey Defensive Player of the Week. 

Alli was an integral part of the Stick Girls defense that shut out Ohio and New Hampshire over the weekend at Trager Stadium. The defense allowed a mere five shots on goals in two games against the visitors from the Mid American and Colonial Athletic Conferences. The Cards outscored the two foes by  combined score of 9-0. 

We wish Alli the best of luck as the Cards go on the "P" Tour this weekend.-- heading to Princeton to play Penn and Princeton. 

TICKETS, TICKETS ? 

So, you say you'd like to go see the University of Louisville women's basketball team face UConn on Dec 19th.? 

Tickets for the contest go on sale Sept. 10th for the contest.at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.  Prices range from $17 to $112. 

For more info on the event, check out the link below: 

Louisville vs, UConn

If you'd rather call, here's a number for you.  1-877-4-HOOPLA. 

Have a wonderful Wednesday ! 

paulie

 

Field Hockey Wins -- Women's Soccer Wins -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

It was a busy day on Floyd Street again with both field hockey and women's soccer in action. Also on Floyd Street, but not directly related to a UofL team was Bellarmine field hockey playing a match at Trager Stadium against Ball State. Bellarmine will be using Trager Stadium as their home location this season.

Paulie was out performing as a master chef at a birthday celebration most of the day and that, sadly, kept him and Sonya from campus. He also seemed to master his craft of grilling without catching anything on fire so hit him up for your burger and brats needs. With Paulie out for the day and myself practically living on Floyd Street for the next few weeks it was easier for me to go on and recap both games. He'll take my Tuesday article in exchange.

Field Hockey Shuts Out New Hampshire

There was a Wildcats team on campus yesterday but they weren't from down I-64 and they weren't from East High with their singing and dancing. It was the Wildcats of New Hampshire that visited Trager Stadium to take on Justine Sowry's squad.

The #5 ranked Cardinals cruised to a 3-0 victory to improve to 2-0 on the year. Each goal was scored by a different player in a different quarter.

Late in the second quarter, Alli Bitting inbounded the ball on a penalty corner. Aimee Plumb took a shot that was deflected the goalkeeper, but the ball bounced straight to eye level of Bitting who had an open goal to work with. Like in basketball, this is why you are taught to follow a shot.

After carrying a 1-0 lead into halftime, Louisville scored a second goal from a set piece. The inbounds pass went to Julie Kouijzer, whose shot was more of a pass to Katie Schneider standing at the foot of the goal. Schneider used her stick as a ramp to send the ball into the air and the back of the cage.

The final goal came late in the fourth quarter as an insurance goal more than anything. After a pressing Cardinals attack forward, the ball got knocked around and deflected until the freshman Filippa Niebuhr came face-to-face with the ball and cage for her first score of the year.

Louisville pulled off penalty corners like it was a rabbit in a magic hat, but the keeper for New Hampshire had herself one heck of a day and limited to the scores off the corners to just two. She tallied double-digit saves on the day and kept the Wildcats in the game for much longer than anticipated.

On the defensive end for the Cards, Louisville's Mila de Kuijer had little action in goal. She saw one shot on goal the entire day and easily saved it. Besides that, she was hanging out by the grill with Paulie.

We got a chance to speak with Coach Justine Sowry following the win. You can check out her interview here.

Following our interaction with Coach Sowry, we got a chance to speak with Alli Bitting and get her thoughts on the game. You can check that out here.

Louisville hits the road to Princeton next weekend to take on Penn and Princeton. They'll return home the weekend after.

Women's Soccer Improves to 3-0 with Win

After a short break at home to cool down for me, I went back to campus to Dr Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium. The weather cooperated a lot better this time than the last go-around.

Louisville was fresh off a somewhat surprising close match against James Madison on Friday and bounced back with a 3-0 victory over instate opponent Northern Kentucky.

Unlike Friday's match, the Cards found a way to maintain position a majority of the night and continued to press forward without ever pulling off the reins.

It was fairly early into the game when Abby Baldridge lined up to send a free kick into the box. The ball connected with the head of fellow freshman Hayley Howard, who knocked the shot in for her first career goal.

Roughly 12 minutes later, Delaney Snyder broke loose from a defender hot on her tail to send a shot across the box and into the left corner of the goal for her second score of the year.

Midway through the second half, Emma Hiscock worked her way around a couple defenders to get a shot past the NKU keeper into the upper part of the goal for her team-leading third of the season.

It was the offense the proved to be the best defense for the Cards as their 18 total shots and eight shots on goal kept the Norse on their heels much of the night. NKU did find a little wiggle room on a couple occasions for a pair of shots on goal, both which were handled cleanly by Gabby Kouzelos.

With her save in the first half, Kouzelos recorded 200 career saves. Another save in the second half put her at 201 and a spot in the top five all-time in program history. After a rough game on Friday, Kouzelos looked back to her normal self in goal and was noticeably more vocal as she corralled her team and back line of defenders into position all night.

Louisville still has some work to do as they were heavy on the fouls on the night and are still figuring out the kinks with working on scoring opportunities, but you run into those issues with a young team that played seven freshmen and five sophomores (18 players saw minutes).

I wasn't able to stick around for postgame on this one but Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes seemed much more pleased with her team following the match.

The Cards improve to 3-0 on the year and head to Saint Louis on Thursday before returning home Sunday night to take on Western Kentucky.

Happy Monday and Go Cards!

Jared

All-ACC Field Hockey Honors -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 All-ACC Field Hockey Honors

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(Jared gets out of the office for a day) 

While I was out working the fair and enjoying all of the wonderful fair food (and Tums) yesterday, UofL field hockey had some positive news and some that was a little more questionable.

Alli Bitting and Charlie van Oirschot were named to the 2021 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team. The Cards were picked to finish tied for fifth in the ACC.

Bitting is a fifth-year midfielder and defender who has been a crucial part of the Cardinal defense in recent years. She is also looking to earn a third straight NFHCA All-American honor. She had eight assists and two goals last year.

Van Oirschot is in her second season with the Cards after a strong rookie year. The midfielder posted four goals and two assists en route to an All-ACC selection and West Region Second Team honor.

North Carolina is the heavy favorite to finish first in the preseason coaches selection. The Tar Heels received six of the seven first place votes. Coaches can't vote for their own team for first so the one non-first place vote is pretty clear by default.

Boston College was picked to finish second in the conference as the Eagles have been building their program up in recent years. Virginia was picked to finish third but did receive the remaining first place vote. Wake Forest was voted to finish fourth.

Louisville lands fifth, a noticeable drop from last season's strong finish. The loss of Mechi Pastor, Meghan Schneider, Biz Allgeier, Madison Walsh, Hollyn Barr, and Margot Lawn from last fall's team certainly could be considered a "hit "for Louisville and could be a big factor on their low preseason prediction.

However, a pick to finish fifth or worse seems a little low for a program that has been great and just gotten better in recent years under the leadership of Justine Sowry. I can understand not being picked to finish first or even second with the loss of several key players, but fifth seems quite low for this program. But hey, just more room to proof the doubters wrong.

Louisville finished last season ranked #3 after advancing to the program's first ever Final Four. The preseason NFHCA rankings have not been released yet but the Cards should start the year ranked in the Top 10, and after their performance against Bellarmine yesterday, they should surprise a few teams this year.

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

CARDINAL STUDENT-ATHLETE FIELD HOCKEY NFHCA AWARDS -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 PASTOR, BITTING, SCHNEIDER HONORED AGAIN

When I exchanged conversation and pleasantries with Louisville Field Hockey asst. SID Lori Korte Harmon earlier this month about the awards being bestowed on Louisville Field Hockey student-athletes, she assured me that there were more on the way. 

And, she was right ! 

We found out yesterday that Mercedes Pastor, Alli Bitting and Meghan Schneider earned 2020 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCHA) All-American honors and that Pastor made the first team. Schneider received an additional honor -- being named the 2020-21 NFCHA National Scholar-Athlete of the Year. 

This makes the fourth straight year that the Cardinals have had three NFCHA All-America selections and that matches a program record set in 2017. 

As you might well surmise and guess, the head coach of Louisville Field Hockey Justine Sowry was pleased: 

"Meghan garnering Scholar Athlete of the Year honors represents the first time this prestigious award has been received by a Louisville Cardinal. I am incredible proud of thse three young women and to have been a part of this truly unforgettable season." 

Sowry went on to discuss the program's season: 

This year, our program continued to build on last year's historic season. Despite the challenges of COVID and navigating both a fall and spring campaign, Louisville Field Hockey achieved unprecedented success both on the field and in the classroom. In a year that demanded so much, Mechi, Alli and Meghan anchored our team and demonstrated the resiliency that was instrumental in helping our program continue to reach new heights." 

Yes, incredible things are happening at the facility that's sandwiched in between a McDonald's and a Speedway. Even with several seniors "opting out" for the spring, the Cards still made the Field Hockey Final Four and were runner-ups to powerhouse UNC in the fall's ACC Tournament. And, of course, a fall victory in conference play over the Tar Heels that snapped their 47 game win streak. 

The obvious next questions are -- What can the Field Hockey squad do to top what has already been accomplished? And...who will be on the Trager turf to do it? The Cards return nine freshmen and seven sophomores from last season (that we know of) this fall --plus a couple of junior and maybe even a couple of senors. And, we have yet to hear about Sowry's incoming freshmen class in any great detail.

The obvious goals for the Cards FH contingent would appear to be winning the ACC  regular season and conference tournament outright and then going to the NCAA Tournament and winning it.. It's not something that is a mere pipe dream or unattainable. The Cards have performed well in the toughest Field Hockey conference in DI. They return a multitude of starters, and backups who are poised to try and become starters.  

I can remember looking at the the incoming freshmen last year and wondering what potential help could come from that class. As it turned out...plenty.  The Cards got significant contributions from Sofia Pendolino, Charlie van Oirschot, Aimee Plumb and Paulina Mayer. 

And, in the words of the late basketball coach Al McGuire -- the best thing about freshmen is they become sophomores. We saw last season the impact sophomores Sam Minrath, Julie Kouijzer, Katie Schneider and Mattie Tabor had on the squad. 

The Cards could use a little depth at goalkeeper -- sensational sophomore Sam Minrath was the lone goalie on the roster this spring -- and a higher rate of success on penalty corners is every coach's dream -- and something Sowry would applaud, as long as it is her team putting up the improved numbers and not the squad trying penalty corners on the Cards. . 

It'd be good to see the schedule return (hopefully) back to an elongated fall season with plenty of non-conference opponents as well as a full ACC slate participating.

Before you know it, it'll be time for me to trudge the steps leading to the Louisville Field Hockey offices and sit down with Coach Sowry to discuss the 2021 season. 

I can't wait !!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

paulie. 

Field Hockey Lands Six on the NFHCA All-West Region Team -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

On Bitting, Pastor, Schneider, Kouijzer, Plumb and Van Oirschot...

For the third straight season, the Louisville Field Hockey squad has placed at least six players on the post-season NFCHA All-West Region Team. 

Alli Bitting, Mercedes Pastor and Meghan Schneider were named to the first team and Julie Kouijzer, Aimee Plumb and Charlie Van Oirschot received second-team honors. 

Bitting

Bitting, a senior midfielder/back out of Hummelstown, PA, earned her third straight naming to the prestigious team. A Cards co-captain and two-time All ACC selection, Alli also was named to the NCAA Tournament team this year for UofL. She was an integral part of a defense that created four shutouts in a 14-6 season, NCAA Final Four appearance and defeat of North Carolina. She is expected to return for the upcoming season. 

Pastor

Pastor may be one of the most recognizable players in UofL Field Hockey history. The Buenos Aires, Argentina senior led the Cards in goals on the season(13) and five of those were game-winners. She was named ACC Player of the Week four times during the season and NFHCA National Player of the Diego, CA and was another stellar part of the Cards defense. She stick handling skills are a true work of beauty, skill and art -- the term "you've been pastored" was stuck on many a NCAA defender after "Meche" baffled them with her ball control. Pastor is also expected to return to the team in the fall. 

Megan Schneider

Schneider, a senior out of San Diego, CA, was a stellar back in the the Cards defense and started three years for the squad. It's her second time on the NFHCA All-West squad and she was also named the NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week a couple of times. Her younger sister Katie is also on the Cardinals squad and she went through her time at UofL with a 4.0 GPA. Meghan was also a co-captain on the 2020-21 squad. Her six goals in 2020-21 tied her for second-best on the squad.  Meghan is headed to medical school in the fall. 

Kouijzer

Kouijzer (pronounced "cow-wiser) is a sophomore defender out of Amsterdam, The Netherlands, and she's been a starter both years with the Cardinals  She's earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors during her time at UofL and was also named to the ACC-All Tournament team in 2019 and 2020. 

Plumb

Plumb comes to the Cards from Canterbury, England and is a freshman forward who came in and had immediate contributions to the Louisville offense. She recorded six goals and two assist in 2020-21, second best on the squad. She also made the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Plumb was a member of the England U 18 squad for two years. She also had six goals for the Cards in 2020-21

van Oirschot

van Oirschot hails from Haarlem, The Netherlands and the freshman  came in and started right away for the Cards. She was named to the All-ACC second team. The mid-fielder was fourth leading scorer for the Cards in the 2020-21 season.

We here at CARDINAL COUPLE congratulate these excellent student-athletes that were a part of Justine Sowry's record-breaking squad. The future is bright for the "Cards on the pitch" and, in the words of Sowry...Louisville will be more that ready to "give it a go" this upcoming season 

have a wet Wednesday (if you're in Louisville)   

paulie