WSOC Heads to Syracuse -- HOF Inductee -- Looking Ahead to the Weekend -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 Happy Thursday everyone! First, I want to express my gratitude for all of the warm birthday wishes through here, text, and social media. I am definitely feeling the love.

Despite taking a day off work I still remained busy with a rehearsal and filling in for a women's basketball event on campus. But still, it was nothing like being on the go for 21 hours straight to kick off last weekend.

Cards Head North to Face Syracuse

In a slightly-earlier-than-normal kickoff, Louisville women's soccer will square off against the Syracuse Orange at 6:00 p.m., ET at the SU Soccer Stadium.

The Orange enter the match at 4-3-1 and ride a two-match losing streak. Syracuse had a hot start to the season, winning four of their first five matches plus a pair of exhibition victories prior to that. But as September has rolled around, Syracuse has gone 0-2-1 in the their last three matches while being outscored 7-0 in that stretch.

Like Louisville, Syracuse has taken the scoring by committee approach with seven players scoring all nine goals on the year. Senior Telly Vunipola has been a key factor in the offense with two goals and two assists.

Graduate student Lysianne Proulx has played every minute in goal for the Orange. She has recorded 29 saves while allowing 12 goals for a .707 save percentage.

Louisville is 5-1-1 on the year with their last two matches going into double overtime- a 1-1 draw against #16 Michigan and a 3-2 victory against Miami (Fla.).

Nine Cards have tallied a combined 18 goals on the year with Nina Nicosia and Emma Hiscock with three goals apiece. Brooke Dardano has been a key factor with the scoring with four assists. The Cards have outscored opponents 18-9.

Gabby Kouzelos has commanded the net, logging all 664 minutes in goal. The graduate student has 24 saves with just nine goals allowed for a solid .727 save percentage.

Historically, Louisville is 7-0-1 against Syracuse. Let's make that 8-0-1 tonight, shall we?

This one is slated for ACC Network so you can catch it on TV as well as online so make sure to tune in.

Hall of Fame Inductees

Louisville Athletics announced six new inductees to the UofL Athletics Hall of Fame. The inductees represent softball, lacrosse, women's soccer, baseball, and football (2x).

Bergan Foley was a freshman on UofL's inaugural lacrosse team in 2008 and spent her entire career with the Cards. In 2011, Foley scored a UofL single-season record 78 goals, which remains intact today. Her 265 career goals still obliterates the rest of the field in the UofL rankings. She earned Big East honors three times and was Louisville Lacrosse's first All-American.

Melissa Roth spent her time behind the plate at Ulmer Stadium from 2007-2010. The catcher was apart of four NCAA Regional appearances and 157 victories. The 2009 Big East Player of the Year holds a UofL single season record, batting .444. Roth owns the UofL career records in slugging percentage, runs scored, doubles, and on-base percentage. She is the only Cardinal to earn All-American honors twice.

Joanna Haig joined UofL Women's Soccer for her final two seasons after spending the first half of her career at Iowa State. The goalkeeper owns the UofL record for goals against average of 0.48 and her 20 career shutouts is second best all-time. Haig holds a record of 26-10-5 in goal and was a part of back-to-back NCAA appearances in 2006 and 2007.

The men's players getting inducted in the Hall of Fame are Harry Douglas (football wide receiver), Elvis Dumervil (football defensive end), and Logan Johnson (baseball second baseman).

Home Weekend Preview

We haven't hit the weekend quite yet, but this weekend is a busy one. All of our fall sports are in action, but very few are at home.

#5 Louisville Volleyball has a pair of home matches against Miami (Fla.) on Friday at 7:00 p.m., and Florida State on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Women's Soccer is also at home this weekend, hosting Florida State on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

Field Hockey is out traveling, but is staying on the east side of the Mississippi, stopping to visit Pam Bustin and Duke first for a Friday match. 

Women's Basketball Hosts Special Olympics

UofL Women's Basketball was in a tight squeeze, in need of a photographer yesterday for their event with the Special Olympics of Kentucky and my number was called. The active UofL players coached members of the Special Olympics in a mini basketball tournament at the UofL Student Recreation Center.

A little confusion between staff had varying times of 5:00 and 6:00, so I got to spend some time chilling with Nick Evans and videographer JB Allen until the team made it to the third floor to join us.

One thing you don't get to see much in person is student-athletes interacting with the public or outside of their own sport so it was cool to see the players' personalities come out and how they interacted with other people.

Here's just a few shots from the event.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Foley named to All-American team...Watson weighs in on Epps and Goodin-Rogers

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WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Is Bergan Foley UofL's best lacrosse player
of all time?

-Lacrosse's Bergan Foley makes IWLCA All-American team

-David Watson on the verbal from Epps and Goodin-Rogers.

-Epps and Goodin-Rogers talk about the verbal.
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285 goals scored....the fourth most all time in NCAA Women's Lacrosse history. The third-best goals per game mark nationally. First team All-BIG EAST, first team IWLCA All-Midwest. And, now 3rd team All-American honors. 

WE may never see the likes of the scoring machine that is Bergan Foley again in the young history of the Louisville lacrosse program. She'll take to the field one more time in the 2011 IWLCA/Under Armour Division I North-South Senior All-Star game on June 11th. at the United Sports Training Center in Downingtown, PA. With her will be senior teammates Liz Lovejoy and Emily Dashiell. The three have set the bar quite high for future Louisville lacrosse athletes. Louisville lacrosse is nearing the level of the top flight women's lacrosse programs nationwide...the Maryland's, Duke's, Virginia's and Notre Dame's of the game.

Someone needs to put up a plaque, statue or some kind of recognition at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium for Foley. Better yet, for all three girls...who have helped get a novice program off the ground and competing with the best that the nation and the BIG EAST has to offer. Get it done, Mr. Jurich...

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David Watson weighs in on the Makayla Epps/Kyvin Goodin-Rogers verbals to Louisville:

The mighty fortress by the banks of the Ohio River
serves as a staging ground for the Lady Cards.  

Just what kind of monster is Jeff Walz creating deep in the laboratories of Cardinal Arena? The mighty fortress walls already reverberate from the sounds of Monique the Mighty, Shoni the Superb, Tia the Terrific, Asia the Atomic, Becky the Bomb and the other indestrutables clad in Red and Black. The ominous threats of Cierra the Conqueror and Shawnta the Storm loom menacingly. They are rebuilt, geared for missions and hungry for battle. The newest additions to the elite are Bria the Blitzkrieg, Jude the Juggernaut, Sara the Stupendous and Monney the Marauder. They ride in on sturdy steeds. Ready to compete, collide and clash with fearful foes in the fall.

Walz has been scouring the countryside still lining up additions. Who knows what the man has planned for 2012? And, 2013 already looks unstoppable with the procurement of the Marion County Monsters. Kyvin Goodin-Rogers the Great and Makayla Epps the Expert will dominate Kentucky high school girls hoops for two more years yet. Two state titles in the future? Don't bet against them.

In the streets, the villagers are vocal and swarming. They're waiting to see the force unleashed. They're hungry for the season still months away. That isn't thunder you hear in the distance - it's the University of Louisville women's basketball team rumbling toward the KFC YUM! Center at Category 5 hurricane force.

Makayla Epps and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers have played high school basketball together for four years already. They've still got two years to go. I'm still following up on rumors that they won national championships as pre-schoolers at a Lebanon daycare facility. Their AAU participation has more miles on it than my sturdy 2003 Ford F-150 pickup truck. It's safe to say that the two know a bit about basketball and were probably tossing each other no-look passes and assists in the third grade. 

In an era where UofL men's basketball has been steady but still leaves questions about the long-awaited titles that all thought Rick Pitino would produce, there are hopeful and exciting times ahead for the 15 or so that will take the court in the downtown arena to compete in women's college basketball in the BIG EAST. We've been through the NCAA Final Four / Angel McCoughtry era. What's next for this team? Can't see them bowing out in the first round of the Big Dance to Morehead. Ask Xavier about the Lady Cardinals. They're still cleaning up the wreckage Shoni and crew dumped on the Cintas Center.

I suspect that it's going to be a fun journey. That UofL will pass the Lady Vols, UConn and the others in regular season attendance. That this is only a preview of thing still yet to come. That the tradition, dynasty and indisputable recognition of Louisville women's basketball will continue to grow and rival that of the programs that Geno and Pat have built. Room at the top? Oh, yeah.

In the meantime, what's up your sleeve next, Jeff? The villagers are waiting.

(We've got this feeling that David watched way too many war movies over the Memorial Day weekend...but we like his enthusiasm and hopes for the Lady Cards. Hit the bunkers and send out the flares...the troops are ready.)

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WE like the reports that Courier-Journal writer Jody Demling provides on recruiting. He talked with Makayla Epps and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers about their verbals to UofL. We thought his story needed to be included here at CARDINAL COUPLE...in case you missed it. Here's Jody!  

I spoke with both Marion County High School sophomore stars Makayla Epps and Kyvin Goodin-Rogers this afternoon on their commitments to Louisville.

Epps confirmed she wanted to commit more than a year ago but the mother told her to "wait and make the right decision."

Goodin-Rogers said she "knew for a while" but decided on Saturday night that she wanted to go ahead and make a commitment.

"It's been two or three months, but I never said anything to anyone. Eventually people kept asking me and telling me where I should go and I just decided that I wanted to tell them I already knew." Goodin-Rogers said. "I love the coaches. Coach (Jeff) Walz is just like my high school coach (Trent Milby). They do the same things we do. They know when it comes times for business but also outside of basketball they're real people."

Epps said, "I love Walz. I have the same connnection with him as I do with Milby. I love the assistant coaches, the facilities and everything. And I've always liked wearing the red and black."

(Jody Demling covers recruiting and golf for The Courier-Journal. He also knows a thing or two about horse racing.)

Link to this story:
http://blogs.courier-journal.com/jodydemling/2011/05/31/epps-and-rogers-talk-about-comm...

Three lacrosse players in All-Star game, NCAA Softball and The Preakness

WELCOME TO THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Foley, Dashiell and Lovejoy in North-South Senior All Star Game

-NCAA Softball kicks off in Louisville tomorrow

Can Animal Kingdom go back to back?

-The Preakness: Who's running and who we like.

Three senior University of Louisville lacrosse players have been selected to play in the 2011 IWLCA/Under Armour Division I North-South Senior All-Star game on June 11th. at the United Sports Training Center in Downington, PA.

Bergan Foley, Emily Dashiell and Liz Lovejoy are the trio of Cardinals selected for the prestigious honor...and three of only five Cardinals ever selected for the game.

Foley finished her four years at Louisville as the school's offensive leader in seven different categories. She led the nation in goals twice and is fourth all-time in career goals in NCAA Division I history. At Louisville, she played 65 games and found the back of the net 265 times. Foley is from Huntingdon Valley, PA. and will be missed as the Cards "go to" scorer.

Bergan Foley is the all-time leading scorer
in Louisville Lacrosse history.

Emily Dashiell led the Cards with 247 draw controls and ended up with 149 goals. She is listed as eighth all-time in the NCAA in career draw controls. The Salisbury, MD native also holds the Louisville all-time records for caused turnovers, ground balls and career draw controls.

Lovejoy had an outstanding senior season for Louisville with 57 goals and 11 assists. She is the all-time leader in game winning goals for Louisville and amassed 174 career goals during her four years at UofL. She played in 67 games at Louisville and is second all-time in four offensive categories

These three will be very hard to replace on the 2011-12 Louisville Lacrosse team, not only for their scoring and offensive prowess...but for the guidance and leadership they exhibited during their four years at Louisville. All four were fierce competitors and for all three to be selected to the All-Star game is quite an accomplishment and feather in the Louisville lacrosse program's hat.

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Senior Chelsea Bemis is a long ball threat for the Cards.
Clear the fence, CB!!

Softball Cards will take the field 7:30 p.m. Friday night against Illinois-Chicago in the second game of first day action in the Louisville regional . Louisville (36-18) and UIC (25-22) have met twice before in softball...Louisville winning the last meeting 6-3 in Ulmer Stadium back on March 15, 2009. For Louisville, it is their eight consecutive NCAA appearance and second time they've hosted a regional . The Cards got to the "big dance" by finishing second in the BIG EAST tournament and knocked off #1 seed Notre Dame in the semifinals.

Illinois-Chicago earned their berth in the regional by defeating Butler 5-3 to take the Horizon League title on
Sunday. It's their ninth appearance in the NCAA tournament and they are 12-15 all-time in NCAA Softball Tournament action. They are led at the plate by Carly DeMarco (.358) and Coryn Schmitt who has 10 home runs and 32 RBI's. Devin Miller (17-17) is the girl in the circle for the Flames and has a 2.47 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 235.1 innings.

California (39-10) plays Jacksonville State (39-19) in the 5 p.m opener

Looks like a great weekend for softball, get out and support your Lady Cards!

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The field and post positions have been set for the 136th. running of the Preakness. The second jewel in racing's triple crown for three year olds will take place this Saturday at Pimilco Race Track in Baltimore, MD. The runners, post positions, trainers, jockeys and morning line odds below:

1. ASTROLOGY.  Steve Assmussen trains and Mike Smith gets the ride  15-1
2. NORMAN ASBJORNSON.  Trained by Christopher Grove and Julian Pimental on board. 30-1
3. KING CONGIE. Tom Albertrani handles and Robby Albarado is the jockey.  20-1
4. FLASHPOINT. Churchill favorite Wesley Ward is the trainer, Cornelio Velazquez in the saddle. 20-1
5. SHACKLEFORD. Dale Romans in the paddock and Jesus Castanon pilots.  12-1
6. SWAY AWAY. Young gun Jeff Bonde trains and veteran Garrett Gomez has the reigns.  15-1
7. MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE. Bob Baffert saddles this one and California Martin Garcia rides.  15-1
8. DANCE CITY. Hall of fame Todd Pletcher in the suit and Ramon Dominguez in the silks.  12-1
9. MUCHO MACHO MAN. Kathy Ritvo gives instructions...Rajiv Maragh carries them out.  6-1
10. DIALED IN. Nick Zito gets this one ready and Julian Leparoux returns as rider.  9-2
11. ANIMAL KINGDOM. H.Graham Motion looks for back to back wins with John Velazquez. 2-1
12. ISN'T HE PERFECT. Nigerian Doodnauth Shivmangal picks Edgar Prado to ride.  30-1
13. CONCEALED IDENTITY. Eddie Gaudet has Pimlico favorite jockey Sheldon Russell up.  30-1
14. MR COMMONS. Big race specialist John Shirreffs tries for the upset with Victor Espinoza  20-1

SELECTIONS AND COMMENTARY

PAUL: I'm looking at four horses in the Preakness and NONE of them are ANIMAL KINGDOM. I think DIALED IN handles this smaller field and shorter distance quite fine and is the top choice here. I'll go with KING CONGIE, MUCHO MACHO MAN and SHACKELFORD in exacta and trifecta boxes and wheels. I've been wrong before, but I'm speculating that DIALED IN tunes in, takes off and romps.

SONJA: I'm taking ANIMAL KINGDOM and DIALED IN as my top two choices to get the Black-Eyed Susan blanket. I'll take each across the board. After that, let's go with DANCE CITY, ASTROLOGY and SWAY AWAY in the exacta and trifectas underneath the top two and boxed also.
I'll also be wary of Bob Baffert and MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE and will include him in some other wagers.

David Watson knows
absolutely nothing about
horse racing...

DAVID WATSON: Let's "go for broke" here and pick KING CONGIE as my top choice. I'll expect ANIMAL KINGDOM, DIALED IN and MIDNIGHT INTERLUDE to chase him home. My longshot has to be NORMAN ASBJORNSON. What a name! I think he runs the shoe repair shop down the street from me...

Good luck Saturday and if you wager, do so responsibly. Selections, picks and commentary seen here are for entertainment purposes only and based on our Derby picks...should be ignored completely...except for Paul touting NEHRO. Showoff....
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Softball splits in South Bend...Lacrosse wins...Women's golf in third

MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

Anna-Karin Lljungstrom shot a
76 in the first round of the
BIG EAST Championships.

-Cards split with Irish in Softball

-Lacrosse dominates Villanova

-Golf 3rd in BIG EAST Tournament

UofL softball split with Notre Dame yesterday in a doubleheader in South Bend. The Cards narrowly dropped the first contest 4-3 and won the second 9-6.

Notre Dame 4 - Louisville 3

The Cards jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first when Chelsea Bemis doubled home Katie Keller. Notre Dame rallied in the second inning to go up 2-1 but the Cards regained the lead in the top of the third when Keller blasted a two run base clearer with Hannah Kiyohara on base...freshman power again...Louisville held the 3-2 advantage. After the Irish tied it in the bottom of the third...a solo home run off of Caralisa Connell...they tacked on the winning run in the fourth. Louisville had two base runners in the fifth and seventh innings...but could not push across the tying run.

Connell took the loss, going to 18-6. She allowed all four runs on six hits and fanned two in 5.1 innings. Tori Collins came in to finish...striking out one and allowing a hit in 1.2 innings of relief.

Louisville 9 - Notre Dame 6

Louisville fell behind early in the nightcap...a solo homer in the first gave the Irish a 1-0 advantage over starter Tori Collins. Katie Petrino relieved her in the circle and allowed two more Notre Dame runs in the third. She lasted until the sixth inning, when the Irish sent three more base runners across the plate and built a 6-0 advantage,

Chelsea Bemis hit a three run
homer against Notre Dame on
Sunday. Bye, bye Mr. Spalding!

The Cards had not conceded defeat, though.

In the top of the sixth, A Chelsea Bemis three run homer scored Kiyohara and Keller. Colby Wherry followed with a single run blast. Alicja Wolny and Maggie Ruckenbrod reached on base hits and Kristin Austin drove home Wolny to make it 6-5. Kiyohara batted for the second time in the inning and drove in Ruckenbrod and Austin to make it 7-6 Cards. Keller smashed a two run fence clearer to increase it to 9-6.

Collins re-entered the game as pitcher in the bottom of the sixth and shut out the Irish in two innings of relief. For Petrino, it was her first win as a Cardinal. She allowed five runs on seven hits...with one strike out. Collins got the save, her third of the season, allowing one run on two hits.

Louisville travels to Lexington next for a Wednesday night game vs. Kentucky.

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Bergan Foley scored four goals
against Villanova

Louisville lacrosse took a win yesterday at the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium over Villanova 16-4 Sunday. The Cards outscored the Wildcats 9-1 in the first half...putting eight straight goals in the net to break an early 1-1 tie. They also scored the first two goals in the second half. During the 10-0 run, Bergan Foley and Liz Lovejoy each had three scores. Katie Oliverio found the net twice and Nikki Boltja and Lianne Bobal added a goal each. 

The Cards outscored the Wildcats 7-3 in the second stanza. Louisville shot an impressive 16 for 26 on goals attempted and forced the Wildcats into 26 turnovers. 

Foley and Lovejoy each finished with four goals in the game. The Cards (10-4, 2-2) improved to a tie for fourth place in BIG EAST conference standings and take to the road for their next two...a Thursday contest at Syracuse and a Saturday face-off in Connecticut against the Huskies. 

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Sara-Maude Juneau shot an opening round 75 and the Louisville women's golf team finds themselves in third place in the BIG EAST Championships...13 strokes behind Notre Dame. The Cards are are one stroke behind Georgetown. Anna-Karin Lljungstrom carded a 76 for 18 holes and Laura Anderson finished the first round with a 77... good for 12th place. Tara Lyons' 80 and Maria Castellanos' 82 were the other Cardinal efforts on the first day. 

The Cards tee it up again today, beginning at 9:40 a.m. Becca Huffer, of Notre Dame, leads all participants with her 72...even par. Straight and long down the fairways, ladies and chip and putt!

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