Cards Earn Post-Season Honors -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Emina Ekic Named To Best XI Team

Earlier this week, Jared talked about the success that the fall sports teams had throughout this season. Today, I thought I'd give a bit of attention to a couple of players that have received recognition this week as well. One of those players is Emina Ekic. Ekic had a fantastic season, as you may have heard, but it is not just local talking heads that were paying attention. Thursday, she added to her list of accolades when she was named to Top Drawer Soccer's Best XI Third Team. The TDS award is Ekic's second such national award, as she was named as a second team All-American earlier this month. Ekic was joined by Brooklynn Rivers when they were both named to All-Region teams. Ekic unfortunately did not make the finalist cut for the MAC Hermann trophy, but it would be hard to argue that she was not the most valuable player to Louisville's success this year. Everyone should consider making a trip to at least one of her senior season games to see just how critical she is to Louisville's team and how much she stands out on the field.

Aiko Jones Earns All-American Nod

Speaking of players that just stand out, Aiko Jones was honored this week by the AVCA. We've discussed it at length on the site and the radio show, but Jones was forced to step into a much larger role than anticipated and filled it very well. She filled it so well, in fact, that the coaches of the other teams in the country noticed her performance. Louisville is not known as being a "powerhouse" program, and that is especially the case this year, so to have a player stand out enough to make an All-American list is quite significant. Knocking off the number two seed on their home court helps. Jones, of course, is only a red shirt freshman, so her All-American honorable mention is very exciting for her personal future and the future of the program. As the volleyball season comes to a close this weekend, there are sure to be more awards forthcoming. I can't imagine this is the last time we will see Aiko Jones' name on these lists this year, and I'm excited to see how many she can end up on in future years.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

We've officially made it through fall sports season. For you basketball fans, that's great! For us radio hosts, it can make things a little more challenging. Despite that, the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour will still be on the air this weekend. We'll bring you a breakdown of volleyball's season ending loss as well as the scare that basketball experienced in Martin, Tennessee. As always, you can tune into the radio show on 100.9 FM, WCHQ. The show is also available in the WCHQ App, at wchqfm.com, or on Facebook live. Join us at 11AM for the joy and excitement of Louisville women's athletics.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH--

Women's Soccer Draws Duke -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Take Second Draw in a Row

Looking at Duke's season coming into last night, one could almost guess that the game would eventually head into double overtime. Including last night's match, the Blue Devils have now drawn four of their last five matches. They've got six draws on the season and seven overtime matches. The 9th ranked Blue Devils also came in riding an 11 game unbeaten streak having not lost since an early season non-conference match against North Carolina. (The origins of that match are complicated. I asked one of the Duke representatives about it last night and couldn't follow much.) Louisville and Duke have that in common, in that their only losses on the season came against UNC. 

Louisville's toughest charge on the night would be scoring goals. We discussed it a bit in the post game interviews, but Duke is excellent at keeping the opposing team out of the net. On the season, opposing teams have scored only 7 goals against the Blue Devils. In their 5 draws before last night, four had been scoreless. They've 8 shutouts, and their goalkeeper, Brooke Heinsohn, is 20th in the country in save percentage. All of that is to say that when Duke took the lead on an 11th minute penalty, Louisville could have been in a bit of danger.

Early in the game, Louisville held much of possession. They were passing the ball well and earning chances going towards the Duke goal. As you'll hear Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes describe, Duke's goal actually came after Louisville's best early chance. After a Maisie Whitsett miss, Duke was able to quickly work downfield and on a sliding block attempt, Ravin Alexander was unable to keep her hand down by her side. She was charged with a handball and the referee pointed to the spot. Duke's Ella Stevens stepped up to the ball, took her time, and slotted it home to Gabby Kouzelos's left side. On the kick, Kouzelos actually had the pace and the range of the ball covered, but she guessed wrong on her dive and the ball found the empty side of the net. From that point in the half, the mood turned a bit and neither team was able to gather much control. Louisville would go on to finish the half outshooting Duke 7-2, but the possession stat was equal at 50% and Duke led 1-0 into the half.

Louisville came out of the second half with a fire similar to that in the first. The Cards continued dominating possession and would go on to finish the half with an 8-0 shot advantage. The only shot that found home, though, came just 8 minutes into the second half. On a counter attack, Emina Ekic found herself with a lot of space in the middle of the attacking half. She found her spot and sent a through ball behind the defense for an on-running Brooklynn Rivers. Rivers, as is her specialty, outran the defender to set up a one-on-one in the box. Rivers took a touch or two to settle herself and fired home a shot medium height to the far post. The score was tied 1-1. 

For the rest of the game, Louisville would continue to pressure the Duke defense, going on to dominate the possession stat to the tune of 57%. Whitsett and Jessica De Filippo earned chance after chance in the half, but were unable to beat Heinsohn for the lead. Ekic and Allison Whitfield made sure to push the defense from the middle and the outside, with Alexander and Arianna Ferraro getting in on the action as well. Unfortunately for the Cards, they were unable to break through, and we headed to overtime.

As I mentioned before, Duke was quite accustomed to overtime matches. In fact, the Duke representative I mentioned earlier wasn't frustrated that the match went to overtime. He was more upset that the potential draw would not be scoreless, as the team is just one scoreless draw from tying the NCAA record. In the pair of overtime periods, Louisville would go on to outshoot the Blue Devils 4-1 and continued to win the possession battle. Their best chance may have come without a shot, though, as Whitfield sent a dangerous low cross to Rivers at the top of the box. Rivers was just about in the same situation as her goal earlier, but the Duke defender was just able to nick the ball away and prevent the shot. The two teams would go on to finish with a tie and neither will move in the ACC standings.

Louisville will now hit the road and take on a fantastic Virginia team. The Cavaliers have not yet lost this season and sit just two points behind Louisville with a 3-0-3 record in conference. Louisville will need to play the way that they did for much of the Duke game, albeit with more goals, if they want to continue winning. At 14 points on the conference season, the Cards are just four points behind last season's total with three games remaining. Ultimately, though, the point total isn't as important as the location in the standings. Louisville currently sits third, and will hope to finish in the top four to host in the ACC tournament. The Cards will take on Virginia on Thursday night at 7PM. 

Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes Postgame

Brooklynn Rivers Postgame

McHenry Out for the Year

As was feared when she went down on Wednesday night, Melanie McHenry's Louisville career is over. The University officially announced yesterday that McHenry's knee injury suffered against Notre Dame will put her out for the remainder of the year. Louisville has already passed the halfway point of the season, making her ineligible for a medical redshirt, and as McHenry is a senior, she is done with UofL volleyball. It's an unfortunate end to a wonderful career from the outside hitter, and we'll be sure to follow the Sparkplug wherever she goes in the future.

Radio Silence

With half the A-Team at Cardinal Stadium and another member traveling the country, I would have been left all alone in the studio for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. We all decided that would be in no one's best interest and canceled today's show. We'll be back on air next week, but, in the meantime, be sure to tune in to WCHQ FM anyway for all of the best in local music.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Soccer Falls to UNC; Softball Sweeps Bellarmine -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Soccer Sees Undefeated Season Broken

Sunday, Louisville knocked off top-ten Vanderbilt. Emotions were high and the Cards played nearly perfectly for 100 minutes leading to a game winning penalty from Emina Ekic. In the 20th minute last night, it appeared that lightning might just strike again. After a long ball went over the shoulder of Delaney Snyder, it looked like she would be on goal, until she was pulled down from behind by a North Carolina defender. The crowd appealed and the whistle was blown immediately. The referee pointed to the spot and Ekic lined up for the penalty.

To this point in the season, Ekic had not missed a penalty and had hit two game winners already, against Indiana and Vanderbilt. The shot seemed to be in slow motion. It went high, getting past the diving UNC goalkeeper  Josephson, but instead of sliding into the net, it skipped off the bottom of the crossbar and went straight down. After hitting the ground, the ball had enough pace to bounce nearly 15 feet in the air and seemed to float down for an eternity. Ekic waited patiently, but a taller UNC defender was able to get to the ball first and keep it away from the Cards. The threat had ended and Louisville had missed their first penalty of the season, simultaneously missing a huge chance in the game.

In the post game interview, Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes called soccer a game of moments. The penalty was just the first of the critical moments in last night's game. Just 30 seconds after the penalty miss, the ball fell to Brooklynn Rivers, who fired a shot on goal. Again, it got high past Josephson and, again, it caught the bottom half of the crossbar, bouncing back toward the field of play. The ball was cleared away but only to the feet of Allison Whitfield, who took a shot of her own, only to see it saved. Each of these moments could have tipped the scales of the game. Each moment was a huge opportunity for the Cards, and each was just barely missed.

The next critical moment came just a minute later. This time, the moment belonged to North Carolina. The Tarheels got on a bit of a break, and Brianna Pinto put a through ball right in front of a streaking Alessia Russo. The English national was just onside and broke right in between Niamh Nelson and Sarah Hernandez. As Gabby Kouzelos came off of her line, she appeared to slip as Russo pulled the ball and stepped to the side, leaving Kouzelos on the ground out of the play. Russo slotted a shot that got between Nelson and Hernandez and found the side netting.

After multiple heartbreaks for Louisville, they now trailed 1-0.

After the goal, UNC maintained a significant amount of possession, putting more and more pressure on the Cards. Louisville's only shot in the remaining 24 minutes came on accident as a Nelson free kick leaked too close to the goal and was caught by Josephson. Kouzelos managed to keep the goal clean for the remainder of the half and the teams entered the locker room still at 1-0.

Coach Ferguson-Dayes noted after the game that really the only thing she was disappointed in was Louisville losing its moxie. The 1-0 deficit was the first time Louisville has trailed since the first game of the season against Ohio State.

Louisville was able to recover and went on to win that match 2-1, due to their resilience. Louisville didn't quite show the same resilience against UNC last night. The second half was much of the same as the later portion of the first half. UNC controlled possession and limited Louisville's opportunities. In the 67th minute, Ru Mucherera put a dangerous cross into the six yard box that found Alexis Strickland alone. Strickland calmly put it past Kouzelos, who was unable to get back across the goal in time. UNC led 2-0. 

After the second goal, the game didn't feel over quite yet, as it still seemed that the Cards could find a goal some time in the final 23 minutes and then it would be only a one-goal game in which anything can happen. The game was sealed 13 minutes later when Lois Joel found Russo once more at the top left of the box. Russo put a shot on the ground through traffic that Kouzelos saw just a moment too late. Kouzelos fell to the ground, but the ball slipped straight under her. UNC led 3-0 and that would be the final score. 

Jaz Jones does her best to push the Cards to victory.

This matchup was always set to be a tough one for the Cards. The Tarheels won the match last year 5-1 in Chapel Hill. They were ranked first in the country up until their 2-0 loss to Arkansas on Sunday. UNC is a very good team and they will certainly be in the hunt to hoist a trophy later this season.

This loss should not sit poorly for Louisville at all. While the final score is unfortunate, the Cards played pretty well for a lot of the game. Had one of those critical moments in the three minute stretch gone a different way for Louisville, the entire complexion of the game would be changed and this could be a completely different article. As it is, the Cards head to Syracuse seeking to regain the three league points they lost last night. The Cards will take on the Orange Thursday at 6 P.M.


SHE SAID IT

Coach KFD Post Game

Softball Takes Two Over Bellarmine

In a more enjoyable result, Louisville softball was in action at Ulmer for a bit of Fall Ball. The Cards took on the newly appointed Division 1 Knights of Bellarmine for an afternoon double-header. Bellarmine jumped out to a big lead, stealing four runs off of a freshman pitcher for the Cards before Danielle Watson came in in the fourth inning to steady things for Louisville.

In addition to preventing the Knights from scoring any more runs, Watson smashed a grand slam to tie the game just after coming in to pitch. A couple of batters later, Riley Schindler sent another ball over the wall to score a pair of runs and Louisville led 6-4. The Cards would go on to win the first game 8-4, exorcising the early defensive demons and showing some offense as well.

The second game of the day was all Louisville as the Cards jumped on the Knights early and often. Bellarmine had no offensive answer for Louisville in the second game and the Cards went on to shut out the Knights.

We've got no official stats or scores, so we can't be sure, but Jared reports that the score of the second game was "8 or 9 to 0". Louisville will get a better view of how their team will stack up in competition in the upcoming season next weekend as they head out to Lexington for a Fall Ball double-header against the Wildcats. We'll see if we can't get a report of some kind from that set of games as well.


Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Paulie, Jeff and Jared were present for our weekly radio show yesterday and reviewed results for UofL women's Golf, Field Hockey, Volleyball and WSOC. They also previewed Saturday's upcoming action .

I was not present, attending to such things as scaffolding and painting. It happens when you're a homeowner.

You can hear the discussion at the link below, as well as see the show on Facebook Live:

THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR

A special thanks to WCHQ 100.9 FM for including us in their Saturday format. We appreciate the chance to discuss UofL women's sports once a week -- even if it's not always about the joy and excitement -- we feel it is a chance for our listeners to "catch up" on what's going on down on Floyd Street and on the road.  

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Photos from today's article from Jared Anderson. Check out more of his work on Facebook, Twitter, or his website jdaphotos.com.

Cards Edge Saint Louis -- Weekend Scheduling -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Take Down Saint Louis

For the second straight match women's soccer shut out their opponent, this time taking down Saint Louis 1-0.  Brooklynn Rivers' goal in the second half was the only difference.

The two teams played through a defensive battle for most of the match.  Despite Louisville's ferocious attack that featured shot after shot and ample opportunities to score the Billikens stood there ground and sent the Cards heading back the other direction empty handed.

The best chance to score was when the Saint Louis goalkeeper found herself on the ground and Arianna Ferraro's shot went high and to the right.  Emina Ekic saw a couple good looks too, but Saint Louis turned her away.

Early in the second half Niamh Nelson sent a ball downfield to Rivers.  Rivers passed the ball to Ekic, who turned around to feed the senior as she dodged the Saint Louis goalkeeper.  It was the second goal of the season for Rivers.

Officially, Saint Louis had two shots on goal, which Gabby Kouzelos managed with ease.  Kouzelos was crucial in disrupting the Billikens' offense and intercepted several passes.  She had plenty of help from an experienced back line in Ferraro, Nelson, Sarah Hernandez, and Ravin Alexander.

Louisville has outscored opponents 6-1 through the first three matches.  Most noticeably, UofL shows signs of extreme aggressiveness and speed.  The Cards have enough scorers that they can shift momentum of any match in a heartbeat.

The 3-0 Cards host Eastern Michigan on Sunday evening for their third straight home match and part of a seven game home stand. This one starts at 7:30 p.m.

EMU traveled to East Lansing last night and dropped a lightning-shortened game to Michigan State last night 2-0. The Eagles head to Louisville with a 1-1-1 record. 



They Said It: 


Postgame with Gabby Kouzelos and Brooklynn Rivers

Postgame with Karen Ferguson Dayes


CSX RAILROAD decided to celebrate the Cards win with a drive-by during the interviews and UPS chimed in, as well, with a fly over. Planes, trains but no emergency vehicles last night. Sorry if the audio is a bit blocked out during these. Only two trains during the actual game...Paulie and I set the over/under at three...so, if you had the "under", head to the window and get paid.


Weekend Scheduling

There's plenty happening on campus over the weekend.  In fact, just go ahead and set up a tent on Floyd Street for a few days.

Friday

Field hockey kicks off their regular season against cross-river rival Indiana at 3:00.  Admission is free.  Just be wary of the water cannons at halftime.

Head across the street after that to go watch volleyball kick off their regular season against a ranked Florida team at 7:00.  The Cardinal Classic features several teams so seating inside the L&N Federal Credit Union Arena may be a bit scarce.

.

Saturday

Volleyball continues their run in the Cardinal Classic.  The Cards will face their second straight SEC squad in Texas A&M at 7:00.

Sunday

Field hockey continues their home stint and will square off against Massachusetts at noon.

Volleyball wraps up the Cardinal Classic when they face Dayton at 1:00.

Women's soccer will play their third straight home game at 7:30 against Eastern Michigan.


Monday

With the extended holiday weekend UofL sports football also kicks off their season by hosting a Top 10 Notre Dame team at 8:00 pm.  Take your midday nap for this one!

I will be taking the weekend off outside of the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour and the football game to enjoy some time with Katy.  Through rescheduled flights and enough flight delays to field an entire soccer team she finally made it in town shortly after 1 a.m...  Stay tuned into Paulie, Worldwide, and Case for all your coverage this weekend.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Cards Women's Soccer Start Season with Win -- iNTERVIEW WITH "COACH J" -- Louisville WBB -- Weekend Scheduling -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Soccer Starts Season on Right Foot

Photo courtesy of Chris Snyder, father of Delaney Snyder

The official start to the season began last night as Louisville women's soccer traveled to Columbus to take on (THE™) Ohio State for the first official game of the regular season.  Louisville came out on top of the match 2-1.

Ohio State was first to score after a bit of controversy.  The officials got together to discuss a potential offsides on the Buckeyes but ultimately decided that the goal was good.

UofL responded with a ferocious attack that featured a couple good goal opportunities.  Brooklynn Rivers found the back of the net 12 minutes later in the 29th minute.  A throw in made its way to the Cards' leading scorer from last year, who knocked in the equalizer.

The two foes went to the locker room at halftime with an even 1-1 match.

Photo courtesy of Chris Snyder, father of Delaney Snyder

Maisie Whitsett, Louisville's second leading scorer last year, posted the game winner in the 84th minute.  Niamh Nelson set Whitsett up in the box, who had snuck off to the far side of the box.

The Cards dominated the stat sheet, finishing with nine shots on target compared to Ohio State's three.  Ohio State committed 18 fouls while Louisville committed just seven. 

Gabby Kouzelos had an all star game at goalkeeper.  Although the stat sheet credits her with two official saves, the junior disrupted the Ohio State attack all evening after surrendering an early goal. ( Once again, a goal that was originally called back because of offsides but reversed and allowed after an official's huddle).

This is just the second win in nine tries over Ohio State in program history, including the first ever in Columbus.  The only other win was a 2-0 victory in 2007 at Cardinal Park.  Last night's match was the first between the two teams since Ohio State took a 2-1 victory way back in 2008.

Louisville starts the year 1-0-0 and comes home to host Morehead State on Sunday night at 7:30. Follow us here at CARDINAL COUPLE for the best in Louisville Women's Soccer news, scores and recaps of games.



JONNEISHA PINEDA INTERVIEW


Paulie caught up with new Louisville women's basketball assistant coach Jonneisha Pineda yesterday (the players call her Coach J) in her office at "the Koeber" and got this exclusive interview.

What you'll hear in the audio link below is a great discussion on working with the UofL staff, coaches and players, how coach reacted when she got "the call" from Coach Walz to let her know she had the job, her thoughts on Louisville (the city and campus), her role model and her special message to Cardinal women's basketball fans.

We think Cardinal WBB fans will love Coach J's enthusiasm, energy and the knowledge she brings to the Cardinal Women's Basketball program. Huge thanks you's to Coach J for the excellent interview!!

LINK: INTERVIEW WITH UOFL ASST. WBB COACH JONNEISHA PINEDA


(THANKS TO NICK EVANS - LOUISVILLE WBB S.I.D. FOR ARRANGING OUR CHAT AND SERVING AS PHOTOGRAPHER FOR THE ABOVE PICTURE.) 

Weekend Scheduling

Field hockey will host their annual alumnae game at 1:00 Saturday at Trager Stadium.  After listening to the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour head on down to campus to enjoy the free admission as the current Cards take on the former Cards.

Following the conclusion of field hockey just walk across the street to L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.  Volleyball will face Miami (OH) in an exhibition at 3:00.  The UofL website notes that this is free but the clear bag policy will be in effect.

Sunday will feature more Floyd Street fun.  Field hockey will have another exhibition.  This time they'll try their luck against Miami (OH) at 2:00.  Once again, free admission.

At 7:30, women's soccer will open their home slate of seven straight home matches with a game against Morehead State.

The Cards beat the Eagles in an exhibition 4-0 last year. Beautiful Lynn Stadium is the place to catch the 1-0 Cards.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Louisville Soccer Media day -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

WOMEN'S SOCCER READY FOR REPEAT OF NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE 

The University of Louisville soccer teams held a combined team media day yesterday at the Lynn Stadium soccer complex. Both head coaches addressed the media and fielded question along with selected players. 

For our purposes here at CARDINAL COUPLE, we focused on the women's Soccer team. Joining Karen Ferguson Dayes were senior defender and team captain Arianna Ferraro, goalkeeper Gabby Kouzelos, forward Brooklynn Rivers and mid-fielder Emina Ekic. Sonya accompanied me to the media day and we both agreed that we learned a lot from Coach's and the student-athletes responses to the media questions. 

Some listening points for the linked up interview below: 

-- Coach Karen Ferguson Dayes opening remarks.

-- The selection process for team captain

-- The squad's strength in senior leadership

-- The balance between offense and defense

-- Notable freshmen

-- discussion on graduated senior and professional Gabi Vincent

-- Arianna Ferraro on being the team captain

-- Emina Ekic's status

-- Coach Ferguson-Dayes discusses ACC Network

-- the motivation carried forward from last year's NCAA Tournament appearance.


LINK TO AUDIO:  WOMEN'S SOCCER MEDIA DAY



I skipped the men's soccer portion of the media day, primarily because I had the opportunity to have an exclusive "breakout" interview with Ekic and Kouzelos after they addresses the main group of media attendees.

That interview was also quite informative and we had a bit of fun with it as well. You can hear the audio to that below: 



LINK TO AUDIO: INTERVIEW WITH EMINA EKIC AND GABBY KOUZELOS


I've also attached the video of both the women's and men's Media Day comments. It is long (about 45 minutes) and, unfortunately, you can't hear the questions being asked from the media to the players and coaches: The start also features my expanding "bald spot" on the back of my head. Avert your eyes...

LINK TO VIDEO:  https://gocards.com/news/2019/8/15/womens-soccer-hosts-annual-media-day.aspx?path=wsoc


(A special thank you to Louisville women's soccer SID Kim Pemberton for her work on the Soccer Media Day and to Coach Karen, Gabby, Emina, Brooklynn and Arianna for the great comments and observations.) 


paulie
xxxxx

A Cardinal's Ties to the USWNT -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Ekic Sees Time with USWNT U23s

I'll bet you didn't think I could do yet another women's soccer article this week. You'd be wrong. It's summer time. Nothing else is going on. I'm allowed to write about what I want, and the USWNT just knocked off their biggest challenger in their World Cup title defense. I've still got soccer on my mind. This week, though, I wanted to put some focus on a Louisville player that may very well see herself on this stage at some point in her career. 

We've talked about Emina Ekic at length ever since she committed to the Cards. Ekic was born and raised here in Louisville, and her high school soccer field at Manual was not far from where she plies her trade now. She has been critical to Louisville's success since joining the team and her success has been noted by conference and national honors. Apparently, her success has also been noticed by the US Soccer Federation. Earlier this spring, Ekic was invited to camp with the US Women's National Team U23 squad in Portland, Oregon. Only 19 at the time (she turned 20 this month), Ekic was playing well above her class in games against current NWSL teams. We didn't give this much coverage as it happened in late March/early April and something else pretty major was going on around that time. Can't quite put my finger on it.

Over the camp period, the U23s competed against Reign FC (Seattle), the Portland Thorns, and the Chicago Red Stars, going 2-1 in that time. Ekic saw very limited time in the "tournament", logging 17 minutes against the Red Stars in the final game. They were her only game minutes during the camp, but the U23s did score a stoppage time winner with Ekic on the field in that game. Considering the team scored only four goals in the three games, I would say that being on the field for a quarter of those goals isn't too bad. 

The primary benefit for Ekic in this situation is not the game time. Sure it would be nice for her to have gotten more, but this is surely far from the last time she will camp with the USWNT. Ekic's first invitation came just before her freshman season at UofL. Having just turned 18, Ekic traveled to the Czech Republic to compete with the U19s, again competing above her class. She started both of the games the US played on the trip. Given her past invites, her college credentials, and the willingness of US Soccer to bring her up, Ekic is in a fine position going forward. 

Of course, the USWNT pipeline is loaded with talent. This is why the USWNT is dominant on the world stage. Soccer is bigger for women here, especially in the youth stages, than it is in most other places throughout the world. Other countries are catching up, to be sure, and that is partially due to FIFA's encouragement of the growth of the sport. It's a good thing for everyone, but it means that being very, very good may not be enough to make it here. A number of international players make their teams because they are a very good player that does not compete domestically but has eligibility to compete for their country. In fact, Thailand's team in this world cup was the only team that had every member of the squad compete in the domestic professional league. That is not the case for US born players. The competition is fierce to be able to get to the same stage on which players like Mia Hamm, Abby Wambach, Megan Rapinoe, and Alex Morgan compete.

Could Ekic be that next big star to wear the stars and stripes? Of course she could. All signs point to her being in the good graces of US Soccer and we've seen what she can do here at UofL. All we can hope for is that her experiences against greater competition continue to help her improve her game individually and help the Louisville Cardinals improve. Last season, Ekic finished with 19 points on 7 goals and 5 assists. Her points, goals, and shot percentages were topped only by forwards Brooklynn Rivers and Maisie Whitsett. Her assists were third behind only Rivers and Allison Whitfield. She controlled the field from the center midfield position and will continue to do so as given the opportunity. I'm looking forward to year three.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

As Jared mentioned yesterday, his long stretch run on the radio must end as work finally calls him back. We'll carry on without him this week as Paulie returns from his vacation to bring Jeff and me the first mascot quiz of the season. We're still heavy in the summer slump so we'll bring more professional news, fall season prognostications, and weird happenings around campus. As they say during the offseason, "no news is good news", but Louisville has already appeared in the headlines a couple of times this week. Tune in to WCHQ this morning at 11AM for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. WCHQ is available at 100.9 FM, wchqfm.com, the WCHQ App, and Facebook Live.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Just Past Halfway -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Watch out! It's an article by Case, and it's not a Saturday. That's the surprising part. The unsurprising part is that this article is going to be about soccer. With no games last night to recap, I figured I would take today to look at the women's soccer team at the midpoint of the season. There are only 7 of 17 regular season games remaining, so I'm a bit late, but a bit late is better than not at all. Let's get right into it.

The Recap

Louisville sits at 9-1 on the season and at 3-0 in conference. Already, they have matched both win totals from last season. This is impressive. The Cards lost their defensive captain in Inger Katrine-Bjerke and their offensive leader in Alison Price. So many players have stepped into their places seamlessly that it would be like listing the entire starting lineup to do so. That is what has made this Louisville team good so far this year: teamwork. You cannot point at the additional development of any individual player as the cause for this season's success. Everyone from last season (and the freshman) has stepped up in a major way. 

This shows in the stats sheets as well as the overall style of play. Louisville does their best when they string together possession and make the extra pass to open up scoring opportunities. So far this season, Louisville has scored 26 goals. 22 of those goals have been assisted. The Cards are moving the ball well, finding their spots on crosses, and not playing hero ball. For reference, the Cards scored only 27 goals all of last year. The 2017 statistics page is unavailable, so I can't find the exact assist numbers, but to only be behind the goal total by one with seven games remaining is impressive in and of itself. Of course, the 13 goals scored against Wright State and Eastern Kentucky help that number tremendously, but the ability to put up that kind of scoring volume speaks to itself. 

With 7 games to go, Louisville sits at 9 points in conference. They finished last season with 11, 2 points out of a tie for 8th place with Boston College. I say this because there are only 8 teams that make the ACC tournament. Louisville finished 10th in the ACC last year, missing the ACC tournament because of it, and ultimately missing the NCAA tournament due to lack of noteworthy performances down the stretch. The Cards will have plenty of opportunities to show their mettle and prove they are worthy of a tournament bid. TopDrawerSoccer has taken notice, ranking the Cards 25th this week after listing them as "also considered" last week. They also named Brooklynn Rivers the player of the week for last week, as Jared pointed out yesterday. Finding yourself in the rankings is positive, staying there is key.

The Players

I mentioned how everyone has stepped up so far this season, but just saying so doesn't quite do it justice. Over the course of this year, 15 different players have seen their name called for the start. Of the 15, 9 players have started all 10 games. 12 players have seen action in every game, and 7 players have logged more than 800 minutes. Leading in minutes are Sarah Hernandez, a freshman (!!!!) centerback, with 912 and Niamh Nelson, the ever dependable left back, with 911. As best I can tell, those two have been on the field for every minute of every game, and I'm not sure where the discrepancy comes from in their total. Callie McKinney joins the two defenders in the 900 club, and they are the only three players with more minutes than goalkeeper, Gabrielle Kouzelos. The other three over 800 are the other two defenders, Gabrielle Vincent and Arianna Ferraro, and the other central midfielder, Nadege L'Esperance. These players have been putting their soul into this team so far and have not dropped off from a fitness standpoint. What appears to be a lack of depth in the defense may be something to watch, but the dependability of the four back-liners has been astounding.

Offense has been a bit more of a revolving door. No player I would classify as "offensive" has logged more than an hour per game average, including former freshman phenom, Emina Ekic. Ekic has still had a solid season, finding herself in fourth on the team with 6 points, but her shot percentage is way down, and she's not producing at the rate we may have expected. Fortunately, Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes has recognized that Ekic may not be infallible and has been willing to substitute her, showing a propensity to put what is best for the team on the field at any given moment. I think, in the past, Coach KFD has been more focused on having the most talented players on the field at all times, even when those players are not having their best nights.

Brooklynn Rivers has been as dominant as we could expect, but she has been surprisingly matched by a freshman, Maisie Whitsett. The two are tied atop the team with 18 points, but Rivers has been arguably the MVP, with 4 game winning goals (out of 7) to Whitsett's 3 (out of 8). While Louisville has won 9 games, only 8 of them have been credited with game winning goals, and Rivers and Whitsett account for 7 of those. The two aren't usually on the field at the same time, but I'd be interested to see what a formation change that allows the two of them to play together at the top might bring. Then again, they say "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." It doesn't appear to be "broke" so far.

Pacing the team-based offense I mentioned earlier has been Allison Whitfield, who leads the team with 5 assists. Whitfield has been playing in a much wider role than in the past and has been flourishing. She has enough speed and physicality to get around edge defenders, and Coach KFD trusts her to play on both sides of the field. She's creative with the ball and has exceptional placement with her crosses. Whitfield has been key in breaking down defenses, whether she's creating the final scoring chance or not, and that will need to continue for this team to see additional success late in the season.

The Future

Louisville has 7 conference games remaining before the conference tournament. One win will surpass their total for both overall and conference play last season and beat their points total from last season. Adding a couple of additional results to that next win should secure a spot into the conference tournament for the Cards. Unfortunately, the schedule is no pushover from here on out. Of seven games remaining, four come against teams ranked ahead of Louisville in this week's TDS poll. Louisville is lucky to avoid Boston College and Florida State this season, or the number of ranked teams would only increase. 

The big one-two punch comes in the next two games for Louisville. Saturday, the Cards will be in Chapel Hill to take on the fifth ranked Tar Heels. After that, they'll get less than a week to recover before taking on the third ranked Cavaliers of Virginia in Lynn Stadium. If the Cards can get out of those two games with at least one result, I'll be both shocked and ecstatic. My sights are set on the game following Virginia, against a lowly Miami squad at home on October 7th. The team will be coming off of a fairly short turnaround following the Virginia game, and confidence may be low. As I said, I'd be thrilled with a result from one of the next two matches, but I don't expect one. Miami will be an opportunity for Louisville to turn things around and get their confidence back. They absolutely cannot afford to come out with low confidence, play down to their opponent, and leave points on the table in a home match against a lower opponent. 

After Miami, Louisville heads to North Carolina again for three straight road games against Wake Forest, Duke, and NC State (the latter two of which are currently ranked). This will be a brutal road trip, but the Cards should come out of it with points. Wake is a middling team, and the Cards should be able to hold up against the Blue Devils and Wolfpack. Finally, the Cards return home for senior night against Virginia Tech on October 25th. VT is another middling team in conference, and that will be the final opportunity to pick up points heading into the tournament. Hopefully, Louisville will be jockeying for seeding and not inclusion for the ACC tournament, but we never know how the rest of this season will turn out. 

I'm looking forward to the rest of this season. I think that this Cardinal team is legit, and they have the talent and fortitude to make noise in the ACC regular season, ACC tournament, and potentially even the NCAA tournament. Let me know what you think about the Cards thus far and their potential for the rest of the year in the comments below.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

SUNDAY SUPERLATIVES -- FH, WSOC, VB ALL WINNERS -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Sunday was a good day for the Louisville Field Hockey, women's Soccer and Volleyball squads...all winning their matches against foes. The action began late Sunday morning for Cardinal squads and ended up late Sunday afternoon in Louisville, Chapel Hill, NC and Boone, NC...despite the different locations...the results were the same...wins for UofL teams! 


FIELD HOCKEY GETS A SUPER COOPER EFFORT

Justine Sowry's stick swingers traveled to Boone, NC to take on the Appalachian State Mountaineers in Field Hockey on Sunday and got a great performance from freshman Erica Cooper offensively in a 4-0 win. 

Cooper, a freshman from Louisville's Assumption high school, delivered all four of the Cardinal scores and didn't waste anytime in getting started. Just 30 seconds into the contest, she took a feed from sophomore Bethany Russ in the middle of the circle and sent a shot toward the net that found success and the Cards first score. 

That 1-0  lead increased just 90 second later to 2-0 when Cooper positioned herself low in the circle and got a tap-in against App. State goalie Rachel Gaines. The Cards kept firing, they ended up with 14 shots in the contest...10 of those on goal...and Cooper became the first Card to turn in a hat trick since Nicole Woods last year against Kent State when she followed up a rebound of a shot she took 30 minutes into the first half and guided that rebound into the net to make it 3-0. 

The first half ended that way 3-0 and Sowry encouraged The Stick Girls to continue to work hard and stay mentally focused in the final 35 minutes.

Aussie "Nic" Youman was a Cardinal FH great. 

Cooper's final tally came with ten minutes left in the contest. Mercedes "Meche" Pastor attempted a shot that was blocked by a App. State defender and Cooper was there to follow up the loose ball and knock it in. With the score, Cooper became the first Cardinal to reach four goals since September 17th, 2010 when Nicole Youman produced a four-bagger against Georgetown. 

With the win, Louisville improves to 7-3 on the season. They'll return to action Saturday when they travel to Virginia for a match against Wahoo Nation...UVA.



SOCCER SCORES LATE TO DOWN SYRACUSE 1-0

Louisville women's Soccer took the field Sunday afternoon in overcast and blustery conditions to face 3-7 Syracuse in ACC play. Most figured the 8-1 Cards would take the contest over the Orange...but few could have predicted just how they did it. 

The Cardinals began the first half, and spent much of the game, in Syracuse territory trying shots against both Syracuse goalkeepers (they switched the net-tenders at halftime) but the crosses weren't quite connecting and after 45 minutes of play, the teams were still right where they started...locked in a 0-0 contest. 


We don't know exactly what Louisville head soccer coach Karen Ferguson Dayes said to the squad at halftime...Coach told us post game that she'd been "rough" on the girls lately during the intermission breaks...but whatever she said seemed to inspire a more consistent and organized attack on Syracuse. 

The emotion level seemed to be more pronounced in the Cardinal players in the final half. The shots kept coming...Louisville had a 9-4 advantage in shots in the first half and a 10-3 domination in the final 45...but the Syracuse goalkeepers combined for 10 saves in the contest. Still, nothing was crossing the line and as time ticked down, it certainly appeared that we would be heading to overtime soccer.

Then, the "Rivers" flowed. 

With 15 seconds remaining in regulation, Maisie Whitsett drove toward the goal for what appeared to be another attempt to score. She deftly got a pass to Brooklynn Rivers on her left, though...the pass fooled the Orange keeper and Rivers drove it home with nine seconds on the clock. A beautiful cross...and the Cards had a 1-0 lead. 

Pandemonium erupted on the field nine seconds later and the Cards were now owners of a 9-1 record and 3-0 in the ACC. 

Our photographer Jared Anderson captured the celebration post-game. Another late win for Louisville, against a determined Syracuse squad that didn't play like a team that was 3-7 and 0-2 in conference. 

Cardinal goalkeep Gabby Kouzelos had a relatively quiet event, only having three shots on goal to defend. The 19-7 Louisville shot advantage included 11 shots on goal, Emina Ekic and Callie McKinney trying four shots. 

We caught up with a joyful Rivers after the contest. You can hear both her and Coach K's post-game remarks below: 

POST-GAME BROOKLYNN RIVERS

KAREN FERGUSON DAYES POST GAME REMARKS

One of the best starts in history for Louisville women's soccer. A team that was pre-season picked to finish ninth in the ACC now sits atop the conference standings with North Carolina. That showdown between #1 and #2 looms.... 

Louisville returns to action September 29th., when the Cards travel to Chapel Hill, NC to face the North Carolina Tar Heels. 




(Thanks to Jared for the WSOC pictures you see in today's column and the post-game remarks.)


VOLLEYBALL WINS IN FIVE OVER UNC

The Serve and Volley Cards completed the Sunday activities for Louisville women's sports and survived a five-set, back and forth tilt with the TarHeels in Chapel Hill...25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 25-27, 15-13. 

A match that featured 19 Melanie McHenry kills and 18 from Megan Sloan. It came down to a 13-13 tie in the fifth set. For UofL, though, Amanda Green stepped up with two straight kills to clinch game, set and match for the Cards...who go to 9-4 on the season and 2-0 in the ACC. 

A relatively easy first set for Dani Busboom Kelly's squad, jumping out to a 7-2 lead and leading 18-12 before taking the five-point victory. Emily Scott had three straight points in the set (two blocks and a kill) and Jasmine Bennett delivered the final kill to put the first one in the win column

Set two featured a high hitting average for UNC (.353) and the Tar Heels held a 21-16 lead before Louisville battled back to get within two at 23-21. North Carolina took two of the final three points, thoug, to get the three-point win. 

UofL rallied back after the break despite a slow beginning to the third set...trailing 7-1. The Cards evened the match at 15-15 on a McHenry kill and found themselves knotted with UNC 20-20 before running off the final five points. McHenry's service ace closed out the 25-20 Louisville win in set three. 

A back and forth set followed, the Cards leading early 5-1 but NC rallying to tie it at 8-8. Plenty of ties in the set (14) and it came down to a 25-25 tie before two straight North Carolina kills closed it out and a fifth set awaited. 

Louisville returns to the hardwood later in the week with another road trip...beginning Friday, Sept 28th. in Atlanta against Georgia Tech and then to Clemson to face the Tigers on Sunday, Sept 30th. 

A great Sunday for Cardinal women's athletics. Despite a rather dismal start to the weekend...when Cardinal Football fell on their face at Virginia 27-3...the sun came up Sunday morning and the Cards gather three wins. 

Have a great week, everyone! Enjoy what Jared and Case provide here the rest of the week and I'll "see you on the radio" and Facebook Live on Saturday with The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour. 


paulie
xxxxx