Former Card Advances Coaching Career -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Callie McKinney Departs Bellarmine WSOC

Following one season at the helm of the Bellarmine women's soccer program, former Cardinal Callie McKinney has left Louisville but returned to the ACC. McKinney has accepted an assistant coaching position with the SMU Mustangs, effective immediately. 

Photo via gocards

McKinney, from Franklin, Tennessee, played for Louisville from 2016-2019. After graduating with her bachelor's degree in exercise science at UofL, she received a master's degree in health science at Bellarmine. During that time, she joined the Bellarmine program as a graduate assistant in 2020, and was promoted to permanent assistant coach in 2021. In March of 2024, she was announced as the head coach and made her official collegiate coaching debut at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium against the Cards. She had previously served as a head coach in the summer of 2023 when she led the Racing Louisville USL W League team. 

Though the Knights didn't have a great season last year, McKinney did lead them to their best conference mark since joining the ASUN in 2020. Bellarmine was 5-12-3 overall, but finished 4-6-1 in conference. The mark was good enough to grant the Knights their first appearance in the ASUN tournament since 2021, and they won their first round game in a shootout over Austin Peay. 

McKinney's move, though technically a demotion in responsibility, is a big step up in coaching prestige. SMU is not a women's soccer power, but the ACC certainly is. To move into an assistant coaching position in the top conference in the sport is definitely an improvement in role. Her move also means that she will return to Lynn Stadium after all this season. The Cards aren't set to play Bellarmine in 2025, but they will host SMU. As she was honored in the opening game of the 2024 season, I would anticipate an acknowledgement of her accomplishment when the Mustangs visit Louisville on Senior Day on October 30th. 

While this move is great for Callie McKinney, it does leave Bellarmine in a bit of a lurch. Their roster currently lists Othaniel Yanez as the only member of the coaching staff. Yanez, another former Cardinal (2006-2009), joined the staff as an assistant alongside McKinney's head coaching elevation last season. With only a month before the season, I would anticipate Yanez to serve in at least an interim capacity. 

Best of luck to Callie in her new endeavors!

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

WSOC Players Stay Local for Summer -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Four Cards on Racing Louisville USLW Team 

Davy (20) and Huckaby (2)

Racing Louisville announced the roster for their 2025 USL W League season, and four Cardinals will spend their summer playing for the local club. The four Louisville players are among 18 Division I players on the 46-player roster, with 10 of those coming from Power 4 conferences. This season, Cards trading the red and black for lavender are Fina Davy, AG Gibson, Betsy Huckaby, and Grace Maddox. That marks an increase in UofL representation by one, Davy and Maddox join for the first time and Brooke Dardano graduated this past season. 

Other local schools represented include UK (Mallory Glass), EKU (Kaitlyn Rowlett), Breanna Dardano (Xavier; and yes, they're related), and Bellarmine. Callie McKinney's squad ties UofL for the largest non-Racing Academy contingent on the roster with four representatives of their own: Dakota Bramer, Sidney Rigsby, Shelby Smith, and Lucy von Stefenelli. 

Racing got their USL W season started with a bang yesterday evening on a beautiful night down at the Lynn Training Complex, beating the Dayton Dutch Lions by a whopping 9-0 scoreline. The win kicked off a 10-match schedule against local clubs. From now, Racing will play a home-and-away with Kings Hammer FC (Cincinnati/NKY), Lexington SC, Indy Eleven, and Dayton with one extra road game against Kings Hammer. The season is short, as the last game will be played on June 24th. 

Maddox (5), Gibson (24), and Avery Oergel

The UofL representatives on the team had a big game in last night's win, with Grace Maddox getting a start, playing all 90 minutes, and leading the team in scoring with three goals. Fina Davy also played all 90 and scored one goal. AG Gibson started and played 59 minutes, and Betsy Huckaby's 31 minutes make it seem as though Huckaby may have subbed on for Gibson. Neither of the two scored, and assists weren't tracked. 

Regardless of the outcome and the stats, Louisville players getting more touches on the ball, especially with one another, is extremely valuable. One of the biggest issues with the Cards last season was seeming disjointed, especially in the middle and final thirds. Having more opportunities to develop an on-field relationship can only help, considering that the four players on the Racing squad will likely make up the core of Louisville's attack in 2025. 

The team will head to Covington for their next game on Saturday before returning to Louisville against Lexington SC next Wednesday at 6PM. Home games are open to the public and free to attend. 

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

WSoc Kicks Off Season Against Bellarmine -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Welcome Crosstown Rival Knights to Lynn Stadium

Photo from GoCards

Louisville women's soccer kicks off the 2024-2025 Louisville sports season with a regular season match tonight. The Cards will take on the other Division I program in town Bellarmine at 7:30pm ET at Dr Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium. The match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.

UofL is coming off of a 4-9-5 season where they did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament or ACC Tournament. They went 1-4-3 in non-conference play last year.

14 players return to Louisville from last season. Molly Cochran and Emersen Jennings are the highest two returning scorers. Brooke Dardano, Karsyn Cherry, Erynn Floyd, and Lizzie Sexton are all key returners.

Photo from GoCards

Bellarmine enters the 2024 with a new coaching staff. Louisville women's soccer alumna Callie McKinney recently took over as head coach for the Knights and will be coaching her first regular season match. McKinney played for the Cards 2016-2019.

Louisville is 6-0-0 all-time against Bellarmine. This is their first regular season meeting since 1994.

Cardinal Couple plans to have plenty of representation tonight.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Cardinal Alum Takes Head Coach Position -- Softball Hosts Cardinal Classic -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Most of the Louisville fan base has turned its attention to men's basketball due to yesterday's news. Granted, I was one of them. Athletic Director Josh Heird has decided to part ways with Louisville men's basketball head coach Kenny Payne. While my views might not reflect the rest of the crew on our site here, I am glad to see a much-needed change coming over there.

Let me be clear that our focus is on the Joy and Excitement of Louisville Women's Athletics, but we also understand how budget-drive football and men's basketball are. When the success of those programs dip, it's many other sports suffering the effects from the suffering budget.

Thankfully, our current women's sports and even alumnae continue to accomplish great things, which brings me back to the reason Cardinal Couple is still here. We've seen several former Cardinals go onto professional careers by continuing to play. Others have moved onto coaching or reporting roles such as Mo Reid (asst coach for Bellarmine women's basketball), Becky Burke (head coach for Buffalo women's basketball), and Katie George (ESPN reporter).

Callie McKinney Named Head Coach for Bellarmine Women's Soccer

We can add another Cardinal alum doing impressive things. Louisville women's soccer alumna Callie McKinney has been promoted to head coach for Bellarmine women's soccer. The Franklin, Tenn. native played for the Cards from 2016-2019. During her playing career, McKinney played in 72 matches. The midfielder scored three goals and recorded three assists.

Following her playing career, McKinney joined Bellarmine women's soccer as a grad assistant in the fall of 2020. She was then promoted to a full-time assistant coach in 2021 and spent the last three seasons in that role.

Paul Babba held the title of head coach for Bellarmine in 2022 and 2023. The Knights had a 5-16-14 in that stretch. Babba departed to become associate head coach for Cincinnati women's soccer earlier this week leaving Bellarmine without a leader. There was no doubt in promoting McKinney to that position.

"First off, I am extremely grateful for this opportunity," McKinney said. "I am thankful to Scott and (Athletics Chief Operating Officer) Pam Stackhouse for giving me this opportunity to lead the Bellarmine program. I am also thankful to (former head coach) Paul Babba, who has prepared me well for this and for being such a great mentor and friend."

Hopefully, this means we will see Bellarmine on the Louisville schedule as either an exhibition match or regular season match in the fall.

Softball Hosts Cardinal Classic

Louisville softball is action for a long weekend. The Cardinals will host the Cardinal Class over the next four days with Holly Aprile's squad playing one game each day. The only game on Thursday will be Louisville vs South Dakota. First pitch is slated for 7:00pm and will be aired on ACC Network.

On Friday, Louisville will face Illinois at 6:00pm. Saturday will feature Louisville vs Michigan at 6:00pm and Sunday will be a rematch against Illinois at 5:00pm.

After getting swept by Virginia Tech, Louisville now carries a 16-8 record on the season. The Cards hit .287 as a team with several players above .300. 

Louisville and South Dakota have never met before so tonight will be the first ever meeting. The Coyotes are 14-13 on the season after defeating Tennessee State last night.

South Dakota has faced six 'Power Five' conference teams so far and have gone 0-6 in those games. They have not run-ruled anyone but have been run-ruled once in an 8-0 loss to Murray State on opening weekend. They hit .238 as a team with two players hitting over .300. South Dakota has outscored their opponents 93-88.

We plan to have in-person coverage for the games this weekend.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

VOLLEYBALL ADDS MORGAN -- WNBA RECAP -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 TAYLOR MORGAN JOINS VOLLEYBALL STAFF

Taylor Morgan, who was a key player on the University of Minnesota's Final four team last season, has joined the UofL Volleyball staff as an assistant coach.

"We are thrilled to add Taylor to the staff," Dani Busboom Kelly commented. "Clearly she played at a very high level, but what stood out is her character is on par with her talent. She is a great example for our young women and will make a fantastic coach someday. there is no doubt she will make an immediate difference in our program." 

Morgan was a 6'0" middle blocker for the Gophers and was a second team Big 10 selection and All-Region Honorable Mention he senior year. She had six blocks for the Gophers last season in the match that eliminated Louisville from the NCAA Tournament 3-0 in the "great Eight" NCAA Regional finals in Austin, TX. on Dec. 14th. 2019

She had 514 kills and 283 blocks in her career at Minnesota. Morgan hails from Blaine, MN, a suburb of the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. 

Louisville Volleyball is scheduled to start the 2020 season Sept. 16th against Kentucky.

CARDS WSOC CALLIE MCKINNEY TO BELLARMINE

Callie McKinney was an excellent mid-fielder for the Louisville women's soccer squad during her four years as a Cardinal. Callie was a starter all four years at Louisville. She's taken those skills and parlayed them into a coaching career. 

The Knights announced last night that McKinney has joined the staff as a graduate assistant. 

Bellarmine will compete (sooner or later) in Division I women's soccer and is in the A Sun Conference. Glad to see that Callie will still be around "the Ville" - and hope she can do wonderful things as a part of head coach Chris Tinius' staff! 

WNBA SCORES

Three out of the four UofL WBB Cardinals in "the wubble" were in action last night.

CHICAGO SKY 84 -- LAS VEGAS 82

A heart-breaking loss for Angel and the Aces last night. With 13 seconds to go, Chicago ran a nifty out-of-bounds double screen that eventually got Azura Stevens wide open under the basket and she sank the layup to sink Las Vegas. 

Angel McCoughtry led the Aces with 17 points. She was one of five double-digit scorer for the Aces, who are now 8-3. McCoughtry added five rebounds in 21 minutes of play. 

Las Vegas led 25-15 after one quarter but Chicago (8-4) roared back in the second half and grabbed a nine-point lead. Vegas was able to tie it late, but the Sky managed to get their second win in a row.

SEATTLE 105 - NEW YORK 64

A tough night for the New York Liberty against league-leading Seattle last night. The Storm jumped out to a 10-0 lead and had things well in control by the half, leading 61-28.

For New York (1-10) Jazmine Jones had 10 points and six rebounds in 28 minutes.  Kylee Shook saw 18 minutes and had four points and six rebounds. 

The struggling Liberty have lost their last five games in a row.

Have a wonderful Wednesday, mask up, keep your distance and sanitize and wash.

paulie 

Women's Soccer Outlasts Clemson -- Weekend Scheduling -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Women's Soccer Outlasts Clemson

Callie McKinney's goal just two and a half minutes into the game was the decider between Top 25 conference foes Louisville and Clemson.  McKinney headed the ball into the far post on a corner kick by Allison Whitfield.

The two foes were nearly deadlocked in most stats with the Cards' biggest advantage was nine corner kicks against the Tigers' four.  Louisville capitalized on the corner kicks with several good looks including McKinney's score.

Despite the early goal and press from the Cards, it was Clemson who looked more solid in the later first half.  The Tigers controlled possession and won the battle in the midfield with multiple scoring threats right before the half.

Clemson continued their attack in the early second half, beating the Cards both over the top and on the outside.  Eventually, Louisville settled in to control the game for much of the second half, winning the possession battle by a hair.

Louisville was forced to switch to a five person defensive line when Clemson brought an all out offensive attack that featured their goalkeeper in the mix.  Clemson's attack pushed the Cardinal defense back into its goal post shadow.  Gabby Kouzelos captained the Cards and kept things calm in the final minutes where most of her four saves accrued.

As far as the lone goal goes, which came just 2:24 into the match, it was McKinney's first of the year, adding her to the list of Cards to have recorded a goal on the year to 12.  Two other players- Niamh Nelson and Arianna Ferraro- have recorded points but only from assists.  Emina Ekic still leads the charge with seven goals and six assists for 20 points.

The win is the fourth on the year in conference play for the Cards.  The 12 points ranks in the top three in the ACC.  FSU has 15 points and UNC has 13 points.  The Cards are two wins shy of their six-win mark in the ACC from last year.

Louisville improves to 11-1-0 on the year, adding to their best start in program history. In the overall, life-time series against the Tigers, UofL is now 2-1 and has won the last two meetings. The win streak for 2019 is now four in a row.

Paulie predicted a low-scoring contest yesterday and that came to fruition.

On the "over/under" for trains rolling by Lynn Stadium last night, if you took the "under" against the prognostication of two, you would have been a winner. We did not have any trains at all chug past the north-side of the field during action last night.

Louisville heads to South Bend this Sunday for a match-up against a 9-4-0 Notre Dame team at 1:00 p.m. in Alumni Stadium.


They Said It

Post-game interviews below:

Callie McKinney Video

Gabby Kouzelos Video

Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes Video


Weekend Scheduling

Friday

Women's Swimming and Diving will head to Dallas to compete in the SMU Classic.  The event hosts solely the women's teams, which will cut the meet time in half.

Field Hockey remains home to host a high-ranked Virginia team at 6:00.  Paulie will be otherwise occupied, so he's throwing the pressure on me for sole coverage of the event.... *eye roll*.



Volleyball hits the road for their first conference away game against Duke at 6:30.

Men's Soccer travels to a Top 10 Clemson team at 7:00.


Saturday (Happy Birthday Katy!)

Swimming and Diving continues their stint in the SMU Classic.

Football travels to Wake Forest for a 7:30 kickoff.

Sunday

Volleyball continues their road trip with a 1:00 match at Wake Forest.

Women's Soccer travels to Notre Dame for a 1:00 kickoff.


The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Join Jeff and Case for radio excellence tomorrow at 11 a.m. for The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour on WCHQ 100.9 FM.  There is a possibility they'll also be joined by the legendary Daryl Foust as they try to survive Jeff's snarky rebuttals and "off the wall" meanderings on anything and everything except UofL women's athletics.

(Provided they didn't scare Daryl off last week,)

When they finally get to the business of covering sports, they do a pretty decent job and they'll have plenty to discuss in regards to this week's events.

It's always unique, never boring and you won't hear anything else like it on the airwaves or FACEBOOK LIVE. You can go to the WCHQ website to listen or/watch live and even download the WCHQ app while you're there.

LINK:  www.wchqfm.com

Take the station with you wherever you go and leave a bag of peanuts on the front porch for Floyd the Squirrel, the station mascot.

Happy Friday and Go Cards!

Jared

Louisville Women's Sports -- The Jared Anderson View -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FIELD HOCKEY

How do you break a three game losing streak? That's a question Field Hockey looks to answer. The "Sticks" have dropped to 4-4 on the season and are looking to turn things around in the back half of the season. Eight games down, 10 to go before Tournament time. 

The 2-0 loss to Northwestern yesterday is the third straight road loss and third straight shutout. My Minnie Mink prediction, a bold one indeed, that she would average two goals per game is done. Especially when you consider that the team as a whole isn't even averaging two goals per game. Louisville Field Hockey has 15 scores in eight contests. 

#14 Northwestern had a goal each half against the Cards. The UofL defense was up against it -- the Wildcats out-shot the Cards 18-11 and the "pride of Ireland" goalkeeper Ayeshia McFerran recorded six saves. Lately her teammates on the back line have not dome much to help her out, affording opposing offenses ample scoring opportunities. 

Hollyn Barr has become the invisible women for defending the pipes after receiving much critical acclaim while Ayeshia was out. Do you re-visit that decision? 

As mentioned above, the "Stick Girls" offense is struggling. Marigrace Ragsdale did get off five shots and three of them were "on goal" but Northwestern's net-keeper did an excellent job to earn a clean sheet. 


Louisville hosts yet another top 15 squad when the Demon Deacs visit Friday. At least the Cards are finally home, where they are 2-0 this year. Paulie's headed down to campus today to chat with Coach Sowry and we'll see what he has to say tomorrow about that. 

WBB

Paulie discussed the 2017-18 schedule with Jeff Walz yesterday. There's a nice dynamic between this dynamic duo. I'd like to be a fly-on-the-wall to hear what they talk about when the recording device is off...

The non-conference schedule features UK, IU and a bunch of Tennessee schools except for the Knoxville Vols. They probably don't want to see Louisville for a very long time. The one match up I am dreading is when the Cards visit UConn in early February. Geno and his indoor Huskies are very good (NEWS FLASH!) and we just haven't figured out a way to beat them yet. Maybe a phone call to Mississippi St. is in order. As always, the ACC will be a dynamically strong conference and should dramatically improve the Cards S.O.S. 

WOMEN'S SOCCER

The Seminoles come to Lynn Stadium Thursday night. Ranked in the top 25 and sitting at 5-2-0 -- this will be a mighty tough one. 

Will we see a 10th. Cardinal scorer this season? I think Callie McKinney or Sarah Feola have the best "shot" as the next new goal-maker. They did have three goals between them in 2016. Be on the lookout for our troublesome front in Ekic, Whitfield, Rivers and compadres vying for more goals against an FSU defense that has allowed only six scores this season. . 

One also must ask the question...has Louiville ever defeated FSU in women's soccer? The answer is no. The Tallahassee lasses are 4-0 against our fillies. FSU has had two contests postponed this season because of that wench named Irma. 

I've been know to go out "on the ledge" a few times this season with my predictions. Here I go again, out the window once more. 

The Kickin' Cards beat the 'Noles. 

Go Cards! 
Jared Anderson

Of wins, losses and ties -- Monday Cardinal Couple

A Win, A Tie, and A Loss

It's like the beginning of a bad joke, "A Win, a Tie, and a Loss walk into a bar..."  Instead, it's the results of the three major women's sports in Sunday action.

Let's Start With The Win

Field Hockey, after a good upset win over North Carolina Saturday, kept it rolling against Kent State for Senior Day at Trager Stadium.

This one didn't start out looking great, with the Cards going down 2-0 25 minutes into the game on a Kent State penalty corner and a crossing shot.  Minout "Minnie" Mink ("I score goals.") was able to claw one back on a corner, with assists to Erin McCrudden and Nicole Woods 5 minutes before halftime.

After what was no doubt a vocal halftime in the UofL locker room, the Sowry squad was able to play to their identity, a strong theme for the Field Hockey squad this year, and keep Kent State on their heels.  Mink was able to get a breakaway and put the shot away for the equalizer about halfway through the 2nd half.  Lizzie Gittens scored the go-ahead goal with less than 8 minutes left in the game on a penalty corner, again with Erin McCrudden and Nicole Woods providing the help.

Field Hockey seniors with the "Big Heads" !!

This was Senior Day, the last home game of the season for the Field Hockey squad.  The team heads
out on the road for the final 3 games of the regular season, starting this Friday at Virginia, with a 6 o'clock start for the Cardinal conference closer.  Sunday keeps the squad in the same region, with a tilt against James Madison on Sunday with a noon start.  The Cardinals will close their season against Michigan in Ann Arbor on Friday the 29th, with a 1pm start.  The ACC Field Hockey tournament is being hosted by Wake Forest in Winston Salem, NC, and will begin November 3rd.

A Tie for the Kickers

WSOC gathering multiple ties...

Time for another Soccer overtime rant, as Karen Ferguson-Dayes' squad played Virginia Tech on their home turf.  The first half of play was scoreless, with Tech maintaining an advantage in pressure against the Cards by getting 8 shots off.  Halftime adjustments are sometimes a thing of beauty, though, with the Cards coming out and dominating the 2nd half possession.  Louisville would finally get on the board with a shot off of a rebound by Callie McKinney in the 66th minute.  The goal came out of a series of shots started by a corner kick.

Down by 1, Tech upped the pressure and was able to find the equalizer in the 81st minute off of a rebound.  Neither team was able to get any good looks in the 2 overtime periods, resulting in the 1-1 2OT tie.  While the Cards pick up a point in the standings with the tie, they are clinging precariously to 8th position in the ACC standings.  The ACC Championship tournament is an 8 team tournament, so the Cards would really love to climb a bit in the standings to assure their appearance in the tournament.  With 3 games left, opportunities are starting to dwindle.  The next game may be the best opportunity to pick up another 3 point win when the Cards head to sunny Miami for a game against the Hurricanes on Thursday.  This one is a 7pm start.

The Cards will close out their conference and season, with games against Florida State and Virginia, 3rd and 5th respectively in the ACC standings.  The tournament begins October 30th at campus sites, and wraps up on November 4th and 6th in Charleston, SC.

And Finally, a Loss

Melanie McHenry for Lamar Jackson...straight up. 

The volleyball squad suffered a loss at the hands of #8 North Carolina.  This one went in a straight 3
sets, 25-11, 25-21, 25-17.

While this one goes in the loss column, and the first set was nothing to write home about, there were signs of life for the Cards in the 2nd and 3rd sets.  The Cards played some of the best volleyball I've seen from them all season in the 2nd set...for some of the set...but weren't able to maintain it for the whole set.

Early in the season, one of the shortcomings I pointed out for this team was the lack of "connection" between setter Kali Eaken and our middles, Tess Clark and Jasmine Bennett.  I said that this would improve with time, and it certainly has.  What hasn't really improved has been our ability to get the ball to them to score.  Our passing and digging just isn't where it needs to be, and when a team isn't passing and digging well, they can't be effective at setting up the hitters to generate offense.  This is particularly pronounced for UofL that depends heavily on middle hitting for offense and to spread the defensive block out.

That having been said, there were periods where our passing was on target, and the offense fell solidly in to place, so this team is on the verge of being a quite good team.

Janelle Jenkins...MIA

Clark hit a very impressive .455, but on only 11 attempts.  Bennett hit .286 on 7 attempts.  Not too many other highlights in this one.  Though  Clark has been serving, a turn of events that would have been unheard of the past couple of years, and was able to put some pressure on the UNC serve receive, including picking up a score off the serve that wasn't officially credited as an ace.  She also was credited with 2 digs, demonstrating her improving all around play.

There is still a significant amount of play in the Volleyball season.  There is no ACC tournament in volleyball, and NCAA tournament play seems unlikely for the squad at this point.  The rest of the season will really be an opportunity for the team to improve skills and build for next season.

-- JMcA