Campus update -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Good morning readers, checking in with you before heading out for vacation.  Looking forward to the break from the work force.   

UofL definitely slowed its hiring but the medical residents are currently moving to town and in the process of onboarding.  I've been managing a large load at work to prepare for the influx and my vacation as well. 

As Case covered yesterday, WBB is adding to the coaching staff and I look forward to meeting them sometime soon. 

With the recent administrative changes, UofL is currently going through some major shifts in the dynamic of the institution.  Technically, my department has been eliminated and I am moving to a different one.  We shall see how the chips fall in the coming weeks.  

I've been enjoying the College World Series between Texas and Texas Tech which was forced to a game 3 last night and the Cards Baseball program was able to bring the post season back to town so whether you're heading out to the ballpark or watching the championship from the couch, enjoy the weekend!

As Always, 

Go Cards

~Daryl

Softball takes game 1 vs UVA in extras --LAX falls at ND -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Good morning and happy Friday readers!  We are officially 2 weeks from the Derby weekend which I am very much looking forward to.  Get your fascinators ready ladies!!! 



Softball

The Cards are on the road in Charlottesville, Virginia for an ACC series with the Cavs ahead of the holiday weekend.  The Cavs are celebrating their seniors this weekend and UofL is celebrating a 3 game winning streak taking game 1 of the series Thursday evening.  Its just the second loss for the Cavs at home this season.  

The Cards eek out a victory over the RPI Top 25 Cavaliers 6-5 in 9 innings. Alyssa Zabala got the start in the circle and looked to complete the game heading into the 7th inning with a 5-1 UofL lead.   After giving up 3 hits in the inning, UofL head coach Holly Aprile made the pitching change. She finished her day giving up 8 hits and 4 runs (3 in the 7th) and 4 strikeouts.

  

Brooke Gray got the win in 2.2 innings of one-hit softball in the circle.  

Easton Lotus finished with 4 hits on 5 plate appearances, scoring 2 runs. Char Lorenz had a 2 run HR to put the Cards ahead 5-1 late in the game.  

The last time UofL and UVA faced off was in 2023 in Charlottesville when the Cards swept em. 

1st inning

The Cards had 5 batters appear to open the game but count come up with any runs.   The Cavs came out swinging to get on the board early with a single and a double and a SAC bunt in-between to score the games first run.  But I will say I think it was a bad defensive effort that allowed that first runner to get on board to begin with. 

2nd inning

Pretty anticlimactic inning as the score remains the same throughout.  

3rd inning

A single up the middle for Lotus to start the offensive punch for the Cards before Lookadoo found herself looking at a bases loaded situation. She singled over third base to score 2 runs and then some defensive chaos throwing the ball around allows for some advancements and then a play at home which was reviewed and upheld as out at the plate. Card up 3-1 

4th inning

Both squads with 1 hit and 1 left on base but no runs to show in the inning. 

5th inning

Three up, three down for both squads for a quick inning. 

6th inning

Zabala started the 6th with a 10 pitch at bat that should've been a strike 3 called on a beautiful pitch on the inside corner but instead resulted in a single to CF which is quite deflating but the Cards were able to get out of the inning unscathed. 

7th inning

A Lotus single to left followed by a quick slap homerun to left center put the Cards in a comfy position heading into the final frame of regulation. But the Cavs would respond with 3 hits and runners on the corners and a chance to tie it at the plate.   Coach Holly Aprile makes the pitching change and put Lindsey Mullen in the circle instead.  She threw just 6 pitches facing 2 batters for the night, giving up a home run and a single putting the Cavs in a position to win in walk off fashion.  Aprile makes another pitching change putting Gray in to clean up the mess.   To extras we go... 

8th inning

The Cards had 3 hits but were unable to plate any runs it in and defensively it was 3 up, 3 down for UVA.

9th inning

Ally Alexander walked to get on base and ultimately score the game winning run on a fielding error from UVA and Maddi Grant doubling to right field to push the run across.  The Wahoos got two runners on but where unable to respond. 

The Cards win! 

Lacrosse

Louisville went to South Bend for the last match of the 2025 season and fell 6-17 against the Notre Dame fighting Irish. UofL finishes the 2025 campaign with a 7-10 record and a 1-8 mark in ACC play. The Irish had lost their 4 previous matchups and finished 7-8, 2-7 ACC.


ND scored in the first minute of the game and the Cardinals responded a minute later when Negai Nakazawa sent a feed to Maggie McMahon who delivered her 12th goal of the season. ND scored nine unanswered goals to close out the first quarter. Reese Whiteman for her team-best 25th goal of the season but the Cards could not come back from the early deficit and went into the break down 10.

This is the Health Science Campus of UofL - Downtown - the School of Medicine

I am working on finishing up a pretty awesome UofL related project here in the coming weeks that I am looking forward to sharing soon =)

As Always
Go Cards

~Daryl 

The Crew - Sunday Cardinal Couple

The Crew - An Appreciation

Last night was the first event on the gocards.com calendar, a Men's Soccer exhibition game against Belmont.  Given the absolutely wonderful turn of the weather, I decided to pop out and check it out.  The good guys won, 4-1, but that's not the important thing.

I was, as you might imagine, refreshed by getting out in gorgeous weather, taking in a sport that I do enjoy watching, even if it was between teams that I don't follow closely.

But I think even more refreshing, our famous photographer Jared Anderson was (as is typical for him) out there as well getting some shots.  After the first period (they played three 30 minute periods rather than two 45 minutes halves...I'm not sure why), he came and sat with me in the stands.  He was still getting a few shots from that vantage point, but in between he and I just chatted across a variety of topics, many, but certainly not all, being various UofL sports.

The chance to just hang out with Jared got me thinking about "The Crew" we have here at Cardinal Couple, and really appreciating what each of us brings to the virtual table.

 

Of course, each of us focuses a little bit (ok, a lot in my case) on different facets of our coverage.  To some degree that is oriented along program boundaries, but also a bit in our approach to the programs.

An example:  Both Jared and Case bring lots to the table when we're talking about Soccer.  Case has a great mind for the game, having actively played the sport for many years, while Jared, partly through his photography, brings a more up close and personal view of the team.

Speaking of experience with a particular sport, while Jared and I are perhaps the most regular attendee to Softball, Daryl has many years of experience with that sport, both stepping up to the plate, and standing behind it, and brings strategic insights to it that I never could. She was the TV "Voice of the Sofbtall Cards" too, a few years ago.

Bringing Daryl into the picture, it wasn't lost on me that, for a significant period of time, Cardinal Couple basically comprised four dudes expounding on women's sports.  The addition of Daryl brings a welcome woman's voice to the site and podcast.  As suggested above though, she's not just here because she's a woman and we're talking about women's sports, she is every bit the avid sports fan, excellent writer, and podcast presence, to rival and surpass the rest of us.  Softball, and WBB are Daryl's main wheelhouse, though she has vowed to add more coverage of golf to the mix as her own golf game has improved over the past few years.  I really look forward to that.

Case was already mentioned above, but aside from his knowledge and expertise in Soccer, I always know that Case will be ready to geek out with me about whatever random technology thingamabob that I've been working with.  Case also typically prepares and posts the podcast form of the CCRHP each week unless he can't be on the call, in which case it falls back to me to do it.  (Which reminds me...)  Beyond that and more on point here, he has really built an expertise in Lacrosse as well, helping to anchor our coverage of that sport.  Jared and I will continue to try to get him to come out to more Volleyball matches, too.

Who have I missed?  Oh, of course, Paulie.  The technologically challenged one (his words).  Despite that, Paulie has persevered over the years, adding, albeit slowly, various bits of technology to his work with Cardinal Couple, including his trusty Tascam audio recorder, and with our CCRHP migration from WCHQ, which he spearheaded,  over to online distributed recordings, he persevered and figured out how to connected...with a little bit of remote handholding, but this was during Covid times, so ultimately he had to figure it out and he did.

Of course, Cardinal Couple is ultimately the brainchild of Paulie, and he is our fearless leader.  I thought he was a little bit crazy when he first suggested starting a radio show, but when it came together on (the now dearly departed) WCHQ with him at the helm, it worked and has evolved into the CCRHP that we know and love today.

Paulie managed to stay pretty current with all of the sports we cover, but I think he really spends more of his time with WBB, Lacrosse, and Field Hockey. He has known WSOC head coach Karen Ferguson Dayes since she arrived on campus, too, and their yearly preseason interviews are...classic.

Paulie and Daryl..at WBB preseason

We've all cheered Paulie on as he deals with various medical issues, particularly over the past year or so and we certainly missed his presence at various events last year when those medical issues prevented his attendance.  But he has vowed to make it out more this year to some of the programs and we'll all be better off for it.

He needs a kidney. If you want to step up and donate one. sign up for the testing and compatibility tests with the very fine UC (Cincinnati) Kidney department . Call (513) 584-7001 and get more details

We're about to dive headfirst into Fall sports this week, with Women's Soccer kicking it off Thursday evening vs Bellarmine and Volleyball's Red & Black scrimmage on Saturday afternoon, so now seemed like a good time to put into words my appreciation for what this Crew does each year.  We're a bit niche, but I hope we're bringing about a net positive for women's sports.

And, of course, it would be pointless without our readers and listeners, and it's oh so rewarding to hear back from you all in the comments or in other channels.  Keep it up, keep cheering, and Go Cards!

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

We had three on the call yesterday, Jared, Paulie, and myself.  Which means that it fell to me to post the podcast form as hinted at above (darn you, Case!).

It's now available as I forgot to do it yesterday right after the show.  We had a good conversation about the ongoing Olympics and UofL's rooting interests in them.  And we looked ahead to the beginning of official competition this week with Women's Soccer kicking it off on Thursday.

Check it out at it's Spotify home, or any podcast directory:

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cardinal-couple/episodes/Olympics--Fall-Sports-preparation--and-more-e2n2akn

-- 

JMcA

WGolf releases 2024-25 schedule -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

Good morning and happy weekend everybody! Its been perfect golfing weather this week and funny enough, the Cardinals golf program announced its schedule for the 2024-25 season earlier this week as well. I've been trying to play as many rounds as possible while also planning a wedding. Were about 23 weeks away from the big day!

The start of the new school semester is quickly approaching too which means the annual Press Box Scramble should be coming up... I wonder if my invite got lost in the mail...

WGolf

The University of Louisville schedule features eight regular season tournaments and one match play event over the fall and spring seasons, including two tournaments the Cardinals will host. In the spring, they will host the eighth annual Moon Golf Tournament in Florida and in the fall, the Cardinal Cup returns for the first time since 2019.

After the Cardinal Cup in mid September, the Cardinals will take a trip to Arkansas and then to North Carolina for the Tar Heel Invitational.

The final tournament of the fall brings the Cardinals to Huntsville, Alabama.

The first tournament of the spring season will be the preveiously mentioned eighth annual Moon Golf Invitational, hosted by the Cardinals at the Suntree Golf Club in Melbourne, Florida.

A trek to the Lone Star state is up next as the Cardinals will head south to Austin, Texas.

The final regular season tournament will take place in Clemson, South Carolina.

The 2025 ACC Championships will be hosted at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina.

I look forward to following the Cardinals out on the course next season! 

As Always, 
Go Cards!

~Daryl 

Summer -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL

Hello readers, and happy weekend! I was glad to unplug and get out of town last week and appreciate the gangs coverage. I saw a tweet the other day that said something about how it was engrained into our brains for 12 years how summer is this 'big break' or when we were supposed to go out and do all the things and I really felt that tweet. Of course it all revolves around the school-year and practically every sport season break so give us some summer picnics, movie premiers, pool days, traveling and lots of golf to fill in the blanks! Then the weeks just fly by don't they?

I did play pretty well in Florida last week. It was a scorcher down there but we got 36 holes in... I birdied on a Par 4 and pretty much played better than the other 5 on Thursday's 18. I also got invited back to the UofL Press Box Challenge again this year, which I am very much looking forward to in a few weeks. This event is what got me into golf to begin with! It will be my third year playing. I'm still chasing LPGA dreams, y'all! 

                          

 (The ladies stole the show both
days out on the course!) 

Track and Field 

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

After winning the NCAA Championships Pole Vault. the redshirt senior from Grand Rapids, MI -- Gabi Leon can now add the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association 2022 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Southeast Region Women's Field Athlete of the Year as announced by the organization today. There are nine regions – Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, Mountain, Northeast, South, South Central, Southeast and West . Leon became the fourth-ever collegiate women's pole vaulter with three clearances of 4.60m (15' 1") and the only woman this season with three marks over 4.57m (15' 0").

Tennis 

ALL ACC ACADEMIC TEAM

UofL women's tennis player, Tatiana Simova, has been named to the All-ACC Academic Team.   ACC Champion Duke led the league with seven players on the academic team. Duke's Chloe Beck has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

  

(We also successfully avoided the sunburn!)

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast -  I'll be out again this weekend for our podcast with an appointment but the rest of the gang should be on the recording for this week.  Stay hydrated in this heat and a friendly tip would be to carry a frozen water bottle whenever you have to leave the house and as my dermatologist would like to remind you, don't forget the sunscreen! 

As Always

Go Cards! 

~Daryl 

Christmas Eve; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Happy holiday weekend to all!  I hope you get to enjoy Christmas safely with your friends and family.   I've enjoyed reading up on the gang's favorites and traditions this week in between some of my own new and old.   As you might know,  I've been M.I.A. from radio for the past few months as I have been spending the weekend's away with my family being Aunt Daryl :D 

This time of the year is all about my family as my sister, mom and dad all have birthday's around the holidays.  The new addition this year just tacks on another end of the year celebration to my calendar.  Not that I am complaining... 

With not a lot of new stories out of the sports programs for the holiday break and the rest of the gang throwing out their favorite things about this time of year, I will piggy back off their lead with a few of my own favorites. I dont know about the bacon on white bread tradition that was mentioned in yesterday's post but I am here for that being my new thing...

Favorite Christmas movie: A Christmas Story 

I will admit, I have not seen every Christmas movie out there but this one holds a special place in my heart.   Not only is the movie extremely quotable (I can't put my arms down, you'll shoot your eye out, triple dog dare ya) my family and I have actually recreated several scenes from the movie before - such as the Bumpus hounds stealing the turkey and Ralphie and the fam having to get Chinese for dinner "Fa Ra Ra Rah Rah", one year I got my dad a leg lamp (a major award!!!!) and built the crate with straw that it came in including the "Frag-il-e" detail. 

The Santa Clause 

Tim Allen is absolutely hilarious in this movie and I cannot let Christmas go by without watching this at least twice.  One of my favorite jokes.. 

              You know, Neal's a real good cook.

              Yeah, and you should see him walk on water.

              - You don't like him very much, do ya, Dad? - Charlie, yeah--

              I was joking, okay? I'm sorry. I was just kiddin' around.

              I like him a lo-- Yeah, sure, I like him. You know, there--

              There's just something about him that makes me wanna--

              Lash out irrationally?

              - Where did you hear that? - From Neal.

              I learn a lot from him. He listens to me.

              Yeah. Then he charges ya for it.

ZINGGG.

Honorable Mention:  Jingle all the Way, Elf, White Christmas (I just watched this for the first time earlier this week), Charlie Brown Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer & Christmas comes but once a year (1936) This is a short 8 minute flick that I could not tell you WHY or WHERE I ever watched this but it gives me some serious nostalgia. 

Favorite Christmas song(s): Silent Night (I taught myself how to play this as a kid on a little keyboard and Santa brought a real keyboard for Christmas that year)  White Christmas In fact, This song at the opening credits of The Santa Clause is my most fond memory from this time of the year.  You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch, Blue Christmas, Run Rudolph Run, Mele Kalikimaka are some of my favorite classics.  And just to upset Jared, all Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift holiday tracks are on my list of favorites. 

I think I have baked enough goodies this past week than I have in the past 2 years - Quarantine included.  Cherry pie, pastry appetizers and cookies for Santa with the girls are enough to keep my heart and my belly full for the holiday!  What's your favorite holiday dish?  Is there something you cannot go without for Christmas?! Let us know in the comments.  Mine is easy - dessert!! Cookies, candy, pie; I dont care, I want all the baked goods!

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas Eve! 
Go Cards! 
~Daryl 

Summer thoughts & opinions; FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Preface

I thought about something the last time I checked in that I think it would be a great opportunity to talk about some random things going on around us.  ...maybe not even necessarily about the Cards.. or sports even..  to get back to my roots of journalism and do a feature article.

When I started writing, it was mostly opinion and review based.  Never thought I would be a 'reporter' of any kind but I think it's safe to say I have done close to only that in recent years.   And I 100% came into this evening thinking what the heck am I going to write about tonight so I'm thinking now is the time to use my flex option on topics of discussion.  Think of it as a diary by Daryl. so here we go...

Hello again fans, 

It's Friday... there was a beautiful sunset last night after a very long stormy day in Louisville.  We opened the month of July with a day long storm clouding the city skies before opening to a gorgeous sunset of pink orange and yellows.  It woulda made a great backdrop for one of Jared's photo sessions!  

July makes me think of the Olympics.  I am excited for the Olympic games to start.  Got to watch a little bit of the gymnastics trials the other night. Your 2020 USA gymnastics team consists of :

Jamie Squire—Getty Images

Simone Biles, 24; Spring, Texas.

Sunisa Lee, 18; St. Paul, Minn. 

Jordan Chiles, 20; Spring, Texas. 

Grace McCallum, 18; Isanti, Minn. 

MyKayla Skinner, 24; Gilbert, Ariz.

Jade Carey, 21; Phoenix, Ariz.

Of course Simone Biles made the cut even though she did fall on her beam routine.. and while were on the subject, I'd like to thank Simone for falling off of the balance beam and making a mistake.  She was obviously upset for the misstep, (I do not believe her qualifying for the squad was ever in doubt) but she proved she is human.  There is so much pressure on athletes and Simone has been under that spotlight since she was about 16 years old.. it has been an incredible journey to witness and I look forward to her and the rest of team USA 2020 campaign in Tokyo.  

I think it will be interesting to explain to future generations about the 2020 Olympics held in July of 2021... like it will be some trick trivia question in a couple decades or something.  I don't know why the thought crossed my mind but I do look forward to reading about this part of the history books.  Also shout-out Spring, Texas on producing two Olympic gymnasts in that year(s).  Population about 61,000, getting two on the same squad seems like a pretty significant production. 

Moving on... 

In other big news of the week.. College athletes making cash for image.  AKA... NIL.

I admit I have been on pretty much one side of the fence of this argument for as far back as I can remember.. it was a topic in a couple of my college classes at UofL over 7 years ago and obviously a topic among anyone involved with college athletics for some time.  

If you've followed me long enough I'm sure I've voiced that opinion here and there... but I have never publicly said how I have moved closer to the fence and even crossed over on certain aspects of the proposal.  My agreements and concerns closely mirror what the others at Cardinal Couple have already expressed but I do want to mention the fact since we are here... Players are allowed to profit for their name and image and I just hope it doesn't get out of control. 

You know some people say that money is the root of all evil...  it can and does make murky water.  I can't pretend to know how to make it run smoothly and not spiral out of control.  But lets not forget what a crap-bag the NCAA is at governing student athletics... I did a lot of reading in the library at UofL surrounding athletics and the origins of them and how we got to where we are today and I do believe the original intention of the NCAA was in a good place..  but I think the once 'non-profit' organization with 'the best interest of the student athletes' has gotten far away from it's mission and a new governing body needs to be established but we are far from a day where that dream can be realized... this is MY diary, not yours! 

 
So to that I say screw the NCAA and let these athletes benefit off their own game since everyone else seems to be.  Hell, the reason I have certain well-paying button pushing jobs is because 11-12 women spend every single day practicing, working out and making sure to keep good grades, get enough sleep, drink enough water AND making special appearances around town to boost local morale all the while giving me memories of a lifetime while winning ballgames.  It truly is more than just a game...Its a lifestyle.  It IS life! 

It has become my life.  When people asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I had no idea! I had zero idea of the field I wanted to be in or the way I wanted to make money to navigate life with.  My mom did always say to 'do what you love, the money will follow'.. and I read a book expressing just as much.  So I think today I can say I have done that so far!  Going to and talking about games is what I always did and wanted to do and now I do that as 'work'.  I know how lucky I am to have the opportunity to do so and I believe the thousands of athletes who have given me that opportunity should benefit from that. 

Have a great start to the holiday weekend out there, Cardnation and cheers to the RED WHITE (&blue) :)

Go Cards
~Daryl 

Fridays with Daryl: WBB Postpones Again -- Some Thank You's -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 

CARDS WBB VS. MIAMI POSTPONED

Hello again, Cardinal faithful!

It's good to be back but I hate to be the bearer of bad news here.. There has been another postponement in the Women's basketball schedule.  News out of the Louisville program is that Sunday's scheduled matchup with the Miami Hurricanes has been postponed as of Thursday evening.  I think that was pretty much expected.  It feels like I haven't watched the Cards play a basketball game in a month! 

The next scheduled matchup for WBB would be a second meeting with Duke on New Years Eve, however, the Blue Devils program announced Wednesday evening that it would be pausing all team activities due to positive tests. Which makes the matchup a big IF right now with 2 weeks from Wednesday's announcement landing on 12/30.  I really wouldn't be surprised if we've watched the Cards play their last game of 2020 already.  So for now, we continue to wait. 

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

There were four WBB  in the ACC last night. 

-- A good night in the Carolinas, it would seem, with home-standing NC St. taking down Wake Forest 79-65. The Wolfpack are now 7-0 and the Demon Deacs check in at 4-2. in "the battle of I-40". 

-- In Chapel Hill, UNC surprisingly silenced Syracuse 92-68. Banghart's bangers up their record to 6-2, while Q's squad takes their first loss and is 4-1. 

--  The Fighting Irish battled their way to a 84-78 win over Virginia Tech in South Bend. It was a match up of Dara Mabrey's previous squad (VT) against her new one (ND). UND evens it out on the season with a 3-3 record and Kenny Brooks' squad takes their first defeat and is now 6-1.

-- Clemson appears to be "for real" as of now --  with a 72-69 win over FSU in Littlejohn Coliseum. Those glassy-eyed Tigers are 7-1, while FSU takes their first conference loss and go to 3-1. 

Just three undefeated schools left in ACC conference games:  Louisville, NC State and Georgia Tech. In all games, it narrows the undefeated down to two, the Cards (5-0) and the Pack (7-0). 

IN OTHER NEWS

The University of Louisville, Adidas and Cardinals Forever Donovan Mitchell and Angel McCoughtry have all partnered to create the gift that every Louisville fan wants to find under the Christmas tree this year.  And this truly is the gift that keeps on giving... UofL News reported how the four partnered to create this shoe that will fund scholarships for future students in the Louisville area to be able to pursue a higher education at our favorite school. 

Check them out! & read more about the initiative here:

 https://www.uoflnews.com/post/uofltoday/former-card-donovan-mitchell-gives-back-to-alma-mater-with-exclusive-adidas-shoe-for-change/

Members of both of the men’s and women’s basketball teams will wear the limited-edition shoe in upcoming games.  It's power moves like this that make us realize how much bigger than basketball the games really are.  It makes me even more proud to be an alum and a civilian of one of the most passionate cities in America.  It really says a lot that after signing a $195 million deal with the Utah Jazz, a kid from New York makes giving the Louisville area youth a priority.  

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

One week until Christmas, Louisvillians! 

I know how tough this year has been for us as a program and as a city but I want to wish everyone a warm and blessed holiday season.  THANK YOU to our essential workers and front line workers who literally kept us running.  THANK YOU to the voices who spoke out about injustice and THANK YOU to those who continue to put others health and safety first.  Mask up, my friends and we will get through this.  

Happy Friday...You will be hearing from us on the show Saturday morning as scheduled. 

Daryl Foust

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 In the category of "What Will They Think Of Next?", the Cardinal Couple crew has asked and received a confirmation that noted local sports writer, huge Cardinal fan, radio star and all-around great person DARYL FOUST will be joining us weekly here on these humble pages.  Today's article is actually being posted by Paulie, since our website and Blogger can't seen to reach an accord on granting Daryl author privileges. I was holding out hope that our I.T. "expert" Worldwide Jeff could solve the riddle, but, it was still INTERNET 1 - JEFF 0 as I went to post this. 

I also ran into trouble posting a certain segment of Daryl's article today and had to leave it out. My apologies. That's was happens when you let the "old guy" do stuff on-line, I suppose. 

We are excited about our addition of Daryl and hope you will be, too! The floor is yours, Daryl! 

paulie. 

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

Hello again Cardinal Couple faithful!  And happy Friday to ya.

You might’ve heard me on the show once or twice before but this is my first time in print for CC! I’ve bounced around many roles with our favorite university since graduating in 2015 but as of March 12 earlier this year, I had all sport related positions eliminated due to the national pandemic.  I had just finished up my last home games as the light switch operator for Men’s and Women’s games at Yum! At the beginning of March. I also worked as a board operator for CBB games over at 93.9 but when I went in for my shift that night, the tournaments had all been immediately suspended. Therefore, my assistance wasn’t needed to run the board for commercial breaks.  No games being played, no work to be done, and eventually I found myself very unemployed.  Even my full time position had been eliminated.  I just recently, however, returned to my day job but as part time when Paulie reached out to me with an opportunity to write for Cardinal Couple to contribute.  So here I am!!  I’m very happy to have the opportunity to talk about the Cardinals and some games!!

We know things can change at any moment so I am treating every game like it could be the last and I said it before the season got started that I believe this team will also be in that mindset.  2020 has brought a lot of things into a new light for a lot of people.  Including me.

So I hope you are staying safe and warm out there #CardNation, it’s a pleasure to be back.

Today the university announced that it would be honoring the legendary men’s basketball head coach, Denny Crum, by naming the future Athletics dorm to be located across from the practice facility on Floyd Street after him. If you haven’t seen the video announcement AD Vince Tyra shared via Twitter, here it is.

https://twitter.com/vincetyra/status/1337104903123120134?s=20

She’s a beaut! Congratulations, Coach Crum.  

For now, the WBB squad looks to move to 6-0 when they welcome a Tobacco Road foe, North Carolina, to town on Sunday afternoon.  Louisville beat UNC 74-67 in Chapel Hill a year ago. Dana, Liz and "E" and Mykasa Robinson are the only players who saw minutes in that matchup and are back for this Sunday’s game.  We will talk more about that on Saturday’s show.

Yesterday the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame recognized Cardinal forever, Jill Morton (1997-2000), when it announced its 18-player Silver Anniversary women's basketball team, recognizing players from the 1996 season.. she became Louisville’s first women's basketball All-American her senior season and was Louisville's first WNBA draft pick, going to the Charlotte Sting with the 34th pick of the 2000 WNBA Draft.

Have a great weekend, Louisvillians.  I look forward to checking back into the airwaves with you on Saturday.. however, I will miss the donuts. 

 

Go Cards!

o   DARYL 

Field Hockey wins, Nelson honored, WBB #8, Happy Birthday Sean and WSOC Tonight! -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

RUSS'S TWO GOALS LEAD CARDS TO 4-2 WIN OVER KENT STATE

Louisville Field Hockey went to 3-0 on the season and handled Kent State with relative ease for 59 minutes of the 4-2 win at Trager Stadium yesterday. It was the one minute in the fourth quarter that got Cardinal fans a little antsy in the fourth quarter...when the Golden Flashes connected on two scores in a mere 15 seconds. 

Louisville started off with a brisk and unrelenting attack on Kent State and it paid off six minutes into the match when UofL got loose on a breakaway and Margot Lawn sent a long pass to Bethany Russ over to the top of the left circle. Russ performed her magic with a nice reserve shot that found the net to put the Cards up 1-0.

Louisville's defense continued to deny the Golden Flashes offensive opportunities and, just a minute later, Russ sent a nice feed to Madison Walsh from the top of the circle to the right side and Walsh knocked in her second score of the season to put UofL up 2-0. 



The Stick Girls continued to fire away on Kent State goalkeeper Azure Fernsler  in the second period and it finally paid off late in the half when Lawn worked her way through the defense to get off a well-placed, unassisted shot for Louisville's third goal. The teams went to the half at 3-0. It was maybe the best performance of the year for a half by Louisville and six different Cardinals got off shots. 

Sowry also substituted liberally during the 30 minutes. 20 of the 24 players on the Louisville roster saw action. Hollyn Barr turned in a solid, if uneventful performance at goal -- with just one shot on goal attempted against her and the shut-down Cardinal defense. 

It was red-shirt freshman Sam Minrath's turn in front of the next in the second half and it started well for her. Louisville picked up a fourth score just three minutes into the third quarter when Russ tallied her second goal of the game during a penalty corner where Alli Bitting, Emilia Kaczmarczyk and Lawn all tried their luck at scoring but failed before Russ tapped a loose ball into the net to make it 4-0.

Fourth quarter action took a crazy and danger twist and turn. First, Lawn took a ball to the face off a deflected shot by the Kent State goalkeeper, stayed on the turf a very long time and left the game with assistance...her face covered with a towel.  

Then, with 11 minutes left in the game, Kent State got on the board when Clara Seto Rodriguez chased down a Minrath deflection and pushed it past her. Seconds later, Luisa Knapp stole a UofL pass and sent a forward stroke to Laila Ricther in front of the cage. Her shot got by Minrath and suddenly it was 4-2. 

Coach Justine Sowry stayed with the Louisville Christian Academy red-shirt freshman Minrath in between the pipes, though, and the final 11 minutes played out with neither team getting a successful shot off. 

Hoping Lawn is OK. Coach Sowry discusses that in the interview below. The freshman is a dynamic force on the pitch for the Cards and is needed in Louisville's attack formation. 


Louisville dominated the stat sheet, with a 14-7 shot advantage and a 9-4 edge in shots on goal. There were only three penalty corners in the entire game and the Cards had a 2-1 advantage on those. 

With the sparsity of scoring in the game of Field Hockey (compared to other sports), goals are huge and when an opponent can cut a lead in half in several seconds, it gives the UofL coaching staff plenty of teaching material before the Cards leave on a month long, six game road trip that won't have them back in Trager to play until October 4th.  

Every moment matters. Every play is important. 


THEY SAID IT:  

COACH JUSTINE SOWRY POST-GAME

MADISON WALSH POST GAME REMARKS

Here is better quality audio of each: 

JUSTINE SOWRY

MADISON WALSH


NELSON HONORED

Louisville women's soccer defender Niamh Nelson, a senior from San Diego, received a nice honor yesterday when Top Drawer Soccer named her to the "Team of the Week". 

Nelson played every minute in last week's wins over Eastern Michigan and St. Louis. Both were shutouts and she set up the winning goal in the Cards victory over the Billikens. 

Nelson is team captain for the 2019 squad and her honor leads us to: 




WSOC VS IU TONIGHT

7:30 is the time. Lynn Stadium the location and the event is the border battle between Louisville women's soccer and the IU Hoosiers. 

The Cards put their 4-0 record on the line against an Indiana squad that is 1-2 on the season. The Hoosier fell last time out, rather surprisingly, to Murray State 2-1 in the final minutes of the contest played on the Racers turf. An 81st minute Murray goal did IU in, who is under the direction of first year head coach Erwin von Bennekom. 

Louisville is the second ACC team IU has faced this season. The Hoosiers fell 3-0 to #2 ranked North Carolina to start the 2019 campaign. 

Overall, IU holds a 4-1 all-time series lead over the Cards, but Louisville did win the last meeting...a 2-0 triumph, back in 201 at Bloomington. 

Join Jared, Case and me for the action tonight. Who knows, maybe even Worldwide Jeff will emerge from the Digital Ocean and bring Sammy the Shark on land with him for the match...


#8 ??

ESPN has this thing they call the "Way Too Early Preseason Poll" they do for certain sports. The four-letter network released a version of this for women's basketball recently and picked the WBB Cards at #8 for the season that is still more than two months away. 

So...you might ask...how did Jeff Walz's bunch down on Floyd Street fare? 

The top ten: 




1) Oregon
2) Baylor
3) UConn
4) Stanford
5) Maryland
6) Oregon State
7) South Carolina
8) LOUISVILLE
9) Mississippi St.
10) Texas A&M 

It's preseason. And way, way too early.


Occasional CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR visitor Daryl Foust has a bit more on this over at The Crunch Zone. 

LINK: DARYL'S ARTICLE

(The top photo is her, Lindsey Duvall, Mykasa Robinson and Dana Evans. Pretty sure they're NOT at Walmart or in the Korber... )




HAPPY BIRTHDAY !

To Sean Moth. 

Nobody does it better. Keep doing it.

In our daily coverage of the joy and excitement of Uofl women's sports, there are many things to be grateful for and extol. 

One of those is Sean Moth. The do-it-all Cardinal P.A. is also a wonderful ply-by-play announcer. 

My favorite Sean story goes back a couple of years. To 2011. He was calling a UofL Baseball game in mid-May and it was the same day as the Preakness. The Cards had rallied to take the lead and Sean proudly proclaimed that "Uncle Mo was in the Cardinal dugout !!" 

The race horse Uncle Mo was supposed to be resting on WinStar Farm, recuperating from an illness that had kept him from running in the Kentucky Derby (as the probable favorite) and kept him out of the Preakness. 

(Coach Dan is full of surprises, but getting Uncle Mo on the Cardinal roster may just be his biggest feat). I was hoping they'd let Mo enter the game as a pinch runner. Would you get in his way if he tried to steal second?)   



In conclusion...dear readers...



Have a Thursday. 

I'm on my final two days of Jury Pool Duty and hoping with every ounce of my depleted energy, attention-span, motivation and soul that they don't call my number. Just not feeling it today.

Mama said there would be days like this. 

Carry on, knuckleheads. 

paulie
xxxxx