Louisville WSOC Kicks Off Fall Calendar -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Cards Head to Miami (OH) for Sunday Exhibition

Louisville women's soccer will get the fall season underway for Cardinal Athletics when they take on the Redhawks of Miami University tomorrow at 2PM. As we discussed last week, there isn't likely to be much in the way of coverage on this game, so we'll have to do our best to pick out what we can from various sources. We'll work to bring you as much on the action as we can.

Let's take a look at tomorrow's game from a historical perspective, though. Louisville, as we've discussed at length, is turning over a new roster (for the most part) as they look to improve upon a 6-8-2 mark from last season. The Cards were one of the teams that, a bit surprisingly, didn't see a major uptick in draws with the rule change. Louisville had a pair of 0-0 draws to close out the non-conference slate (at JMU and home against Indiana), but every game the Cards played in which a goal was scored saw a result, one way or the other. Louisville's 13 goals in the season were front loaded, with eight coming in their first four regular season games. It's tough to pull out draws if you can't score, and the Cards suffered only two of their eight losses by more than two goals. On the flip side, Louisville's three conference wins were all only 1-0 victories.

Enough about that. The Cards and Redhawks didn't play last season. In fact, they've not played since 2017. That 2017 game was part of an ok season that disappointed after a relatively hot start. Louisville went 6-2 in non-conference play, beating IU and UK on the road while losing to Purdue and Marquette at home. The real indicator should have been the 3-2 victory they escaped with in the opener against Boston University. The Cards' woes were compounded by another Boston school when they dropped the conference opener at Boston College. Louisville went just 3-5-2 in conference, missing the ACC tournament with a 2-1 loss at NC State after struggling for a point in a home draw against Wake Forest and stealing a point on the road at UNC in the two games prior. 

Before all of that (except the BU game) Louisville won the game against Miami (OH) 2-0 to take a series lead at 6-5. The Cards first played Miami in 1997, dropping the first game 1-0. The two teams are pretty evenly split, with both teams winning three road games and Louisville holding a 3-2 advantage in victories at home. Both the biggest win (3-0) and the smallest win (3-2) for Louisville have come in Oxford. That said, Louisville also has a 3-0 win (2005) and a 1-0 win (2009) at home. Emina Ekic and Gabby Kouzelos were both in their debut seasons for Louisville in 2017 after Kouzelos redshirted in 2016 and Ekic joined as a true freshman. Ekic had two shots on goal in 48 minutes in the Miami game. Gabi Vincent and Alison Price both played all 90 minutes and scored for Louisville. 

In 2022, Miami slumped a bit early after starting with a 0-0 draw against Austin Peay. They won on the road at Loyola Chicago 1-0 before dropping their next two against Wright State and Purdue. The Redhawks closed out their non-conference slate, though, with three straight wins. Two of those were on the road, with one coming in Louisville against Bellarmine. 

Miami ultimately finished the season 9-5-6, a fair shout better than Louisville. The competition was different, to be sure, but Miami was able to capitalize on the new overtime rule and finish more games tied than behind. Whether you agree with games ending in draws or not, I think we can agree that, since they exist, finishing tied is better than losing. Miami advanced to the MAC tournament after finishing the regular season 8-4-6, but they had to play their first two games on the road. After a 1-0 win against Ohio, they lost their rematch (0-0 tie in the regular season) against Buffalo 1-0. I wouldn't want to play in Buffalo, New York on November 3rd, so more power to them.

Miami Athletics: Makenna Morrison scored five
goals and added an assist as a sophomore in '22.

Despite the number of overall draws, Miami scored 21 goals last year, with 20 coming in the regular season. Only three of their six draws were scoreless, and five of their 20 goals came in games which did not see a winner. Miami also only gave up 14 goals, with 13 coming before the MAC tournament. Although the Redhawks are replacing all 1800 goalkeeper minutes from last season, they return their top five points earners and nine of their twelve points earners overall. The top five accounted for 75% of the team's 58 total points and 11 of their 21 goals. It is safe to say that Louisville's new look defense may have their hands full.

Regardless of tomorrow's outcome, it's exciting to be talking about games for Louisville women's athletics again. The summer, while it can seem so long in the midst of it, really flies by once you reflect on it at the end. We'll see what the women's soccer team can do with their spot at the front of the schedule before other teams get underway shortly after.

No Cardinal Couple Radio Hour Podcast

For various reasons (vacation, event travel, work), the majority of the crew is out this week. Let's look at it as the calm before the storm, as it should be our last week off from the show for quite some time as the seasons get underway. We'll be back in your feeds next week, barring something unforeseen.

Until next time, Go Cards!

Case

Jared reveals his favorite players -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Jared’s Favorite Players

*Note: the opinions below are Jared’s and may not reflect the views of the rest of Cardinal Couple*

As we continue to go through summer my article ideas continue to slim down. I figured a good one would be my personal favorite all-time Cardinals. I’m going to limit it to from the time I started as a student in the fall of 2012 to now.

Women’s Basketball

There’s plenty of players in the running for this one. Some of the players I thought about included Jazmine Jones, Monique Reid, and Shelby Harper. Ultimately I went with Myisha Hines-Allen. I met Myisha through a friend early on and remain friends with her up through today. Back when she was a student we would carry on the occasional conversation on Snapchat.

Field Hockey

I don’t have much of a personal connection to the field hockey players as much as I do with some other
sports but there have been plenty of exciting players over the past few years. My favorite during my time is Minout Mink. Although Mini Mink transferred out of UofL and went back home she has been one of the most exciting players I’ve watched, including her performance in the ACC Tournament in 2017.

Volleyball

For me, there’s not much competition here. Katie George is my all-time favorite. I knew Katie pretty much from her first game and was a good friend of my roommate and I. I stay in touch with Miss Kentucky to this day and am happy to call her a friend.

Soccer

Many recent players have a strong case to be my favorite including Emina Ekic, Taylor Kerwin, Jill Vetere, and Tori Gabor. My favorite, though, is Gabrielle Vincent. Gaby is one of the few UofL players to come to a concert of mine, which means a lot to me. I got to know Gaby’s parents very well at the game and would talk and learn soccer from “G$”.

Softball

This might have been the toughest to decide. I am a huge fan of several players like Sidney Melton, Morgan Meyer, Celene Funke, and Maddy Newman. However, it was Nicole Pufahl who originally got me to a softball game, which later progressed into my arrival here at Cardinal Couple.

I’m not ignoring the other sports and their players. I just haven’t followed many of the other sports well enough or closely enough to really have gotten a favorite player yet.

WCHQ Donation

Cardinal Couple is fortunate to have WCHQ as our host station, allowing us to be on air every Saturday from 11-12. They are having an “All Day On Air Fundraiser” today. 100.9 FM WCHQ is a non-profit that relies heavily on donations to stay up and running. Besides hosting CC, they bring in the best local music you can find. Please check it out! 

All Day Today, Wednesday July 24. 24 Hour On Air Fundraiser Help Us to Continue Our Mission of Bringing All Local Music to the Airwaves. Click Here to Donate Now

Have a great Wednesday!!

Jared Anderson 

Cards in the Pros: Soccer Edition -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Former Cardinals See Continued Success

We've talked quite a bit about former Cardinals in the WNBA, but there are players from other sports that continue to ply their trade at the next level as well. As my favorite sport is soccer, and the summer soccer tournaments are heating up, let's take a look at a few of those players that have left the fields at Cardinal Park and Lynn Stadium and moved on to compete at the pro and international stages. 

The big news this summer is the Women's World Cup. UofL tweeted recently that they would have a representative in France, as Chinyelu Asher has qualified for the Jamaican national team. Asher was a Cardinal for just one year after transferring from Purdue in 2014. Asher was responsible for a goal and an assist over 18 matches that season. Since graduating, she has found herself all over, including the NWSL and Colombia's first women's league. Currently, Asher plays for Stabaek in the Norwegian women's league. In her time with the Jamaican national team, she has scored three goals in nine appearances. She'll look to build on that in France. Jamaica is in a fairly tough group, and they'll need to power through their first match against Brazil on 6/9 before finishing the group against Italy and Australia.

The player with probably the most professional success is Charlyn Corral. Corral graduated from UofL after the 2013 season and had already appeared in a Women's World Cup for Mexico at that point. During the 2012 season, Corral was named the Big East Midfielder of the Year, among other accolades, after scoring 8 goals and tallying 7 assists. The stats don't go back far enough to see her 2013 numbers, but one could assume they were healthy. Corral has scored 18 goals in 33 appearances for the Mexican Women's Team, but none have come in the two World Cups she has been a part of. Mexico did not qualify for France, and Corral is not currently on the roster for the Pan American games. Corral currently plays for Levante, in Spain, where she has 86 goals in 117 appearances since 2015. She has been the top scorer on the team in the last three seasons. 

Finally, the newest pro is Gaby Vincent. I've mentioned her a few times on the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour as she is working to make a name for herself in the NWSL. After going undrafted following her graduation, Vincent found herself invited to a few camps. She was offered a contract by the Utah Royals and canceled her other visits. Vincent has appeared in the last two matches for the Royals, playing the complete second half of their game against North Carolina and the full 90 of the Royals most recent game against Orlando. That game against Orlando was a shutout. In her 135 minutes, Vincent has completed 61 of her 69 passes, including a 73% long pass success rate. She's also committed no fouls in that time, playing in her preferred position of centerback. After last week's game, she was available to the media, and had a nice back and forth about her experiences so far (linked below). The Royals take on the Washington Spirit today in a battle for first place in the league. Lineups have not yet been announced. We wish the very best to Gaby as she continues to build her brand.

https://twitter.com/UtahRoyalsFC/status/1133077912209494016

Given recent trends, I don't expect these three will be the last we hear of former Cardinals in the pros and on national teams. Coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes has done a great job of bringing in talent from all over, and those players have proven to be important to Louisville and to their respective teams. Former Cardinals Sarah Feola (Canada) and Mollie Rouse (England) showed their stuff for their youth national teams before their careers at UofL ended due to injury and transfer, respectively. Emina Ekic is the obvious candidate for the next big thing to come out of UofL, as she has found herself continually invited to US camps. We'll see how these things play out, and we'll continue to root for our former Cardinals. 

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

Once again, the studio on Mellwood will be thin this week. Daryl continues to travel, Jared is working hard at a 9-5 (9-12? Saturday bank hours always trip me up), and I've fallen into the clutches of suburbia as today is our neighborhood's annual yard sale. Paulie and Jeff will hold down the fort, though, as they've done successfully for the last couple of weeks. Tune in for some spring sports wrap up, WNBA talk, and the Worldwide Quiz. Cardinal Couple airs at 11AM on WCHQ. WCHQ is available at 100.9 FM, wchqfm.com, the WCHQ app, and on Facebook Live.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Louisville women's soccer continues to bring in top talent -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

EKIK, KERWIN WILL CONTRIBUE IMMEDIATELY FOR KAREN FERGUSON DAYES

As Louisville head women's soccer coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes continues to build a roster that can compete with and beat ACC foes...we've seen some very talented players don the Cardinal jerseys and take the turf out at Lynn Stadium over the last several years. Gabrielle Vincent excited Cardinal fans with her ball movement and hawking abilities in 2015. Brooklyn Rivers, Alison Whitfield and Sarah Feola delighted Louligans with their impressive freshmen play back in 2016. On a team that will have six seniors for the 2017 season....new talent is of the utmost importance and UofL continues to attract and draw good talent to the Belknap Campus with freshmen and a transfer. Nine new Cardinals join the roster for 2017. It's the largest incoming class I can remember in recent years for Ferguson-Dayes. 

Add two new assistant coaches in Andy Stoots and Hunter Norton and we'll be using the program guide early in the season from the press box to identify and track a sizable amount of the 'Kickin' Cards this fall...

Let's meet the new players!

TAYLOR KERWIN. Midfielder.  Her high school senior season just ended in Whitefish Bay, WI and she was named Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year. She led her team to the State Championship title and had three goals in the championship game...won 5-1 by Whitefish Bay. 

EMINA EKIC. Midfielder. A Louisville, KY native, she started both games for the USA U19 squad in their recent matches in Europe against the Czech Republic. Out of Manual High School...she was the Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016. 

MOLLIE ROUSE. Midfielder-Center. Mollie comes from the Stratford Upon Avon School in England where she also had extensive playing experience on the English U17 and U19 squads. Known for being a creative scorer...she also has a flair for passing and earned four caps playing in international competition. 

T.J. ANDERSON. Midfielder. T.J. comes out of the Wesleyan School in Atlanta, GA. She was Georgia's 2016 AA Player of the Year. She was a scoring machine in the Peach State...with 17 goals in 11 games in 2015 and possesses a very deep and long throw from the sidelines. 

LANA BATSON.  Goalkeeper. Played at Patrick Henry H.S. in San Diego, CA. A great shot stopper with excellent footwork, she's also 5'9"...which would make her the tallest goalie on the Cards roster. She'll compete for playing time right off the bat. 

MORGAN DEWEY. Defender. From Blessed Trinity H.S. in John's Creek, GA...Morgan led the defensive charge to runner up finishes in Georgia State soccer in 2014, 15 and 16. A wide defender who can also attack out of the back.

MORGAN EVERETT. Forward. East Forsyth H.S. Kernersville, NC. The Cards beat out ACC competition to get the 5'10" scorer and that's what she does...score. Very fast and can play wide or central forward equally well. 

NADAGE L'ESPERANCE. Midfielder. Lakeshore H.S. Quebec, Canada. Played for the Canadian Team in the U17 World Cup. Can also go to back line if needed and has extensive experience in international competition. Won three straight high school titles. 

KENNEDY CARBIN. Forward. Transfer from Mississippi State. Comes back to Louisville after two years as a Bulldog. Was 2013 Kentucky Female Player of the Year. Led the Bulldogs in scoring in 2015 and was second in 2016. Also has World Cup experience with Bahamas. 

A talented group indeed that joins a roster which returns Inger Katrine Bjerke, Ariana Ferraro, Niamh Nelson, Alison Price and Kaela Dickerman in addition to the players mentioned earlier in today's column. This roster should be the one that will crack the .500 mark the Cards have put up over the past two seasons and could get them into the NCAA Tournament....as well as produce a successful ACC campaign. 

It all gets started in less than eight weeks...when the Cards travel  to Ohio State for their first competition. Based on the 6-1 spring exhibition season...look for great things to take place by the train tracks on Floyd Street this fall! 


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IT'S NOW OR NEVER...

The classic Elvis song would apply to the University of Louisville baseball team this evening...as they face the TCU Horned Frogs in a CWS elimination game tonight in Omaha. Win and you get a rematch with Florida. Lose...and the season is over. 

Tough place for the freshman lefty Nick Bennett to get the start...but he was a Freshman All-American and third team ALL-ACC performer. Bennett is 5-0 on the season and sports a sizzling 2.70 ERA. 

Eighteen days since Nick last climbed the hill....getting in five innings in a no-decision during the Cards win over Xavier in the NCAA Regionals. 

For Louisville, a definite call for hitting is out there. 

We'll see...a 8 p.m. Louisville start time on ESPN2...competing with the NBA draft tonight. 

Let's hope good things happen for the Hit and Pitch Cards and Donovan Mitchell tonight! 



paulie
xxxxx

LOUISVILLE WOMEN'S SOCCER UPSETS #1 NORTH CAROLINA 2-1 IN OVERTIME --FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

SHOCKING THE NCAA IN WOMEN'S SPORTS...IT'S WHAT THEY DO AT UOFL

Louisville Women's Soccer recorded the biggest win in program history Thursday night with a 2-1 overtime win over #1 ranked and previously unbeaten UNC in front of 1800 screaming fans in Lynn Stadium. 

An improbable but thrilling end to the overtime session when Louisville was awarded a free kick with 45 seconds to go in the extra session. Hannah Konermann coolly surveyed the situation from about 30 yards out while the clock ran, sent a precise kick into a crowded mass of players in front of the UNC goal and Hannah Harris got the ball to Caroline Kimble...who placed a header past outstretched UNC goalie Lindsey Harris for the game-ender with nine ticks left on the clock.

Then pandemonium took over the Lynn Stadium turf as the Cardinals flocked to a wild victory celebration in front of the net where the contest was decided. 

Cards WBB over Baylor. Louisville Field Hockey over UNC and Duke. Add Louisville Women's Soccer to the list of big-time upsets accomplished by these Louisville ladies...

" I just had to keep pushing through. I was getting tired but I knew we could do it and we kept pushing and we did it." - Caroline Kimble 

The Cards battled UNC for almost 35 minutes in the first half before the TarHeels connected off a cross inside the box to take a 1-0 lead. The first half ended that way...a half where UNC outshot the Cards 16-4 and seemed to be on the offensive attack the entire 45 minutes. 

" I didn't do anything (at halftime). I didn't have to day anything to them that they didn't already believe. It starts with the belief. I told them that any given team could win on any given day...so why couldn't it be us today?" 
- Karen Ferguson Dayes

The Cards evened the score just 3 1/2 minutes into second half play when Konermann found Gabrielle Vincent on a free kick and despite numerous UNC attempts to score...the Cardinal defense held firm and regulation ended at 1-1. 

Some things defy description. Seeing this hard-working, never-say-quit squad take the shots, the bumps, the no-calls and the pressure...and then burst onto the field in joyous celebrations is a sight this old reporter won't forget for a very long time. I'm not sure words can fully capture it. 

Another entry into the Louisville women's sports journal of knocking off #1. The beating of Baylor in WBB. Field Hockey wins over Duke and North Carolina last year. Belief. It runs strong on the Belknap Campus and within the student-athletes that don the colors and perform the miracles. 


The Paulie 5% success rate of predicting games is safe. I had teased Coach KFD on Tuesday about picking against them at Syracuse. They, of course, won. After some gentle chiding from her...I told her I'd have to pick against Louisville again on Thursday night to assure the Cards would win. 

And it was the first thing she pointed out to me when she came bounding over to the reporters after the win. The rainbow appeared, Coach Karen. You said it would. 

Glad to oblige...Kickin' Cards. I won't pick you to win another match this year. 

Hear Paulie's post-game interviews with Karen Ferguson-Dayes, Caroline Kimble and goalie Taylor Bucklin at the link below:

POST GAME COMMENTS FROM COACH AND PLAYERS

Watch the winning goal by Caroline Kimble at the link below:

KIMBLE SCORES THE WINNING GOAL


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FIELD HOCKEY VS #1 SYRACUSE TONIGHT

Louisville Field Hockey will try and duplicate the knocking off of a #1 ranked team when Syracuse visits Trager Stadium tonight for a 6 p.m. game. 

The Cards (7-4, 0-4) will be looking for their first ACC win of the season and might be dealing with the elements if the forecast for today produces the rain and cooler temperatures being predicted. 

Admission is free at Trager. Come out and support the team!

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VOLLEYBALL LOOKS TO CONTINUE THE WINS

The wide-net Cards take to the road for their next two...starting tonight in Atlanta against Georgia Tech. 

The Cards are on a 4 game win streak and undefeated in ACC play so far. Anne Kordes has found success with the revolving front line quartet of Erin Fairs, Aniah Philo, Janelle Jenkins and Maya McClendon. 

Add in freshman libero Molly Sauer and everyone's favorite setter Katie George and the Cards look to be formidable force in the ACC. 

Louisville will travel to Clemson for a Sunday match after they dissect the Rambling Wreck of Georgia Tech tonight.

paulie
xxxxx

Women's Soccer opens season with 2-1 win over Wright State -- Saturday Cardinal Couple

TWO FIRST HALF GOALS LEAD WSOC TO WIN

University of Louisville Women's Soccer got first half goals from freshman Gabrielle Vincent and senior Lexie Niedoba and held on late during a Wright State rally to win the season opener in front of roughly 2000 fans in Lynn Stadium Friday night.

Vincent started the scoring 10 1/2 minutes into the contest when she took a Casey Whitfield corner kick and headed it into the net past WSU goalie Kelsey Deal. The Cards added a second goal with 1:08 left in the first 45...Niedoba getting a nifty feed from Rachel Avant and connecting from the upper left corner.

Cards starting goalie Taylor Bucklin, a transfer from Michigan and the solid Cards defense of Inger Katrine Bjerke, Isabella Gutierrez, Hannah Konermann held the Raiders scoreless for 87 minutes...a score off a cross got WSU within one. Louisville kept the Raiders from tying in the final three minutes.

Statistically, Louisville dominated on the offense. The Cards attempted 23 shots...15 more than the visitors. Louisville also had 10 shots on goal to WSU's 4. Deal was kept busy with eight saves...Louisville narrowly missed several scoring opportunities on shots hitting the crossbar or barely sailing over the net.

-- Built for speed -- If Rachel Avant isn't the fastest player on the Cards roster, she isn't far behind. Cut loose on several breakaway opportunities, the senior transfer from Iowa Central Community College and Frankfurt, Germany narrowly missed two scoring chances.

-- Did you see that! -- Bucklin had an incredible save in front of the goal with 13 minutes remaining. It turned out to be huge...without it, this one could have ended in a tie.

-- Putting in overtime -- Bucklin, Shelby Cohen, Gutierrez, Konermann, Bjerke and Alison Price played the entire 90 minutes for the Cards.  

-- A tough call -- Head UofL coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes said in a post-game interview with CARDINAL COUPLE that starting Bucklin in goal was one of the hardest decisions she's had to make so far this season. The Cards have three outstanding goalies in Bucklin, red-shirt freshman Victoria Gabor and last year's starter junior Paige Brown.

-- Look-alikes?-- My steamed colleague Worldwide is convinced Cardinal sophomore midfielder Shelby Cohen bears a remarkable resemblance to former Cardinal Softball outfield Kelsi Jones.  You decide...

All-in-all...a good opener for the Cards. Coach KFD has won 13 season-openers in a row now. It gets rougher Sunday when top 25 Washington comes to town.

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Be sure to listen to the CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO SHOW this morning at 11 a.m. for post game interviews with Coach KFD and Lexie Niedoba.  We'll also have interviews from Volleyball's Anne Kordes and Katie George, preview Fall Fan Fest Day and talk about Field Hockey's opening exhibition game against Iowa that starts at 11:30 this morning. Volleyball also has a intra-squad scrimmage at 6 p.m. in Cardinal Arena. It going to be a busy day. Hear our show on WCHQ 100.9 FM locally or on the internet at www.crescenthillradio.com

We have a link to the show below:

CARDINAL COUPLE ON THE INTERNET!

You can also hear the post-game interviews (and see Paulie's Tascam Voice Recorder!) over at gocards.com

paulie
xxxxx