Happy Labor Day -- Volleyball Faces #7 USC -- Field Hockey today -- Dance on Myisha -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

HAPPY LABOR DAY

Good Morning and Happy Labor Day to you!

As you enjoy this, in many cases, day off and extension of the weekend...remember that the holiday was developed and based around the labor movement here in the United States. We associate picnics and barbeque with Labor Day in many cases and you'll get no argument from us here at Cardinal Couple. 

There was a time in our nation when working conditions weren't so great for tradesmen and skilled laborer. The Unions were formed to help organize and protect laborers and, as a result, greatly benefited the workingman. It's also a weekend many associate with the start of college football, and, we'll take a pass on that this weekend locally. 

Have a great Labor Day and, hey....take the day off! 


VOLLEYBALL FALLS TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Facing #4 and #7 on consecutive days is no enviable task, but the University of Louisville Volleyball team experienced that scenario Saturday and Sunday in Gainesville, FL at the Bubly Tournament ("Bubly" is a flavored, sparkling water...in case you wondered).

Worldwide filled you in on Saturday's tussle against Florida in the Sunday CARDINAL COUPLE column, so today we'll look at Dani Busboom Kelly's serve and set Cards against USC, The Women of Troy, Southern Cal...whatever you want to call them...in Sunday's match.

UofL fell in straight sets to the seventh ranked Trojans...19-25, 22-25, 19-25. Despite the sweep, the Cards did some good things and facing such stiff competition this early in the Volleyball season can only help strengthen the Louisville squad, as well as point out some areas the Cards can work on. 

Louisville stayed close to USC early in the first set and it was 11-8 USC after a Emily Scott kill shot found success. It wasn't to last, though, as the Trojans put together a 9-3 run to put some distance between them and the Cards at 20-11. Louisville would regroup and actually outscore USC the rest of the way 8-5 but ended up falling by six in the first game. 

Set two was much closer. (Why do most of the Cards matches this year seem to involve a very close second set?) Tied early at 7-7 and then 11-11 after a Melanie McHenry kill, the Cards looked to even the sets. Unfortunately, The Women of Troy were faring better in the hitting, and pulled out to a 19-15 advantage. The Cards would get as close as two, forcing a USC timeout at 24-22, but lost the next point and the set by three. 

In the final set, Louisville kept battling and kept it close early. McHenry's kill had Louisville down by one at 8-7, but a 9-3 So. Cal run gave them some breathing room at 17-10. With their backs against the wall, Louisville made one last attempt to salvage a set and put together a 10-3 run to make it 20-17 after freshman outside hitter Claire Chaussee aced a serve. USC was undaunted, though, and finished the contest with a 5-2 response to take game, set and match. 

Hitting percentages were quite noticeable and the deciding factor in the match. The Cards fired for a dismal .121 average while USC found success at a .300 rate.
  

McHenry and Jasmine Bennett led Louisville with ten kills each. Bennett was 5 for 6 after the first game. Louisville battled hard against a very good USC squad and gave them all they had. Sometimes, you run into a better team and they beat you. It happens. 

The Cards return to action next weekend with a trip to West Lafayette, IN. to play in the Purdue Invitational. They face Lipscomb, Xavier and Purdue. 


Go. Cards. Beat. Purdue. 


FIELD HOCKEY TO FACE THE BLUE HENS TODAY

Justine Sowry and The Flock continue their road trip today...traversing from Virginia to Delaware for action against the Delaware Blue Hens. The Cards arrive in Newark, Delaware after a 2-1 win in Richmond against the UMass-Lowell River Hawks on Saturday. 

Louisville weathered a scoreless first half and got their offensive production from the Schindler sisters (Katie and Meghan) in the final 35 minutes to go to 2-1 on the season. 

There are three services that rank Field Hockey and they usually post their newest rankings on Tuesday. Louisville was #8 in the latest NFHCA poll and Delaware checked in at #9. 

Last year, the Cards took the Blue Hens to the chopping block with a 3-1 win to open the season at Trager Stadium. Hollyn Barr was the keeper in that one, Ayeshia sitting with an injury.

Minout "Minnie" Mink had two of the scores. Here's the interview we did with her back then. 



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSlEj17Lje8&feature=youtu.be


Minnie's back in The Netherlands this season and won't be walking through that door for the Cards, but Louisville has a very strong squad with lots of scoring options and the incredible Ayeshia McFerran guarding the goal.

This one starts at 1 p.m. and can be viewed at the link below: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-NE9rz7HXo



MYISHA KEEPS DANCING

The Washington Mystics stayed alive in the WNBA Semifinals with a blowout win over the Atlanta Dream yesterday 97-76. These two will decide who goes to the Finals on Tuesday in Atlanta. The series is knotted up at two games apiece. 

Myisha Hines-Allen saw 13 minutes of court time in the victory and totaled two points and five rebounds. Angel McCoughtry is out for the season for Atlanta. 

Elena Della Donne shook off the soreness of a bone bruise on her knee and put in 33 minutes for our nation's capital WNBA squad. She was good for 15 points. 

Just who the Mystics could play in the Finals is up for grabs, as Phoenix pulled off an exciting 86-84 comeback win over Seattle to force a fifth game. Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi stay alive with win over "Stewie" and Sue Bird. 

They'll decide the series in Seattle on Tuesday night. 

Keep on dancin' , Myisha. 

Have a great Labor Day, readers and give me a call when the ribs are ready. I've got some potato salad I'd be willing to bring.  How are you spending Labor Day? 



paulie
xxxxx

Softball Notes and Marshall Preview -- Upcoming Interviews -- Derby Week -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

As the semester winds down so does the number of spring events in the realm of athletics.  No. 29 Louisville topped No. 15 Vanderbilt in baseball last night but the only other teams still playing are softball, women's golf, and track and field.

UofL concluded final exams yesterday, coincidentally the same day the city celebrated its 240 birthday.

Hensley Hauls in Awards

Megan Hensley's hot weekend helped her rake in awards.  She was named ACC Pitcher of the Week, Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week, and USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week.

Megan Hensley at FSU

Over the weekend plus the Monday night game at Florida State the junior batted .500 after going 6-for-12 including a double, three home runs, and nine RBIs.

She now leads the team in batting average (.370), hits (50), doubles (12), home runs (8), and RBI (44).  In the circle, Hensley posts a 3.14 ERA and a 15-7 record.  She has struck out 127 batters while walking 77 and allowing 161 hits.



Softball Hosts Marshall

Although Senior Day happened over the weekend the true final home game for Louisville softball is today at 3:00 p.m.  Louisville comes into the game with a 31-17 record.  This will be their final out-of-conference game.

The Thundering Herd are 23-27-1 and are on a losing streak.  They are lead by Aly Harrell, who bats .360 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs.  Elicia D'Orazio is a threat on the bases and her 43 stolen bases rank fifth in the nation.

Louisville leads the all-time series 4-2, but the two teams have not played each other in a decade.  The Cards swept Marshall 6-2 and 7-0 in a doubleheader on March 12, 2008.

Louisville cannot afford to drop a game this late in the season.  They are on the line in terms of making the NCAA Tournament.  Winning their last four regular season games and making a run in the ACC Tournament should earn them a spot.  Having the 39th best RPI in the country is a plus for a Louisville softball team, that has had struggles in the back half of the season.


Cardinal Couple Plans Interviews with Current and Former Cards

Coach Pearsall and Nicole Pufahl

We at Cardinal Couple hope to help give our readers and followers an insight into UofL athletics with interviews with the student-athletes themselves.  These interviews will consist of learning more about the players' personal lives as well as what it is like to be a student-athlete and the happenings of their respective sports.

Casey Madura (left) and Jillian Balog (right)

Video interviews lined up include Casey Madura (lacrosse senior) and Minout "Mini" Mink (field hockey sophomore).  There are also plans of bringing others onto the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour in the near future including Stephanie "Steph" McNamara (lacrosse alumna) and Nicole Pufahl (softball senior).

Stay tuned to see when these interviews take place!

What Holidays are Today?

The Belle of Louisville

If you like food you can celebrate truffles or tuna or take a baby to lunch, all holidays.  You can also whip out your ukulele and play it while you enjoy a fire.

However, May 2 may be most famously known as the day when Osama Bin Laden was taken out by US Special Force back in 2011.

The Great Steamboat Race, Beerfest, and Urban League Derby Gala are all happening in the Ville today to continue the Derby week celebration.

Happy Wednesday and Go Cards!

Jared

Jared Anderson's Wednesday Thoughts -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

NOW...TO NOVEMBER! 

Anyone else recovering from a candy hangover? No, just me? Hopefully everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween! 

Coach and fam prepare for
Halloween 2017

I spent mine attending UofL Orchestra's annual 'Halloween Haunt-cert". With pieces such as "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Harry Potter", they really put on, as Winifred Sanderson would say, a MARVELOUS performance. It was nice stepping away from everything sports for most of the night. I did see that the Dodgers beat the 'Stroes" and Game 7 is tonight! 

We saw that reader Joe Hill had left-over candy bars. My mailing address is...

As we begin November, a couple of teams prepare for the post-season. Field Hockey hosts the ACC Tournament starting Thursday. Their press conference is (still?) scheduled for today at 3:30 and Paulie will be in attendance and report on it tomorrow here on these pages.

12-6 and 4-2 on the year for Justine Sowry's stick swingers isn't too shabby when almost every team they've faced is top 25 ranked. It's a good thing the Cards Football schedule isn't like that or we'd have all crawled into a hole somewhere. The FH Cards earned a #3 seeding in the ACC Tournament, are currently ranked #10 in the nation and will be the home team against the #6 seeded Syracuse Orange, who are #11 in the nation. The Cards claimed a 2-1 double-overtime, regular-season win at Trager against the "Cuse" back when the weather was warmer. Louisville scored at the end of regulation to tie it and got the win on a penalty corner in the final overtime. As much as I enjoy exciting games, I wouldn't mind a blowout win in the first round! And, a dry pitch to play on.

Minnie (in the middle) is a scorer.
It's what she does. 

Minnie Mink leads the team with nine goals. Now she needs a Mickey to help her out. Taylor Stone is a close second, though, with seven goals. Our three wonderful seniors have six goals apiece. (Let's hope 666 isn't a sign of bad luck!) 

Men's soccer also prepares for post-season play. Coincidentally, they are a #3 seed in the ACC Tournament. These Kickin' Cards will find out their opponent after Virginia and Boston College play today. Head to Lynn Stadium Sunday at 1 PM for that...we hope our "Stick Girls" are playing in the ACC Championship game that day and same time over at Trager. Which will you choose to attend? We know where Paulie will be...

Our congratulations to Ayeshia McFerran and Nicole Woods on First TEAM All-ACC selection. And to Minnie Mink and Taylor Stone as well for being named to the Second TEAM! All but Woods return next season. 

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If you prefer warming indoor weather, you can always hit up the tennis team this weekend. They host the Louisville Classic at Bass-Rudd Nov. 4-6. Ball State, Michigan State and West Virginia head to the 'Ville' for that one. Cardinals, Cardinals, Spartie and Mountaineers...oh my! 

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

The 2016 Jeff Walz Halloween
gear. Man In The Yellow Hat. 

Much to Paulie's delight, the Jeff Walz Show radio schedule has been released. Check it out at gocards.com. Chow down on some chips and salsa at Chili's Bardstown Road as Coach engages the fans on anything and everything. If you see Paulie there, "get him one" Aptly hosted by Nick Curran, it is recommended you get there early. They have fun contests and such from 6-7 and the show starts at 7 and runs to 8. You can listen on 680 AM locally. First show is Nov. 6th. 

I wonder what Coach's favorite item on the menu is? 

As we progress deeper into some seasons and begin the season for other teams, I will conclude by wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving and remind folks that Christmas decorations must wait until Nov. 24th at the earliest. Be a turkey for awhile. 

Jared Anderson 

The Asia Taylor Interview...Minnie and the Stick Girls face a Saturday test -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ASIA TAYLOR

We caught up with Cardinal Great Asia Taylor this week. She's in Sydney, Australia, preparing for a season in the WNBL with the Sydney Flames. Although we couldn't establish a phone connection, Asia was kind enough to answer a few questions we asked her. Enjoy this exchange with "A-Tayy" !!

PAULIE:  First off, let's take a step back. You made the playoffs with the Mystics and eventually fell to the Lynx. That had to be a little bittersweet since you previously played for them. Describe the season and what you learned from it?  

ASIA: It was awesome being in the league and playing with the best players in the world. There's no substitute for that experience! The season was a learning lesson, though, and made me extremely hungry to advance in the league. 

PAULIE: You're now in Sydney getting ready for the WNBL season. You have a solid team coming back and you're one of the key players on the roster. How does it feel to be back in Australia? 

ASIA: Sydney is amazing and I'm so excited to be back here!! It feels good to be back in this type of role. I get to show a lot more facets of my game here and continue to improve individually. I accomplished a lot last year but I'm not satisfied with that. I have even higher goals that I'm pursuing this year. 

PAULIE: How long does it take to get over the jet lag/time change? 

ASIA: Well...it feels like it takes from about the day I get here until the day before I get ready to leave (LOL. I'm just kidding!!) I figure about 12 days...two weeks. 

PAULIE: You're playing again with 6'7" center Jennifer Hamson (BYU/Indiana Fever) with the Flames. That has to be a lot of fun, right? 

ASIA: Yes! Jen is a good teammate and it's always good to have her as an extra life line back there blocking shots and rebounding! 


PAULIE: You lost Tahlia Tupaea again this season. How will the Flames adjust to that? 

ASIA: That's a huge blow to us. "T" is extremely talented and helped us a lot last year. We just have to hold things down while she's on the road to recovery and hopefully we can get her back by December. 

PAULIE: Can you find a decent ham and pineapple pizza over there? 

ASIA: Ha, ha, ha! And, Yes, I can! There are plenty of places to grab a slice here. My favorite is actually Domino's..they are in Sydney...and it's only $5 for a whole pizza. True heaven! 

PAULIE: Describe some of the differences between WNBL and WNBA ball? 

ASIA: I actually love the treatment we get in the WNBL! The games are broadcast all over Australia, which is amazing, our fans are die hard and we're taken care of with travel, apartments and our cars! 

PAULIE: What's your favorite "off-court" activity? 

ASIA: Going to the beaches with my teammates. 

PAULIE: Your thoughts on the 2017-18 Louisville women's basketball squad and their chances? 

ASIA: I only know a few of them but from what I've read and heard...the team is super talented and I wish them the best of luck! I know CARDINAL COUPLE will keep me up on them! 

PAULIE: Your thoughts on the UofL MBB scandal? 

ASIA: What has happened is truly unfortunate, but I'm not one to judge on legal matters. I can only speak from my personal experiences with them and I have nothing but respect for Coach P. and Tom Jurich for the way they treated me during my time there. I hope what has happened doesn't stop the amazing support from the Cards fans and that everyone comes together to help rebuild our reputation back to being the outstanding University that Louisville is. Support the student-athletes with your attendance. They love and depend on you, the fans.  

We thank Asia for her great responses and for doing this!
-Paulie-


#12 LOUISVILLE TRAVELS TO #5 UNC SATURDAY

The #12 UofL Field Hockey team has done a lot of right things this season. At 10-4 and 3-1 in the ACC on the season, they are currently on a six-game win streak. Last weekend, they stormed through New England and took convincing wins over Boston College (4-1) and New Hampshire (5-2). Memories of the three game losing streak earlier this year are fading quite nicely into the past. As head coach Justine Sowry likes to say...paraphrasing former UofL football coach John L. Smith, they've torn off the rear view mirror and concentrated on what's ahead. That losing streak came against some pretty formidable competition, in the Cards defense, at #2 Duke, #9 Northwestern and #16 Maryland. 

The Cards are a perfect 6-0 at home, in Trager Stadium. They have all-American goalkeep Ayeshia McFerran back again between the pipes. Making sure she stays out of trouble are defenders senior Abby Grimes, junior Taylor Stone, sophomore Carter Ayers and freshman Anne Marie Habelow. Delaware, St. Louis, Massachusetts, and Virginia represented there, if you're keeping geological track. They've been very stingy on goals allowed...just a 1.5 goals per game average for the 14 Cardinal opponents this year. 

And, then, there is the offense. Averaging 2.5 goals a game...nine different Cardinals are responsible for scoring 34 goals this year. The leader is Minout "Minnie" Mink, who has almost 1/4th of the squads net finders with eight goals. 

Minnie's a scorer. She told Coach Sowry that when she arrived on campus back in the summer of 2016. Coach Sowry uses the same phrase when she's asked about the Haaksbergen, The Netherlands sophomore forward. And that's what she's done at Louisville for the last two years. She led the Cards in scoring last season with 15 goals. She had a goal in each game of the Cards weekend trip and she's scored in the last four Cardinal contests. 

Yet, she doesn't start. Coach Sowry was vague when asked about that. We've seen it before in other sports with other players. A chance for visualization from the sidelines, to pick up the flow of the action and get the overall picture before entering the battle...maybe. It seemed to work for UofL WBB a few years back when Gwen Rucker would start the game so that Keisha Hines could get a look at what lay ahead for her in the pivot. 

Minnie holds the school record for freshman goals. She was named to the 2016 All-West First Team (yes, they have Louisville in the Western region. Because of all those tumbleweeds blowing down Floyd Street and the cactus popping up everywhere, I suppose.) She was also named to the All-ACC team. In life back in The Netherlands, she played for the Dutch U-18 National team and she lists winning the European championship with them and scoring the decisive goal in the championship game as a couple of her favorite personal sports moments.

(I'm pretty sure her interviews with Cardinal Couple came in third...) 

She'll lead the Stick Girls into action this Saturday against the TarHeels down in Chapel Hill, NC. Louisville runs into a 11-2 TarHeel squad that saw their junior back Ashley Hoffman named National Defensive Player of the Week after a shutout 3-0 win over #3 Virginia last week. Hoffman also leads the TarHeels in goals scored...so Louisville would be well-advised to keep a watchful eye on her. 

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FUN FACT QUIZ ON LOUISVILLE FIELD HOCKEY (Answers below) 

No cheating! 

1) How many different nations are represented on the Field Hockey Squad? 

A) 8  B) 6  C) 12  D) 9 

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2) How many schools play Field Hockey in the ACC? 

A) 5  B) 7  C)  9 D) 11

 -----
3) Which of these players for Louisville FH is actually from Louisville

A) Annie Mulford  B) Bethany Russ  C) Carter Ayers  D) Katie Walsh 

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4) How many years in a row has Louisville FH made the NCAA Tournament? 

A) 10  B) 8  C) 6 D) 3 

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5) In which of these Conferences did Louisville Field Hockey NOT participate in? 

A) MAC  B) Big East  C) KWIC  D) AAC


-----

ANSWERS

1) A. 8 nations represented. US, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia. N Ireland

2) B.  7 schools. UofL, Duke, UNC, Va., B.C., Wake Forest, Syracuse

3) D. Katie Walsh played for Louisville Ballard. 

4) D. The Cards have made three straight NCAA appearances

5) D.  The AAC does not offer a Field Hockey league. 


So, how did you do? 

-- 5 correct. You're ready to grab a clipboard and join Coach Sowry on the pitch! 

-- 4 correct. Not bad. Join me in the press box next home game

--3 correct. Average. We'll let you sit in the top bleachers

--2 correct. You need to pick your game up. Report for practice 8 a.m. Friday

--1 correct. Really?  OK, you're assigned to chasing errant shots during practice. 

--0 correct. We're lining you up in front of one of the water cannons at halftime.



paulie
xxxxx 

On Field Hockey, Volleyball and Tom...MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FIELD HOCKEY CHIPS AWAY AT CHIPPEWAS 

When a squad get off 27 shots compared to the opponent's two, when 17 are on goal and the foe has none on goal...and the visitor comes into your place 0-10 on the season, you might expect a pretty lopsided score.

That wasn't the case, though, yesterday at Trager Field. #12 University of Louisville did defeat the Central Michigan Chippewas 2-0 in front of abut 300 fans...some who were displaying pro-UofL and Tom Jurich posters...but it wasn't a blowout. 

It was the fourth win in a row for the Cards (8-4) and they swept the quartet of home games over the last two weeks. Coach Justine Sowry did play a multitude of different combinations in the UofL victory and was effusive in her praise for the Chips: 

"I think Central Michigan played well. They had good energy, they defended well in numbers. I think they are better than what their records shows and their goalkeeper had an outstanding game today." 

That goalie, Lily Amadio, had a total of 15 saves against Louisville. Down at the other net, Coach Sowry gave Ayeshia McFerran and Hollyn Barr equal minutes defending the pipes with 35 each. They had no saves in a contest where the ball rarely got out of UofL's offensive possession. 

Our favorite, Minnie Mink, got the scoring started for the Red and the Black after 25 minutes of scoreless action on the pitch. She popped in an unassisted goal on a nice reverse stick shot from the top of the circle. The squads went to the halftime locker room at 1-0 and Louisville had a 16-0 shot edge. 

Louisville continued the storming of the pitch in the final 35 minutes...Nicole Woods getting the final net-finder with 12 minutes left in the contest. The Beverly, MA senior has five goals on the season but wasn't too worried about that...telling me in the post-game interview that she wasn't even sure how many scores she had on the year, the important thing was just the ball getting into the back of the net however and whoever does it. 

Jared catches me trying to figure out technology

It is usually a dicey situation...playing a Sunday non-conference match-up after a huge conference Friday win...like the Cards had against Syracuse. A letdown, bit of a hangover after downing the Orange? A fatigue factor? Not so much, according to Justine Sowry...but Katie Walsh commented about that a bit more in the interview below. 

The Cards leave the friendly confines of Trager to spent a weekend in New England next. They face Boston College ( a 6 p.m. Friday NIGHT game...pay heed UofL planners) and then onto New Hampshire for a Sunday 1 p.m. tilt. 

Great photo work Sunday from Jared Anderson. You can see the rest of his shots he snapped at the contest on Facebook. He's a ball of energy, from press box to field..then rinse and repeat. Coincidentally, Minnie scored in the presence of Jared as he framed her up. Or was it coincidence? 

We have Paulie's interviews with Coach, Nicole and also junior and Louisville Ballard grad Katie Walsh below. 

A win is a win and they're all important in trying to make the NCAA Field. Louisville FH accomplished that and moves forward without the rear-view mirror attached. 

PAULIE AND COACH JUSTINE SOWRY

KATIE WALSH AND PAULIE

NIK NIK NICOLE WOODS POST-GAME WITH PAULIE


VOLLEYBALL DEFENDS CARDINAL ARENA WITH SWEEP

From a visitng "0-fer" squad on one end of the campus to an undefeated guest on the north end of Belknap. Louisville Volleyball took down undefeated Miami yesterday in Cardinal Arena in a straight-set sweep  25-17, 25-22, 25-20..

The Cards were led by sophomore outside hitter Melanie McHenry and her 15 kills. Junior Jasmine Bennett was also active at the net with eight blocks...featuring two of them at the very end of the third set to end the game. 

Louisville held Miami to .097 hitting for the match and Coach Dani Busboom Kelly was quite pleased with the job Louisville did spreading the offense and maintaining a nice rhythm in the hitting attack. 

The Cards jumped out to a early 5-2 lead in the first game. Miami rallied to make it 11-9 but the Cards went on a 6-1 run to put the contest in their hands. In game two, Louisville grabbed a 9-3 early lead but Miami responded to tie at 19-19. The Cards got a timeout, refocused and scored the final three points for the three-point win. Continuing the trend, Louisville jumped out early, withstood a Miami charge that put them ahead 19-18 but, thatnks to Bennett and crew, Louisville went on a game-ending 6-1 run. 

The Wide-netters head to Virginia next for a road trip that takes them to Charlottesville (UVA) and Blacksburg (Va. Tech). With yesterday's win, the Cards are now 8-5 on the season and 3-1 in ACC play. 


BOARD MEETING ON TOM

As I type this article up here on Monday morning, the Board of Trustees is in executive session discussing the events of last week. We could learn the fate of Tom Jurich later today and we'll jump back in and post that when (and if) it is determined .

I haven't talked to a coach or player yet in the past five days that wants Tom to go and I have to agree with them. He has built so many things here at UofL and not just contribution-wise-on-buildings and structures. He built a strong women's program here. He got us into the ACC. 

Keep Tom. 

Update: No one was fired today at the meeting. Because of it being a "personnel" issue, interim President Postal would not discuss either Rick Pitino or Tom Jurich. We could learn of a possible interim Athletic Director on Tuesday. Other than that, there is nothing else of major importance that came out of the board meeting. 


FINALLY...

Our hearts go out to those involved in the senseless Las Vegas shooting during the concert. Over 50 dead. Over 400 injured. 

Apparently, a "lone-wolf" attack. From the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Hotel. A coward, killing himself as police tried to enter the room. 

This madness makes no sense to me. Country music singer Jason Aldean was on stage, playing before a crowd of over 22,000 at the Route 91 concert. 

A fun, festive evening transformed into a bloody slaughter...filled with panic, choas and terror. We worry about our current University situation, folks, but this is real. And sad. A mystery. No clear indication of what the motive could have been...yet. 

Why? 


paulie
xxxxx

Football fiasco...WSOC and Wide-Netters do battle today -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

CLEMSON CONQUERS 

Why couldn't UofL play THIS
Clemson team yesterday? 

Getting out of bed this Sunday morning proved to be a rather difficult task. The Louisville football game didn't finish until almost midnight and then I had another hour after that of pouting and mumbling less-than-nice words. The 47-21 final in favor of the Tigers could have been a lot worse, but a couple of fourth quarter touchdown passes from Lamar Jackson made the score look a wee bit better. 

The defense? (Insert your own appropriate sentence or paragraph here). We hope Jaire Alexander (Zaire to Paulie) comes back soon. Credit the Clemson brain-trust for going to a spread offense -- which forced the Cards to insert even more defensive backs into a lineup that has scarcely few decent performers at that position. 

Checking with Paulie this morning about filling in for Jeff and his write-up today -- Jeff was pressed into Sunday work because of I.T. issues at work -- he mentioned a couple of things. Firstly, he didn't get home from the game until after 2 a.m. Seems there was a bit of tailgate therapy session going on about this embarrassment. Secondly, pointed out that Lamar did have over 400 yards of combined offense against Mike the Tiger's bunch.

We got these guys instead and they weren't very kind to us. 

Next, he suggested that Petrino should made a call over to the Trinity football program and see if he can switch defenses with the national high school power. Finally, he wanted to call out "drunk guy" in Sec. 122 one last time. This genius decides to start calling the fans out and blaming them for not supporting the team properly after Clemson made it 33-7. He was subdued and embarrassed with some classic retorts by Paulie and several others -- which included:

 'We let the whole team down!'

'Get out there and play safety if you've got all the answers!' 

'You seriously want us to get fired up about this?'

'Thank you, Mary Poppins!' 

'Game DAY is over! Surrender Dorothy and I'll get you and your little dog Toto too!"

For God's sake, get this cat some sunglasses! 

So, to close the football segment, Game Day was great but post Game Day was not. The defending National Champions came in and showed that they are a contender for that title again this year.

Louisville will re-muster, the world hasn't ended, and they'll enter "the field of honor" next Saturday at noon to take on Kent State. The Golden Flashes are 1-2 on the season and began their year visiting Clemson and falling 56-3. They did come home for their second effort and defeated Howard 38-31. (Howard who....Schnellenger? Johnson? Cosell? Sprague?) 

You guessed it, they probably won't come back here for GameDay next week. 




WOMEN'S SOCCER IN BEANTOWN

Our ladies of the pitch visit Boston College today to start conference play. Remember last year's match against them? Two goals in the final fifteen minutes to push the match to overtime. KAELA DICKERMAN gave the Cardinals the win in double overtime. That ended up being the final win of the season for the Cards. 

Louisville is 6-2 this year. B.C. is 6-3. If this one comes down to the wire....remember Dickerman is still on the roster. Live video with commentary on ACC Network Extra. 



WIDE-NETTERS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK

Spike one. Molly! 

Coach DBK's serve and volley gals look to bounce back after the road lost to the Cats when they face Kennesaw State today at 3 p.m. in Cardinal Arena. Do you know where Kennesaw State is located? If you listened to The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour yesterday you were informed. 

You won't see me carrying a camera around pretending like I know what I'm doing...but I'll make a first half appearance in the crowd to cheer the Cards on. We won't get Paulie down on press row today, either. He's reporting a little swelling in his left knee and is putting himself on the "unable to perform" list. 

This one also available on ACC Network Extra. 


JARED'S OPEN LETTER TO FIELD HOCKEY'S MINNIE MINK

"Dear Minnie Mink, 

I need your help. I said that you'd score an average of two goals per game this season. So far you have scored a total of three goals in seven games. Help me out and please score 13 times in Tuesday's game to get me back on track with my prediction.

Thank you in advance. A nervous, poor predictor." 

Your friend,

Jared Anderson

The Stick Girls are on a two game losing streak and taking a short break before travelling to scenic Evanston, IL to face a northern bunch of Wildcats of Northwestern on Tuesday. Let's hope they can beat one of those feline mascots that we discussed during THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR yesterday. 

These two squads don't like each other very much. NW is 5-3 on the year and two of the losses have come from ACC opponents Boston College and Duke. 

FINAL THOUGHTS

-- Come to Softball's first fall game Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. It's an intra-squad scrimmage and you can help me celebrate growing older at that still unwise age of 23.

-- Just remember that one game does not a season make, no matter what sport it is. Every team is still in good shape to make the postseason. Stay confident and don't give up too early. 

-- GIve the rebroadcast of THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR a listen at the link below if you missed the live version yesterday. Or even if you heard the live broadcast, go back and listen again.  The "A" team was in magnificent spirits, dressed in black and even got Crescent Hill Radio's KEVIN COX from THE MORNING JAM involved in the fray. 

LINK: THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR 9-16-17


Go Cards!
Jared Anderson