Louisville to Host 2026 FH Final Four -- WSoc Visits UNC -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Trager Stadium to Host Another NCAA Final Four

Photo from GoCards

Louisville field hockey has been selected to be the host location for the 2026 NCAA Field Hockey Final Four. Trager Stadium, which seats 2,500, will be the host stadium.

This will be the seventh time that Trager Stadium has hosted the NCAA DI Field Hockey Final Four. The most recent time was in 2018. The other times Louisville has hosted are 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, and 2017.

NCAA Tournament games do not have free admission for any sports so this will be a ticketed event for all patrons in two years. We hope to see the Cards as one of the teams in the Final Four.

Women's Soccer Travels to North Carolina

Photo from GoCards

Louisville women's soccer is back on the road with a trip to #3 North Carolina. The Cards and Tar Heels will square off in Chapel Hill at 7:00pm with streaming on ACCNX.

The Cards enter the match 6-3-2 and 1-2 in the ACC. Most recently, they took down NC State at Lynn Stadium 1-0. Mackenzie Geigle scored the game winner in the second half for her fifth goal of the season.

Photo from GoCards

The Tar Heels sit at 11-1-0 on the season with their only loss coming against #2 Duke a month ago. Due to a weird scheduling setup, that match did not count in the conference standings so North Carolina is currently a perfect 4-0 in the ACC. This season, North Carolina has defeated ranked opponents Colorado, Wake Forest, and Virginia. 

UNC has outscored opponents 24-9. Kate Faasse leads the offense with eight goals. Bella Sember has added five goals. Four other North Carolina players have scored this season. Defensively, Clare Gagne has played every minute in goal. She has recorded 23 saves while allowing only nine goals.

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared

Stadiums and Arenas -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

 WHERE THE ACTION IS

We continue to creep towards the start of the 2020-2021 season for UofL. And it does feel like we are creeping that way as games can't seem to start soon enough.

Louisville is home to some fine venues that fans of opposing teams have complimented. These stadiums can also provide a strong home field advantage.

Today, we'll take a look at some of the venues that house the fall sports.

Stadiums and Arenas

L&N Federal Credit Union Arena

Photo from west end zone of arena

The newest, well, most recently renovated, venue is L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, which is home to Louisville Volleyball.

Formerly known as Cardinal Arena, the VolleyCards have called this place home during two different eras. Cardinal Arena was the only home for Louisville during the days of Leonid Yelin as head coach as well as the early days of Anne Kordes as head coach. It wasn't until Kordes took over before Louisville started playing some larger matches at the KFC Yum! Center. By the time Kordes reached her final season in the fall of 2016, nearly every match was held at the KFC Yum! Center.

Dani Busboom Kelly came to Louisville in 2017, the same year UofL completely renovated the on-campus arena. Thanks to a generous donation by L&N Federal Credit Union, Cardinal Arena was renamed L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

The newly-renovated arena now has a true arena-style feel with seating located a full 360° around the court. Most of the seating comes along the sidelines with a couple rows hanging out in each end zone, hovering above the floor and team benches. There is also a concession stand on the east side of the arena by the front entrance up against Floyd Street.

The 1,100-seat facility has seen plenty of sold out full house crowds with tickets being sold as standing room only before. Due to its small size, L&N Federal Credit Union Arena can be deafening for opposing teams.

The Cards have 13 home matches scheduled this year in the LNFCU. 

Dr Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium

Photo from northeast corner of stadium

The newest facility on campus not including renamed venues or renovations is Dr Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium, which houses both Louisville Women's Soccer and Louisville Men's Soccer. The stadium named is often shortened to Lynn Stadium, which we will refer to it as in this article.

Constructed in 2014, the stadium is still considered one of the best collegiate soccer facilities in the country and has even been used by Louisville's professional soccer team, Louisville City FC.

Lynn Stadium uses natural grass on the pitch and is maintained daily by the grounds crew. Fans can view the match from all sides of the stadium with a majority of the viewing area being the chairback seats on the south side of the stadium. The east end zone is made up of bleachers that sit up against the offices and locker rooms. There is a grass berm on the north side and west end zone with a playground located on the north berm.

Prior to their time at Lynn Stadium, the Cards played at the Louisville Track and Soccer Stadium on Floyd Street, right across the street from L&N Federal Credit Union Arena. Lynn Stadium is also located on Floyd Street, but further down near Cardinal Stadium (football).

The press box is located on the south side with the chairback seating. The south side of the stadium features a large awning to cover fans from the elements.

The Cards have 11 home matches scheduled this year in Lynn. .

Trager Stadium

Photo from west end of stadium

Louisville Field Hockey is the only fall team to only have not seen a new stadium or renovations in recent years. Trager Stadium has been home to the Cards since its construction in 2000. The Cards chose to celebrate my sixth birthday with a venue-premier win over Ohio on Sept. 22, 2000. Sorry if that makes you feel old!

Viewed as one of the premier field hockey facilities in the country, Trager Stadium has hosted six NCAA DI championships and three NCAA DIII championships.

Trager Stadium has a state of the art astro turf. The synthetic turf is thinner and harder than a football field turf, allowing players to run easily and the ball to roll smoothly. The turf also absorbs water well to prevent flooding but also to allow enough water to remain for a suitable playing surface.

In 2008, there was an expansion to Trager Stadium, adding many bleachers to raise the capacity to 1,500. All spectator seating is on the east side of the stadium with the benches and press box on the west side. The end zones remain empty.

The Cards have nine official home matches scheduled this year in Trager.

We are fortunate to experience these venues first hand on a yearly basis either from a spectator standpoint or in the press box. Admission is fee for soccer and field hockey while volleyball is a ticketed event.

We highly encourage you to visit each venue to check out a game sometime. Of course, if attending games in person isn't your thing, UofL does an excellent job with airing their games on the ACC Network or ACC Network Extra.

Also, in regards to that photo at the top of Louie flying, why did I just find out that we used to have Louie "fly" in from the rafters at Freedom Hall? That's actually really neat!

Happy Tuesday and Go Cards!

Jared

CARDINAL VS CARDINALS FIELD HOCKEY AT NOON TODAY -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

#5 vs. #16 AT TRAGER THIS AFTERNOON

At the exceedingly odd time of noon today, # 5 Louisville Field Hockey puts their 10-2 record to the test against the # 16 Stanford Cardinal over at Trager Stadium. Stanford is 9-5 on the season. 

First off, no, I don't know why they scheduled this game for this time. I don't think it can be to accommodate any network or on-line viewing of it, since the only source showing it is the ACC Network Extra. You want people in those seats at Trager? You ain't gonna get them there with middle-of-the-week noon start times, kiddos. 

Second off, no, I won't be in attendance. The change-in-climate-temperature "crud" still has me pretty dysfunctional (as if I wasn't already) and I'm sure a press box full of media and such doesn't want to hear me hack like a lung cancer ward patient or blow my nose with the regularity of a flock of geese getting ready to land in a field. Plus that, I've already spread it to Sonya and don't want to infect anyone else. 

Truth be told, I even didn't feel like writing this today, but none of my writers stepped up to take the day/article for me. It's all right. Payback is hell, boys.  

On to the game. 

Louisville will be facing the #1 scorer in the nation in Corinne Zanolli, who has found the net 21 times this season. She's coming off back-to-back hat tricks. Stanford has won three in a row coming into today's game, knocking off Ohio State, Ball State and Syracuse. 

Louisville fell to #9 Virginia Friday at Trager in a game that was moved to an earlier start to avoid rain (to no avail) and fell apart in the wet, rainy fourth quarter to the Cavs....losing 2-1 after shutting them out for three quarters. 


FAST FACTS


-- Louisville and the Trees have played six times and UofL was won four of  them.

-- Justine Sowry was an assistant coach at Stanford in 2003

-- Louisville leads the nation in penalty corners with 75. 

-- Bethany Russ leads Louisville in scoring with eight goals. 

-- Louisville has out-scored opponents 31-13 this season. 


Have a tremendous Tuesday! 

Paulie
xxxxx

FIELD HOCKEY FEATURES LONG HOME STRETCHES, TEN TOP 25 FOES -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

One caveat we have seen here hold true at Cardinal Couple since the days of Louisville joining the ACC is...that if it is ACC competition, it's going to be tough competition. This especially holds true in Field Hockey, where the other six schools that compete in the sport besides Louisville all finished in the top 20 in 2018. 

Add in four other schools on the schedule that finished in the top 20, plus one that played in the NCAA Tournament, and the 2019 Louisville Field Hockey slate looks daunting, challenging and highly competitive. 

It is also an interesting schedule in terms of travel and home games. The Cards will play their first five contests (which include the annual Alumnae Game and a scrimmage) at Trager Stadium. Then, it's on the road for six straight. Beginning in October, it's back to Trager for six in a row, and then two on the road before the regular season home finale.

From 2018, the ten top 25 on the schedule are #1 UNC, #3 Duke, #7 Iowa, #9 Penn St. #12 Wake Forest, #13 Virginia, #14 Boston College, #20 Syracuse, #21 Ohio St. and #23 Stanford. North Carolina was the NCAA Tournament Champion. 



2019 LOUISVILLE FIELD HOCKEY SCHEDULE 

(home games in bold italics)
( * indicates conference game) 


AUGUST

Saturday, August 24th. -- ALUMNAE GAME   1 p.m.
Sunday, August 25th. -- Scrimmage vs. Miami  2 p.m.
Friday, August 30th. -- Indiana  3 p.m.

SEPTEMBER

Sunday, September 1st. -- UMass  noon 
Wednesday, September 4th. -- Kent State  3:30 p.m.
Sunday, September 8th. --  at Michigan State  11 a.m.
Monday, September 9th. -- UC Davis (at Mich. St.)  11 a.m.
Sunday, September 15th. --  at Ohio State  1 p.m.
*Friday, September 20th. -- at North Carolina  5 p.m.
*Friday, September 27th. -- at Boston College  6 p.m.
Sunday, September 29th. -- at Providence  1 p.m.

OCTOBER

*Friday, October 4th. -- Wake Forest  6 p.m.
Sunday, October 6th. -- Penn State  noon
*Friday, October 11th.  -- Virginia  6 p.m.
Tuesday, October 15th. -- Stanford  noon
Saturday, October 19th. -- Longwood  noon
Sunday, October 20th. -- Iowa  1 p.m.
Thursday, October 24th. -- at William and Mary  6 p.m.
*Saturday, October 26th. -- at Duke  noon

NOVEMBER 

*Saturday, November 2nd. -- Syracuse  1 p.m.

November 6th.10th.  ACC Tournament  Chestnut Hill, MA.

November 16th.-17th.   NCAA Tournament 1st and 2nd rounds

November 22nd.-24th.  NCAA Tournament Championships   Winston-Salem, NC

The era of All-Universe goalkeeper Ayeshia McFerran has ended with her graduation. Senior Hollyn Barr saw the backup minutes between the pipes last year and the Cards also have sophomore Sam Minrath, from Louisville's Christian Academy, for goalkeeping needs. 

Besides McFerran's graduation, the Cards also lose Maria Gomez, Taylor Stone and Katie Walsh via diploma route. 

Who's back? Some names you might want to get familiar with are: 

On the attack, the Cards have their top three leading scorers back in Bethany Russ, Erica Cooper and Mercedes Pastor. Complimenting them on offense are Alli Biiting, Katie Schneider and Whena Munn. Katie's sister Meghan Schneider returns and veteran Carter Ayars will grace Trager also. The Cards return 19 letter-winners in all from 2018. 

Justine Sowry also has seven freshman for the 2019 class on campus. From Louisville, Mattie Tabor (Sacred Heart) and India Reed (Manual). Joining them are a pair of players from the Netherlands in Julie Kouijzer and Thirsa Kho. Emilia Kacmarczyk hails from England and Minna Tremonti (Ann Arbor, MI) and Margot Lawn (Pasadena, MD) round out the newbies. 

The Cards went 13-6 last season with a 3-3 ACC record. They fell to Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament and were not selected for the NCAA Tournament. 


88 days until the water cannons and competition begin at Trager. We'll keep you updated here at CARDINAL COUPLE with news as it develops. 


Have a thoughtful Tuesday,


Paulie

Analyzing Fall Sports -- Louisville Field Hockey -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

LOUISVILLE'S FIELD HOCKEY RETURNS MCFERRAN AND FIVE OTHER STARTERS

One majorly important thing you need to know about Louisville Field Hockey, if nothing else, is that the "Stick Girls" return keeper Ayesha McFerran...the best goalie in the USA. Bold words? Not really. She was named the MVP keeper in the recent World Cup, where she and Ireland finished a very unpredictable second to perennial power The Netherlands. She is the only three-time All American goalkeeper in Cardinal history. 

Of course, any good defense is not about just one player and the Cards return backs Carter Ayars, Maria Gomez, Ann Marie Habelow, Isabella Leeker and, if needed back there...Taylor Stone, who head Field Hockey coach Justine Sowry would like to use a bit more at mid-field this year, if possible. Megan Schneider can also go defensive back or mid-field, which gives Sowry a ton of options back at the last line of defense. Talented goalie Hollyn Barr, a junior, also returns, in case McFerran needs a bit of time to adjust to the return from Ireland and promising freshman Sam Minrath (Louisville Christian Academy) has the unique opportunity to learn the keeper spot from two of the best in a probable red-shirt situation. 

The "middies" as their sometimes called, are deep and talented. Katie Walsh (Louisville Ballard H.S.)  is the standout there, and she was a member of the 2018 USA National Team. Mercedes Pastor comes back after a season where she was injured and red-shirted. She gets high marks from all who have seen her play. Bethany Russ saw valuable time in the mid-field role last year as well, as did Alli Biting. A group of talented freshmen will vie for remaining spots...Biz Allgeier, Mackenzie Karl, Taylor Orsi, Carmen Pichea, Caitlin Cunningham and Erica Cooper are also options in the midfield for UofL. 

Whena Munn is a returning forward for the Cards and she'll run at the attack spot with Madison Walsh (no relation to Katie), Kathryn Schneider (Megan's younger sister) has shown great promise in the spring also. You can probably expect Sowry to insert a few midfielders, as needed, into the "attack" or forward spots. 

The roster breakdown is four seniors, three juniors, eight sophomores and eight freshmen. Five of the student-athletes are from Kentucky and they're all from Louisville. Three from Assumption H.S and one each from Ballrd and Christian Academy. There are also five student-athletes from Pennsylvania, two each from Virginia, California and Missouri on the roster. One each from Delaware and Massachusetts. Internationally, UofL has a player each from Ireland, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and Spain. 

We'll miss watching Minnie and
Jared's predictions about her...

Significant losses of players who has eligibility left would be Minout "Minnie" Mink (The Netherlands) and  Marisa Martin-Pelagrina (Germany) who returned to their home countries to pursue academic opportunities there. The Cards lost starters Marigrace Ragsdale, Nicole Woods and Abby Grimes to graduation. 

The Cards were 14-8 last year and fared 4-2 in ACC play, tied for second. They advanced to the ACC Tournament finals, narrowly losing to North Carolina 1-0 and were knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by Northwestern 3-2 in overtime. 

Preseason rankings in women's Field Hockey are as hard to come by. I had no success in locating them, so I'll base my predictions on last year's stats and Cardinal success against the foes.

This year's schedule has 18 games, plus the annual Alumni game and a scrimmage against Michigan. The Alumnae game kicks things off on Saturday, Aug 18th. and the Field Hockey team travels the next day to face #3 Michigan in a exhibition scrimmage. The regular season features two Big 10 opponents to kick things off.

August 24th sees Louisville with a Friday trip to Bloomington and Indiana. Louisville handled the Hoosiers 4-1 last year and I see the Cards winning again against them in 2018. 

Ohio State comes to Louisville on Sunday, August 26th. The Cards fell in Columbus last year 1-2 but I see Louisville turning the tables on the Buckeyes this year with a win at Trager Stadium. 

Louisville plays nine matches in September and will start things off against U-Mass Lowell in Richmond, VA. Cards should have no trouble here to improve to 3-0

UofL travels to Delaware on Sept 3rd and despite the Cards win last year against them in Trager, the Blue Hens finished 7th in the nations with a 15-4 record. I hate to do it, but I give the Cards a close loss against them. 

It doesn't get any easier on the 7th. with North Carolina coming to town. The Tar Heels finished 4th. in the nation in 2017 and the Cards split with them in matches. I'll go out on a limb here and say Louisville gets revenge for the ACC Finals loss with a win.

California is next on the 9th at Trager and Louisville should prevail over the Bears in this one. 

The home-stand continues when ACC foe Boston College visits for a Friday night contest.  Louisville won easily up in Chestnut Hill in 2017 and I'll take the Cards to do the same in 2018. 


A huge match on Sunday, Sept 16th. when Northwestern comes to town. They sent Louisville home from the NCAA in 2017 and downed the Cards earlier in the season as well. The motivation shouldn't be any problem for Sowry's squad in this one and I'll go with Louisville and a close win. 

Louisville ends September with three road contests. First stop is at Wake Forest for a September 21st, Friday night match. The Cards bested the Demon Deacons in Trager last year with a 3-2, shootout victory. Expect another tight one in Winston-Salem but I'll go with Louisville winning. 

Sunday the 23rd. finds UofL in scenic Boone, NC against Appalachian State. They did not meet last year and the Mountaineers were 8-11 in 2017, so I'm giving the Cards their second road victory in three days. 

The road trip and the September schedule ends in Charlottesville, Va with a Saturday test against Virginia. The Wahoos finished 2017 as the #5 team in tha nation and knocked off the Cards in Trager 2-1. Unfortunately, they'll probably give Louisville their second loss of the season in another close one. 

October brings one more road game to start the month in Muncie, IN with a rare Wednesday game versus Ball State on the 3rd. The two did not meet in 2017 and with a 5-12 2017 record and a new head coach for 2018, these Cardinals are in a rebuilding phase. Louisville takes the contest. 

Michigan State visits Trager on Sunday Oct. 7th. They didn't face each other in 2017 and MSU struggled through a 8-11 season. The Cards continue their mastery over Big 10 opponents by sending Spartie back to East Lansing with an "L". 

Pam Bustin was the Louisville Field Hockey head
coach before Justine Sowry. 

Another huge match in Trager on Sunday, Oct 12th. when Pam Bustin brings her Duke Blue Devils to town.  Duke embarrassed the Cards 5-0 in Durham during the 2017 regular season but Louisville got revenge in the ACC Tournament semi-finals with a 3-2 shootout win. Duke finished 2017 as the #2 team in the nation with a 16-3 record and this one was a toss up game for me. Literally. Louisville was 'heads" and Duke was "tails". The coin landed on "heads"...so give the Cards the win. Good coin, good coin! 

The October home-stand ends when Miami (OH) comes to town on Sunday, Oct 14th. They did not meet in 2017 and the Red Hawks had a 12-9 season. The Cards keep the winning streak alive with a win. 

To the road to end October and UofL's first stop is Syracuse for a Friday, October 19 match. The Cards took a two-overtime, 2-1 win over the Orange last year in Trager. Another tough one to predict, but, I'll give the Cards another nail-biting win. 

Sunday October 21st finds Louisville in Albany playing the Great Danes and the Cards didn't play in 2017 and the New York State foe finished 12-7 on the year. Louisville avoids the bark and bite and gets off of the Alumni Turf pitch with a win. Fun fact: Albany's head coach is Phil Sykes. We're not related, that I know of...my Sykes' are mostly North Carolina rooted...but I'll be pulling for him and the Great Danes to have a great year. 



Another Sunday match ends the regular season. This one is in Kent, OH against Kent State on Oct 28th. The Golden Flashes were 9-10 last year but 6-1 in the MAC. They also played their first 11 games on the road in 2017, including a 5-1 loss to Louisville at Trager. The Cards end the regular season with a win and sweep October with a 7-0 record. I hope. 

So, let's recap. Maybe I'm a bit ambitious here, but I've got Louisville Field Hockey at 16-2 and 5-1 in the ACC. That ought to be good enough for at least a top five ranking when the Cards travel to Chapel Hill, NC for the ACC Tournament that starts Nov 1st. 

Remember, when you've got McFerran, you've got a lot. If the opponents can't score, their likelihood of winning drops dramatically. Not many will score on Ayeisha this year.

You know the routine. Sound off in the comments section with your thoughts. 


paulie
xxxxx

Catching Up With....Justine Sowry -- WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

THE JUSTINE SOWRY INTERVIEW

This week's "Catching Up" interview focuses on Louisville Field Hockey. We were able to catch up with head coach Justine Sowry on Tuesday afternoon and spend some time with her reviewing last season, discussing the players and their accomplishments over the spring and summer and looking ahead to the 2018 season. 

I appreciate Coach Sowry for allowing us to get our readers prepared for what looks to be a very promising and exciting 2018 UofL Field Hockey season! The Cards start action with an exhibition against the alumnae on August 18th. before travelling to Michigan on the 19th. 

Some listening points as you listen to the linked interview below: 

-- How did Coach feel about the 2017 season? 

-- Which players have been participating on tournament and national squad this summer?

-- What has UofL goalkeeper Ayeshia McFerran been doing in Ireland? 

-- How did Coach Sowry critique Ayeshia's game against Duke in the ACC semifinals? 

-- Who are some of the players that will have an impact on the 2018 squad? 

-- What message does Coach have for the UofL Field hockey fans?  


A great interview with the delightful Justine Sowry on an afternoon that started out cloudy and turned into one of the most fierce and severe thunderstorms over the UofL campus that this columnist can remember in quite a while. Watching the storm from Sowry's second-floor office window at Trager Stadium, we were amazed to see the field below was actually coated in several inches of water. A field that normally drains quite rapidly and needs the use of water cannons at halftime during most games was so soaked that one could have gone tubing on it.  

The first photo of Coach (and doesn't she look absolutely adorable?) in today's article was taken right after I entered her office. Note how bright the skies are outside her window. Several minutes later, all hell broke loose. 

As we concluded, due to the weather, I remained in the offices for a brief while and chatted amicably with Coach, Field Hockey S.I.D. Lori Korte, assistant coach Erin Schneidtmiller and Director of Operations Debbie Bell. Thanks to Lori for setting up the interview and all of them for keeping Paulie entertained while he waited for the skies to clear. 

It may have been stormy and blustery yesterday afternoon outside Coach Sowry's office but the future and promise of UofL Field Hockey is quite bright and sunny for 2018! 

The interview LINK below: 

CATCHING UP WITH JUSTINE SOWRY 6/26/18


AYESHIA MCFERRAN NAMED TO IRELAND'S WORLD CUP ROSTER


While we're on Field Hockey, we also found out yesterday the Cardinal rising senior goalkeep Ayeshia McFerrran was named to Ireland's World Cup roster. 

It's the first appearance since 2002 for the Irish squad "The Green Army" in World Cup action. They are ranked #16 in the world and will have their first pool match on July 21st against the U.S.A. in London, England...home of the 2018 Field Hockey World Cup. 

Congratulations to Ayeshia for this prestigious honor and chance to compete against the world's best Field Hockey players and teams! 


paulie
xxxxx

Volleyball Win Streak Comes to an End -- SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Falls 3-1 at Miami

It was bound to happen sooner or later. Louisville's volleyball team was on a six game win streak entering last night's rematch with Miami. As I alluded to earlier this week, Miami was keen on getting revenge for Louisville handing the Hurricanes their first loss of the season. In the end, the Canes had completed their revenge and brought the win streak to an end. Louisville still holds a 1 game lead over Miami in the conference standings, as this was only Louisville's second loss in the conference. 

Louisville kept this match close, despite it only going four sets. When looking at the set scores, the fourth set (25-14) stands out as an anomaly. Further investigation shows that isn't truly the case, though. Louisville dropped the first set 21-25, due to untimely errors and great hitting (.452) by Miami. In the second, the Cards returned the favor with a .406 set to Miami's .167. The match score was tied 1-1 and total points won was at 46-46. It was pretty close. The third set is the tricky one. When it ended, Miami had come away with a 24-26 set win. However, it wasn't as close as the final score appeared. Louisville had to make a furious comeback from down 15-21. They got to 24-24 before Miami finally halted the comeback. It was clear Miami was playing better after dropping a set to the Cards, and the fourth set only confirmed that. Louisville was unable to mount another large comeback, and the final score reflected a strong set by Miami instead of falsely implying a close game. 

The Cards were plagued by errors in this one, namely service errors, of which they had 12 (15 total). It is hard to win matches when you're giving the other team so many points. However, when all was said and done, Miami finished with 18 errors themselves. The difference is that Miami was able to take more advantage when they had control of the serve. Also working heavily in favor of the Hurricanes was the play of one Olga Strantzali. Louisville had no answer for Strantzali, who finished with an ACC record 33 kills. Her 33 were more than half of Miami's total 60 and 2/3rds of Louisville's 51. Just like in basketball, if you can't stop a player from scoring, you are going to be in for a long night.

Louisville was led once again by Melanie McHenry in kills, but she was followed closely by Amanda Green and Tess Clark. Wilma Rivera predictably led the team in assists but she also led in digs. Molly Sauer actually tied with Gabby Wiley and Green for second with 10 digs, which shows that Miami was able to actively and effectively keep the ball away from Sauer and remove key contributors from plays. If that is a tactic that other teams have success in implementing, Louisville could continue to see trouble from it. 

The Cards remain on the road tomorrow against Florida State, another rematch. The Cards took down the Seminoles earlier this year when the team from Tallahassee was ranked in the top 25. Expectations for the Noles have dipped since then, but, like Miami, FSU is sure to be looking for revenge against the Cardinals for their contributions to the swoon the Noles experienced. The match begins at 12 PM and is not currently listed as available for viewing. Keep up with the Louisville Volleyball twitter account for quick gameplay updates.

Field Hockey in for Big Weekend

It is not often in any sport that a team will play two unique teams from the top-5 in back to back days during the regular season (sports that play series like baseball and softball would be an obvious exception). However, that is the situation that Louisville's field hockey team finds themselves facing this weekend. The Cards will take on the number 3 Virginia Cavaliers today for a chance at the ACC regular season title and number 4 Michigan gets their shot tomorrow. A major factor that could be at play for the Cards in these games is the fact that they are being played at Trager Stadium. Louisville is 6-0 at home thus far this season with some pretty big home wins. The Cards are currently on a 7 game winning streak, most recently defeating the top-5 UNC Tar Heels. 

Today's game is the last in the ACC for the Cards and they'd love to finish with a positive result in order to boost their standing for the ACC tournament. The Tourney is also held at Trager Stadium, so if the Cards can finish the season perfect at home (they also play Ohio next weekend) and be the top seed in the ACC tournament, they will have a ton of confidence entering postseason play. This Louisville team has taken their lumps throughout the season, but it seems as though they may be hitting their stride. This weekend poses a tough matchup, but we'll see what they've got.

Cardinal Couple Radio Hour

For the first time in awhile, the basement studio of Crescent Hill Radio will play host to the myself, Paulie, Jared, and Jeff all at the same time. We'll have a great show lined up for you talking fall sports recaps and previews. There's plenty to talk about so we'll see no issues filling out our hour. We hope you'll come spend the morning with us, leading up to the noon starts for football and field hockey. Check out 100.9 WCHQ FM, the WCHQ app, or crescenthillradio.com at 11AM for the Cardinal Couple Radio Hour.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Summer Draws to a Close -- MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

The FINA World Championships wrapped yesterday, which means the end of Cardinal sports for a little more than a week. However, the month that seemed like it might never end has done just that. Tomorrow is August 1st, which means heading to the all-sports calendar on the Louisville Athletics website will show you actual university competitive events. It will be a magical time, as it always is when the fall sports swing into gear. After a brief (and final) swimming update, we'll take a look at what is to come for your favorite fall sports.

Worrell Wins Gold

Kelsi Worrell, Cardinal Forever, one whom we should not quickly allow to leave the annals of our memories, added yet another medal to her collection yesterday in the final day of the FINA World Championships event. Swimming her preferred stroke, one at which she is quite masterful, Worrell helped the USA Women's 4x100 Medley relay team win gold and set a world record. Worrell spun a 56.30 butterfly leg to help the team become the first women's team to ever go sub 3:52 with a final time of 3:51.55. The silver medal finished in 3:53.38, the Russian team setting a European record. Essentially what I'm saying is that they swam really fast. Congratulations to Kelsi, Mallory (who helped set up this team with a preliminary win), and all of the other Americans and Cardinals representing their schools and countries at this event. We look forward to more great swims this season and perhaps a first full title.

Women's Soccer Clarity

After some digging on B1G athletics sites, I have come up with my own answers regarding Louisville's first two competitions this year. Despite none of the three school's schedules indicating such, Louisville will begin the season with exhibition games against Ohio State and DePaul. The first game will be against Ohio State on the road on August 9th, which will be a good indication of how this season may shape up early. Coach K will lead her Cardinals back to the Ville for a home exhibition against DePaul on August 12th at 5PM. In addition to being the first game for this sport, it will also be your first chance to catch Louisville athletics at home this fall. The Kickin' Cards will get their real season underway the next Friday, 8/18, against Ball State University. The game comes during a double header with a men's game so be sure to block out your evening for a full night at Lynn Stadium. I've still got high hopes for this team and I am looking forward to seeing them get started.

Field Hockey Openers

Justine Sowry will get her team in shape and begin the quest for their first national championship when Miami of Ohio comes to town on August 18th. The game gets started at 1:30, so it may be a tough one to make for the working crowd. However, there will be plenty of other opportunities to see one of the women's teams that is experiencing a lot of success early in Louisville's ACC tenure. Louisville beat Miami (OH) last season 2-0 and will look for the same success to get their year started off on the right foot. The annual alumnae game is on August 19th and will be a good chance to see this year's iteration of the team as well as some of your favorite players from the past. It may not be the most competitive event around but it is sure to be a lot of fun. I hope to make it to some of my first field hockey games this season, so maybe I'll see you there!

Volleyball in on the Action

It seems as though the weekend of the 18th will be a busy one on campus. In addition to all of the students returning from their summer breaks of various lengths (Speed School's is only about a month), nearly ever fall sport will be in action in some capacity. Volleyball will get in on the fun with their annual red vs black scrimmage on August 19th at 6PM. This will be their first event with Cardinal Arena exclusively hosting their games so be sure to stop by to get a look at the team and the facilities. Jeff will be more than happy to bring you more information about this event and just about every other game throughout the season regarding volleyball so stay tuned.

Basketball Trials

While true competition for the 2017-18 Louisville women's basketball team is not yet on the horizon, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the U-23 trials officially begin today. I am not sure how tight lipped these sessions will be, but I believe that if there is information to be had about the event, there is a good chance Paulie can find it for you. If nothing else, the event ends this week so we can see relatively quickly which Cardinals will be heading to Japan.

Football Open Practice

Camp officially began for the Cardinals last week, but Coach Petrino held off on practice for a few days. I'm sure his days have been full of meetings, video sessions, one on one instructions, and the like, but today marks the true beginning. We're about a month from kickoff in Indianapolis against and old friend in Jeff Brohm, and practice gets underway today. Louisville football will host an open practice today beginning at 4PM. This is a great chance to see the work that many players put in over the summer to perfect their craft as well as seeing the new faces. With so many members on the team, it's never too early to begin memorizing numbers. There are high expectations after last year's season ended with a thud, and I believe this team has the capacity to meet them. We'll all find out together.

Until next time, Go Cards!

-CH-

Field Hockey Shuts Out #3 UNC 1-0 -- SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

ERIN McCRUDDEN'S GOAL ENOUGH FOR CARDS IN ACC WIN

Field Hockey, like Soccer, is one of those sports where there isn't, at times, a whole lot of scoring. Witness yesterday, at the Trager Center, where it took 45 minutes before Louisville broke through to get a score against #3 North Carolina. That goal held up, due to some fine defensive work by the Cards, and Louisville knocks off their second top ten for in a row.

So, we got a happy Justine Sowry in the post-game chat: 

"I'm incredibly proud. To play against a UNC team that is coached by one of the legendary people in the game...you know you're going to get a good game. I think the bottom line is we played to our identity and when we do that, we can mix it up with the best in the game." 

After the scoreless first half, McCrudden was in the right place at the right time...taking a pass from Bethany Russ and sending the ball into the net. Despite being a player short to a yellow card issuance late in the second half...the Cards maintain that identity and played tough defense against the TarHeels the rest of the way.

UNC, like Northwestern in the Stick Girls previous game, pulled their goalie late in the game to try and increase their offensive attack. Always a dangerous and risky move...with a low percentage of reward...it failed for the Chapel Hill visitors. 

Quick turn-around for Sowry and the Trager dwellers...they'll take to the pitch against Kent State today at noon. Interviews? Yeah, we got plenty of them for you to sample after this huge Cardinal win...with Sowry, McCrudden and goalie Ayeshia McFerran: 

LINK: COACH SOWRY DISCUSSES THE WIN


LINK: ERIN MCCRUDDEN POST GAME INTERVIEW


LINK: AYESHIA MCFERRAN ABOUT THE UNC WIN


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


RADIO DAYS! 

Coach Jo Anne P would
listen if she knew we
existed, I bet. 

We had us a real good time, y'all on the Saturday broadcast of The Cardinal Couple Radio Hour on WCHQ yesterday. Case Hoskins was back behind the microphone with Paulie and Worldwide. Reviewing, previewing and prognosticating on Cardinal Athletics...plus audio from Karen Ferguson-Dayes and Justine Sowry. 

We will be off the air next Saturday the 22nd. We promise to return for our Halloween show on Oct 29th. Did ya miss the broadcast yesterday? Well, weep no more my lady....there is a link below that will let you hear it again! We lost eight minutes of it somewhere in the SoundCloud ozone. Gremlins in the control booth, I suppose. 


LINK: https://soundcloud.com/chradio/cardinal-couple-20161015



paulie
xxxxx

Women's Soccer, Field Hockey having 2016 success -- TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

TWO SPORTS COMBINED 16-3-2 ON SEASON

The fall sports season for UofL women's athletics consists of seven of the 12 squads the Cards are competitive in with the ACC. Field Hockey, Golf, Cross Country, Soccer, Rowing, Volleyball and Tennis make up the events where Cardinals occupy on-campus  and city-wide venues. 

Two of these teams are off to a pretty spectacular start for 2016 and we'll look at them today. In addition, we just got the clearance to do our weekly radio show THE CARDINAL COUPLE RADIO HOUR as a live broadcast this Saturday morning from the Red and Black Rowing Regatta at the G. Garvin Brown Rowing Center on the Ohio River...so we're excited about that and will fill you in on the details later this week. 

FIELD HOCKEY FIRING FULL SPEED

At 9-1 on the season, Louisville Field Hockey is off to their best start since 1977...when the Cards opened 10-1 en route to an 11-3 season under Sandy McLaughlin. The opponent list looked a little different in those days...with Berea, Hanover, Centre and DePauw (not DePaul) on the schedule. 

The 2016 Cards are #7 in the NCAA Coaches Poll (with a new poll coming out later today) and have a #11 RPI ranking. They are out-scoring their opponents 37-7 on the season and have three shutouts on the season. Only Duke, led by former UofL head coach Pam Bustin have scored two goals on this group of stick-swingers...and her evaluation of this year's team indicated that she thought both Duke and Louisville could meet again...in the finals of the ACC Tournament and in the NCAA Championships. 

How is it getting done? Justine Sowry has combined a core of returning veterans with perhaps the best first-year class to ever take the Trager Stadium field. First-year Cardinals account for 19 of Louisville's 37 goals and frosh Minout Mink has nine of those. From Haaksberger, Netherlands...the "Little Dutch Girl" (she stands 5'4") has taken 34 shots this season...twice that of anyone else on the squad...and is one of seven international players on the roster. Sowry has seven freshmen and one graduate student on the roster and their impact has been significant for The Flock this season. 



13 different players have scored for Louisville this season. Hardly one-dimensional...the Cards present a defending nightmare to opposing coaches and opponents. 

Preventing scores also helps you win games and Sowry (a former goalkeeper) has a solid defense contingent in goalie Ayeshia McFerran. From Larne, Northern Ireland...the sophomore stopper is among the nation's best. she's had 25 saves this season. Somedays, she's not very busy back between the pipes...complemented by defenders Abby Grimes, Gianna Perrone, Carter Ayars, Taylor Stone and Lizzie Gittens. 

McFerran is also a student of Irish dancing and plays the flute. Maybe she could do a halftime show at Trager during one of the Cards next blowouts. I wonder if she knows any Jethro Tull?

"Clear my schedule for the next four
weekends! Got some field hockey." 

The road ahead for Field Hockey may not have many blowouts coming up. Next up is a road trip to #1 Syracuse. A five game homestretch after that includes Boston College, Northwestern, North Carolina and the Cards still have to make trips to Virginia and Michigan. Nine games remain before the ACC Championships. Seven of them are against top 25 opponents. Five are at Trager.

We think you should get out there...admission is free and there is a concession stand. There are three Sunday, one Saturday and one Friday night games during the homestretch.

WOMEN'S SOCCER GETTING THEIR KICKS

At 7-2-2 on the season...the University of Louisville women's soccer squad is one win away from equaling last season's win record. With seven ACC games
remaining before the ACC Championships, we like the Kickin' Cards chances of surpassing last year's mark. Four of them are at Lynn Stadium...the finest college soccer facility in the nation. 

This is Karen Ferguson Dayes best start since 2012 and the Cards are 2-0-1 in the ACC...with wins over Pittsburgh and Boston College. Last year the Cards were 4-5-1 in conference play...with the incredible upset over then #1 North Carolina and tie against #3 Duke. 

Some things don't change...Duke and Louisville tied again this year...in the series history they've played four games..all going to double overtime and scoreless. 

How are the girls getting it done? It's almost a duplicate of Field Hockey's successes...a combination of first-year talent combined with returning players and a strong defense that had allowed just nine goals in the 11 matches. Goalie Taylor Bucklin has made some incredible stops this year. Inger Katrine Bjerke and Niamh Nelson headline a defensive back core that make sure much doesn't get to Bucklin. 

There is also an aggressiveness...especially on attack...that wasn't present last season. Consider that Louisville has scored 23 goals in their 11 matches. Last year they had 16 goals in 18 games. Like Field Hockey, they come at you with multiple threats. Freshman Brooklynn Rivers leads the way with four goals. Sophomore Gabrielle Vincent has three. Six Cards have more that two goals and 13 Cards have scored this season. 

Refusing to lose. Sunday against #17 Boston College, Louisville was trailing 2-0 with 25 minutes left to play. The "Win In Lynn" mindset had not left the squad...though and Kaela Dickerman's score to start the second overtime gave the Cards a improbable but thrilling 3-2 win. 

" I hadn't given up. We hadn't given up. We thought we could win. We got it done." Dickerman related after the victory. 

It is the ACC, so the rest of the way won't be easy. Six of the Cards final seven opponents are in the top 25 RPI rankings and Coaches poll. Louisville is unranked and sits at #40 in the RPI.  Florida State and Virginia are in the top three...with new polls coming out later today. Louisville tied #7 Duke, They beat #17 Boston College. We thinks they deserve, at the very least, an "also receiving votes" recognition. 



Challenges. No matter the sports or season...they are continually present in the ACC and in the Fall Sports squads scheduling. At his point of the year, both Sowry and Ferguson-Dayes squads have met them with a great deal of success. The next month will be even greater in challenges. 

We're confident the Cards will meet them and beat them. 

paulie
xxxxx