Field Hockey falls 2-1 in O.T., Soccer battles to a 2-2 tie...Volleyball sweeps St. John

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CARDINAL COUPLE SATURDAY

-Conrad's 11 saves not enough against Syracuse

-Kiefer's nine saves help Soccer tie

-Lola's double/double keys Volleyball win.

-Softball today, tomorrow at Ulmer

-Will the BIG 12 come calling?

Louisville jumped out to a 1-0 lead against the Orange but falls in overtime to Syracuse Friday at Trager Stadium. The Cards got on the board when a missed Caitlin Collins shot was corralled by Kelsey Rosenmeier...who then fed Erin Schneidtmiller a feed and subsequent score. The Cards held that lead through the first half...Conrad picking up six of her career high eleven saves,

Syracuse wasted no time tying the contest after the break, though. Heather Susek slammed home a pass to knot the score and it remained 1-1 throughout the rest of regulation.

Louisville had opportunities to score in the extra period but couldn't convert on a corner or two direct shots on goal. It looked like the overtime might remain scoreless...but the Cuse put the winner in the net with under a minute to goal in O.T. when Leonie Geyer slipped past the Cardinal defense and connected from the circle for the winning goal.

Tough loss for the Cards (6-3) who will return to action Sunday. Just who they're playing is a bit of a mystery. The UofL schedule lists New Hampshire but a release from the sports information department says Northwestern. Those two face off today at Trager. Whatever, GO CARDS and beat the "N" squad....

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Women's Soccer travelled to Connecticut and earned a 2-2 tie yesterday against the Huskies. This one was a defensive battle in the first half...neither team producing a goal. The second half started the same way and it wasn't until 23 minutes into the final stanza before UConn converted on a corner kick to take a 1-0 advantage.

The Cards roared back, though, and knotted the contest when senior Jennifer Jones took a feed from Angelika Uremovich and found the back of the net for her first score of the year.

Assumption's Jennifer
Jones scored for the Cards

The Huskies regained the lead two minutes later. Louisville gained the tie with under three minutes left when Cardinal star Christine Exeter drove down the field and booted in a shot for an unassisted goal.

Louisville (3-4-3) was buoyed by the outstanding net work of senior Chloe Kiefer...who had nine saves for the Cards in the tie. UConn held the advantage in shots (22-19) and shots on goal (11-10).

The Cards travel to Providence next...for a 1 p.m. match against the Friars tomorrow. Next week, they return to Cardinal Park for two BIG EAST contests...a Friday match up against Marquette and also host USF on Sunday.


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The Volleyball Cards debut in the KFC YUM! Center was a successful one...sweeping St. John's in three games. CARDINAL COUPLE reporter Donnie Yaste was at the match and will have a report for us later today. Be sure to check back for it.

We can tell you that almost 3,000 attended the match last night at the downtown arena and the Cards will play there
again on Sunday....hosting the UConn Huskies.

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Coach "P" is locked and loaded
for another season.

Softball steps to the plate for an exhibition double-header vs. Murray State this afternoon. The Cards received some very strong pitching last weekend in the double-header win over Bellarmine...and should be a major force in BIG EAST softball this spring if Caralisa Connell and Tori Collins can stay healthy and produce like they did against the Knights. Two games, three hits allowed and 27 total strikeouts.

Louisville will also face Morehead State in a double-header Sunday. Sandy Pearsall is probably watching the conference re-alignment drama with as much interest as anyone. A UofL move to the BIG 12 would bump up the competition level to a higher skill level. Baylor, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Missouri all participated in the 2011 College Women's World Series.

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Where do you think the Cards will end up? Or do they go anywhere at all. WE'VE got a poll over on the left hand side of the site and invite you to participate in it. According to prominent Louisville sportswriter Howie Lindsey, the momentum for joining the BIG 12 is picking up steam and the BIG 12 has identified Louisville as their top eastern option if the league expands.  

The Cards are a more attractive option than WVU or Rutgers or UConn, in our opinion, if the BIG 12 comes calling...but it would effectively end some great rivalries that UofL has built up over the years. Cincinnati, Notre Dame and UConn have played some classic games over the years against Louisville in both basketballs, softball, field hockey and volleyball.

And, what do you do with field hockey and lacrosse...two sports that the BIG 12 does not offer conference play for?

The future is interesting. The BIG EAST appears to be on life support. Do the Cards bail? Stay tuned, 2014 seems like a long way off...but decisions affecting the future could be coming very soon.
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