Women's Soccer defeats the Friars...Jenny checks in on LWC game...Field Hockey falls to Northwestern

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Women's soccer advances to BIG EAST semifinals

-Jenny's take on the Lindsey Wilson game

-Field Hockey loses to Northwestern

Louisville's women's soccer team took a 2-0 win yesterday in Cardinal Park over Providence to advance to the semi-finals of the BIG EAST tournament. Goals from Jennifer Jones and Christine Exeter propelled the Cards past the Friars. They travel to Morgantown on Friday for the semis...where they'll meet Notre Dame. The match will be shown on CBS College Sports at 3 p.m.

Kiefer records another shutout!

Women's soccer and football both in Morgantown this weekend...look out Mountaineers, it's a Cardinal invasion!

Jones got the scoring started for Louisville when she booted one in at the 12 minute mark of the game. That lead held throughout the first half and well into the second half. Exeter found the net in the 79th. minute of play after stealing a pass by the Friars and going in for an unassisted goal.

Chloe Kiefer was steady in the net for the Cards but had little action...getting just one save. The Cards had 16 shots, compared to just two for Providence. The 7-1 advantage for Louisville in shots on goal is a testament to the hard-working defensive line.

"Although we weren't the prettiest today and didn't play a lot of good soccer, this team is so special that we absolutely willed ourselves into the BIG EAST final four. WE are a very special group and we're excited to be in the great company of Notre Dame, Georgetown and West Virginia in the BIG EAST semifinals. Our mission hasn't been accomplished yet because we want to win a Big East tournament championship. We will refocus and prepare for the job ahead."  Karen Ferguson-Dayes, Louisville head women's soccer coach.

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(Staff writer Jenny O' Bryan gives us her take on the 118-41 Lady Cards basketball win over Lindsey Wilson Sunday)

The first game of the 2011-12 season is officially in the books. One had to expect a lopsided win, and of course, our Cards did not disappoint. 



Cardinal fans enjoying the
tipoff luncheon

 Starters were Monique Reid, Cierra Warren, Shelby Harper, Becky Burke and Tia Gibbs. With about five minutes gone in the contest, Coach Walz mass substituted and Shoni Schimmel, Asia Taylor, Bria Smith, Sara Hammond and Sherrone Vails took the court. Lots of subbing throughout the game. Everyone that dressed played and all but Nita Slaughter scored.

Cierra Warren. Very impressive with 18 points. She looked strong around the basket and had a lot of easy scores. She followed her misses, rebounded and went back up. Not sure how this will translate to D1 opponents, but she looked good. Shawnta Dyer behind her with 16. Six players in double figures and none of them were Shoni or Mo.

Sara Hammond had a lot of nice moves under the basket and took a couple of 10-15 foot shots. Sara didn't always finish. Her shot looked better and more consistent in the second half. A little time under her belt and she is going to be a force to be reckoned with.

It was very nice to see our size and inside game. This has been the biggest concern for me. A very good showing Sunday. Again, not sure how this will match up against more evenly matched teams, especially in BIG EAST play, but it was a good start out of the gate. 

Bria Smith has a great dribble drive. Not afraid to venture into the paint and draw contact. She looked good. Her defense was incredibly strong and she was causing havoc with the opponents. Officially, she had one steal in the books, but she was involved in several defensive efforts that led to turnovers. 

Jude Schimmel hit a couple of threes and ended up with 10 points. Only one turnover. I'll call it a good day for Jude.

Even goblins get excited about Lady Cards hoops!

Shelby Harper was relentless on defense. Fast and tenacious. Also knocked down a couple of threes. Two steals. Despite the numbers, I can tell you that Shelby and Bria were way busier defensively than the books show.

Our girls had a few blocked shots. Not as many as I would have expected. Shawnta with two, Sherrone got one and Bria had one

To recap...it's going to be exciting to watch this team this year. They show great potential. You can catch them again at the KFC YUM! Center on Nov. 20 against Xavier. This is a PACK THE HOUSE event and a Sunday 2 p.m. game. Also a "red out" game. The Cards will be on the road for the next two...travelling to Missouri State and Texas A&M.

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Field Hockey fell 1-0 to #20 Northwestern yesterday in Evanston, Illinois. Not a lot to report on this one...The Cards go to 10-8 on the season and will head to Syracuse for the BIG EAST Championships Nov 4-6.

Louisville outshot the Wildcats 8-7 but couldn't find the back of the net. Erin Conrad had five saves in the game. This was the first shutout of Justine Sowry's team this season. Regan Mooney had the only score...25 minutes into the first half.

In the BIG EAST Tournament, Louisville gets a #4 seed and will face top seeded and #4 nationally ranked Connecticut in the opener. Syracuse and Villanova meet in the other semi-final game. Louisville plays at 12:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov 4th.

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