Monday Cardinal Couple -- Will Irish Eyes be Crying?

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MONDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

GAME REPORT

It was a smackdown in South Bend...Notre Dame taking a 10-point halftime lead and expanding it to a 93-64 whipping of the Lady Cards Monday night.

As Coach Walz mentioned in the post-game, if you don't rebound, defend or play with toughness...you're not going to win. All three were missing tonight.

We'll have the post-mortem in the Tuesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE.



- Cards, Irish battle tonight in WBB

(Quentin Voigt brings us his views on the UND v. UofL matchup tonight at 9 p.m. on ESPN2. Paulie follows with comments. Should be a good one!)

The owner of the impish smile, patrolling the sidelines of a game has the ideal name befitting the coach of the Fighting Irish. Although I've never had the chance to interview the legend, Muffet McGraw has never left the top spot on coaches I'd like to do an interview with. The 2001 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Trophy, runner-up last year, second in all-time wins and a perfect 100% graduation rate in 26 years at South Bend. I could go on and on.

To say she's tough under the lacquered finish requires hyperbole. Her knowledge of the game and will to win have been put hand-in-hand with the yearly battles with Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma. History-making battles.

We're lucky to have her on the sidelines. Coming out of a recruiting trip on September 11, 2001...she was slated to be on one of the airplanes that left Boston and ultimately ended up being hijacked into one of the World Trade Center towers.

She missed that flight. Fate? Divine providence? Sometimes, there are things that happen for a reason.

Her main tour-de-force is Skylar Diggins. All-Everything, Diggins averages 15.8 ppg and is the best guard in the BIG EAST, if not the nation. Natalie Achonwa grabs 9.1 rpg a contest for an Irish squad that rebounds very well. Notre Dame averages 19.6 assists a contest, 79.9 points, has 259 steals and 108 blocked shots. Jewel Loyd is a three-point threat.

I'm looking forward to watching and enjoying this one regardless of the outcome.

-Quentin Voigt

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An epic battle tonight in many aspects. There are questions, yes...so many questions. At least from the fans that are anticipating this matchup. Can the three-headed defensive trio of Bria, Jude and Shelby slow down the "Digs"? Who will counteract Achonwa on the glass? Can the Cards go on the road, in a hostile environment and get a signature win? What color shirt will Jeff Walz wear?

To answer these, one by one...Probably not, nobody, doubtful and white with long sleeves.

So, how do you beat a team that has won 17 straight this season, is 22-1 and is fourth in the nation in scoring margin, third in scoring offense, second in the Associated Press Poll and has lost only once in seven games in the Jeff Walz era at UofL?

You take the air out of the basketball.

You borrow the Villanova vs. Notre Dame game film from Harry Perretta and study it like you're cramming for a mid-term sociology exam. Better yet, you buy the extended DVD version on Blue-Ray which shows how South Florida took them to overtime in a three-point loss and how Connecticut came in and downed them by one at the Joyce Center.

You hope Shoni doesn't have a 3 for 19 night, that Sara can stay out of early foul trouble and Nita shows the consistency she's displayed all season.

The Irish will come at you with unrelenting, hurricane force winds. Diggins, Loyd, McBride, Achonwa, Wright. 
 
Any of these Irish would start anywhere in the nation and all five of them are capable of dropping 20 on you as easy as a chimp peels a banana.

You must weather the storm, create a disturbance of your own and hit free throws and layups (if you get any.)

You walk in with confidence. You are on a business trip. You don't get caught up in the 9,000 or so that will be cheering against you. You remained focused and composed. And...you pray.

The Irish came into the KFC YUM! Center last year and broke open a close first half with a 68-52 win. Gone are Peters, Novosel and Mallory, who accounted for 30 of those points...but the Cards shot a paltry 31% in that contest and went 2-16 from beyond the arc.

Louisville's last win over UND came during the magical 2008-09 season when they knocked off the Irish 71-66 in South Bend.

The whole women's basketball world will be watching tonight, courtesy of the four letter network's deuce channel providing the broadcast. Beth Mowins, who we like here at C.C., has the call. If Bonita Spence shows up as a ref on the court...I'm heading to Mulligans to drown my sorrows. If it's Dee Kanter, I'll send her an extra whistle via rush courier...

Are you ready, Lady Cards?

-Paulie


( We'll have a summation of the results after the contest here at CARDINAL COUPLE tonight and Sandy Walker takes a holiday from the laundry and will have a full-game report in the Tuesday edition of CARDINAL COUPLE. Go Cards! )

Irish finish strong to defeat Lady Cards 68-52

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GAME REPORT

-Louisville hangs tough, Notre Dame takes 16 point win.

AJ and Matt get ready to call the game on WKRD

Notre Dame expanded upon a three point halftime lead to defeat Louisville 68-52 in the KFC YUM! Center Monday afternoon in front of 13054 fans. Junior Skylar Diggins had 21 points for the #4 ranked Irish...including 11-12 shooting from the free throw line.

For Louisville, Antonita Slaughter contributed six points each half to lead the Cards with 12 points. Rough afternoon of shooting for Louisville against the Irish defense -- going 18-57 for 31.6% from the floor and 2-16 from trifecta range. The Irish did a number of Shoni, in particular -- 3-16 from the floor and 1-8 from the distance.

STARTERS: Vails, Burke, Smith, Shoni and Taylor

Dyer goes to the boards strong! (Photo from
Charlie Springer - Card Game)

The Irish jumped out to a early lead against the LADY CARDS and were up 5-0 before Asia Taylor connected in the paint with a jumper at the 17:24 mark. After a Brittany Mallory turnover, Becky Burke tied it with a three to even it at 5-5. The Irish responded with a 7-0 run, though and the Cards didn't get on the board again until Bria Smith knocked down a jumper with 14:27 on the clock to draw UofL within seven. Taylor got Louisville to a 12-9 deficit with a layup and got the Cards the ball back after drawing a charge on Kayla McBride....but the Cards couldn't capitalize until Nita Slaughter tossed in a short jumper to make it 15-11.

Cardinal Couple readers and contributors
Shirley and Ellis Blanton ready for the game!

It was the start of a mini-run for Walz's crew -- culminating in a 15-15 tie after another Slaughter score and two Shawnta Dyer free throws with 10:03 remaining in the first half. It was 17-17 when Shoni got two free throws to fall at the 7:48 mark...her first two and only points of the first half.

Notre Dame fired back with back-to-back buckets from McBride and Skylar Diggins to go up 21-17 but Slaughter cashed in a couple for free throws to cut it back to two with 6:07 left. Devereaux Peters capitalized on a Slaughter turnover to score but Sara Hammond's basket in the paint off a slick assist from Shelby Harper drew Louisville closer at 23-21. Two Burke free throws with 2:55 on the clock kept Louisville within two and after a clutch three from sub Kaila Turner made it 28-23 Notre Dame, Bria Smith ended the first half scoring with a jumper from the paint at the 46 second mark to make it 28-25 Notre Dame.

Bill and Barb Hancock with grandson
prior to tip-off

Louisville was hanging close despite 0-7 shooting from Shoni and only 1-6 three point totals for the team. The Lady Cards were winning the rebounding battle 20-16 and had forced 12 Notre Dame turnovers.

Slaughter's six points led UofL scoring. Burke contributed five, Asia and Bria with four each and Shoni, Dyer and Hammond with two each to round out the first half Louisville scoring. Vails and Harper played but did not score. The Cards were shooting a pitiful 28.6%, due to Irish pressure and some wide open, missed attempts. Louisville did go 8-8 from the foul stripe in the first twenty.



CARDINAL COUPLE'S Jenny O'Bryan and friend
have their L's up!

 Notre Dame had nine points from Diggins -- five of those from the charity stripe and McBride had two 3-pointers to give her six points. Louisville had held Irish star and Lexington, KY native to zero points on 0-4 shooting and just one rebound in 18 minutes.

The Cards needed to pick up the offensive production in the final twenty and continue to score on second chance attempts...they led Notre Dame 6-0 in that category in the first twenty.

Novosel got her first bucket of the game to begin the second half but Asia countered with a layup in the paint at the 19:12 mark. Defense ruled until Novosel score again to make it 32-27 and 17:36 on the clock. A Shoni jumper cut the Notre Dame lead back to three a minute later free throws from Peters and a McBride layup off a Novosel assist set it at 36-29 Irish and 16 minutes to go.

Mo Reid signs autographs for
the fans

Hammond found Dyer for a score to return it to a five point ND lead...but two more free throws for Diggins off a Dyer foul and McBride's jumper gave the Irish a 40-31 lead and 14:20 left.

It was beginning to get away from the Cards and Louisville had been outscored 12-6 to begin the half.

Hammond tried to rally Louisville with a jumper that cut the Notre Dame lead to seven but the Irish countered with four straight points from Peters to go up 44-33 and 12:01 on the clock. Taylor capitalized on a basket and free throw to trim it to eight...but the Lady Cards would score only three points over the next four and one half minutes -- trailing 51-39 until Shoni sank her only three of the game with 7:17 remaining to draw Louisville within eight.

Skylar and Shoni head down court
(Photo from Charlie Springer - Card Game)

Slaughter's layup a minute later still had UofL down by nine and two Slaughter free throws made it 55-46 Notre Dame as the clocked worked its way to the five minute mark. McBride drove a serious nail in the coffin -- hitting a three to give UND a 58-46 lead. Smith's jumper cut it to ten...but Louisville would get no closer the rest of the way. The Irish outscored the Lady Cards 10-4 over the final 3:33  -- the Cards getting two free throws from Slaughter and a Shoni layup with a minute left to play.

Final 68-52 Notre Dame...in a game that was much closer than that for the first 37 minutes. 

Tia Gibbs greets the fans

The Cards were led by Slaughter's 12 points...going 3-6 from the field and 6-6 from the foul line. Asia and Shoni had nine, Dyer seven, Smith six, Burke five and Hammond four to complete the Louisville scoring. No points for Vails or Harper in limited duty. Jude Schimmel did not play.

Notre Dame placed four in double figures. Diggins 21 led the Irish, followed by McBride's 15 (7-9 from the floor), Mallory's 13 and Peters with 10.

The Lady Cards won the rebounding battle 35-28.

Notre Dame outshot Louisville 48.9% (23-47) to 31.6% (18-57).
The Cards were 14-15 from the free throw line and Notre Dame 17-18. Notre Dame had 18 turnovers and the Cards 19 (Smith 7). 

All in all, a hard-fought effort against a strong, veteran and talented Irish squad that features four seniors, two juniors and a freshman in their top seven rotation. A freshman that UofL didn't account for today in McBride.

Shooting killed the Lady Cards today. Part of it was the tough UND defense and part of it was just shots that wouldn't fall...especially for Shoni . The Irish got all 10 of their last points from Diggins, Novosel and Mallory...experienced and veteran guards. Louisville got only three shots up in the final 3:33...effectively killing any chance of a comeback...and had three turnovers in the same period of time.

Louisville (19-8, 8-6) returns to action on Saturday with a noon contest against DePaul. The Irish host USF next before ending the regular season at UConn.
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Extent of Rucker's injury?...Dream get Sun in Eastern Conf. playoffs...McGraw a survivor.

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TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE:

-Gwen Rucker's injury status?

-Angel, Atlanta to face Connecticut in playoffs

-Muffet McGraw: 10 years ago.

It was on a Tuesday, 10 years ago that the terrorist attacks hit the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Notre Dame head women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw and her Irish were the reigning champions in women's college basketball...defeating Purdue 68-66 several months earlier. 

McGraw had more pressing matters on her mind that morning. She is in Providence, R.I. but needs to be in California on a recruiting trip. There is a flight that leaves out of Boston that is non-stop to L.A. and she books a seat on it. The fateful Flight 175, which crashed into the World Trade Center.

Along comes assistant Notre Dame coach Kevin McGuff, though...also in Providence...and strongly urges her to fly out of Providence with him instead of making the drive to Boston that morning. He is persistent. Muffet likes her idea though, and is unwilling to budge. McGuff won't back off. She changes her mind and cancels her Boston seat. She says, later:

"If it had been any other coach but Kevin, I would have gotten on that Boston plane."

They arrive at the Providence airport and see the news on TV. They also run into Notre Dame men's head basketball coach Mike Brey. The three of them rent a car and drive back to South Bend. She rides back to Indiana stunned and shaken.  

Fate works in strange ways. Time marches on. McGraw made it back to the title game in 2011. McGuff eventually left Notre Dame to build a highly successful Xavier program and - at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season - to guide Washington in the PAC-12. Brey was 2010-11 Coach of the Year in the BIG EAST.

Muffet McGraw's Irish are a popular pick for the #1 preseason ranking in women's college basketball for 2011-12. They are deep, talented and return playmakers Skylar Diggins, Natalie Novosel, Devereaux Peters and Brittany Mallory.

They also return Muffet McGraw...in a foreshadowing twist of fate that almost didn't happen.

 As a sideline, Courtney LaVere ends up on the 2002-03 Irish roster and the 6'3" front line player from Ventura, CA. ends up as a 3rd team Freshmen All-American selection.  

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The Louisville Volleyball team recently won the Ohio Bobcat Classic in Athens, Ohio without a very important member of their squad. Gwen Rucker did not participate in the three matches on the Ohio University campus because of injury. The extent and nature of her injury is unknown as we went to press this morning, but a UofL spokesman informed us that head volleyball coach Anne Kordes would wait for a full report before deciding whether Rucker would participate in this weekend's BIG EAST vs. BIG 10 contests in Champaign, Illinois vs. Purdue and the fighting Illini.  

WE hope it isn't too serious and that Rucker is back leaping and blocking with her teammates very soon. With an already thin roster, Rucker's prolonged absence isn't what the VolleyCards need at this point of the season.

Get well, soon, Gwen.

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The Atlanta Dream go into the first round of the WNBA playoffs against the Connecticut Sun....locking up the Eastern Division 3rd. seed with a 93-88 win over Indiana on Sunday. Angel McCoughtry tossed in 32 points for Atlanta (20-14) in the win. Atlanta broke open a 71-71 tie in the final quarter with a 13-4 run. The win gave Atlanta a 4-0 sweep over the Fever in regular season play.

Indiana, who finished atop the Eastern Division standings will face the New York Liberty in the first round. Here's the schedule:

Atlanta                                                                   Indiana

09/16 @ Connecticut 7 p.m.                            09/15 NY 8 p.m.
09/18     Connecticut 3 p.m.                            09/17 @ NY 4 p.m.
09/20 @ Connecticut noon                              09/19 NY 8 p.m.

In the Western Conference, #1 Minnesota will tangle with San Antonio and Phoenix and Seattle will face off.

Atlanta's Angel McCoughtry and Phoenix's Diana Taurasi finished atop the league's scoring leaders....each averaging 21.6 p.p.g.

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McGraw talks about Hall of fame...We discuss UofL rumors...

THE TUESDAY EDITION OF CARDINAL COUPLE:

-We look at Mufett McGraw

-What's the buzz? UofL WBB rumors...

-David Watson checks in

Muffet McGraw was recently inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. The BIG EAST now has four coaches that hold that distinction. Anne Donovan ( 1999), C.Vivian Stringer (2001) and Geno Auriemma (2006).

Muffet ha been at Notre Dame for 24 years...a head coach for 29 years and ha a lifetime winning percentage of (.719) 644-252. She's won one NCAA Championship title (2001) and made it to the finals last year. The Fighting Irish have been to the Sweet Sixteen nine times in the past 15 years.

McGraw was humble about her induction:

Muffet in her famous squat on the sidelines.

"Basketball and coaching are my passions and there have been so many wonderful memories that I've collected in my time at Notre Dame and in my earlier years at Lehigh and St. Joseph's. All of those have been due to the hard work of so many incredible student-athletes and assistant coaches through the years. I'm especially grateful to those players and coaches - without them and the tremendous support of our Notre Dame administration, this wouldn't have been possible."

McGraw is one of the more likable coaches in BIG EAST Women's Basketball and is one of only seven head coaches currently active that have reached the Hall of Fame on the basis of her success on the sidelines. Beside the aforementioned Stringer and Auriemma, the others are Pat Summitt (1999-Tennessee), Tara VanDerveer (2002-Standford), Sylvia Hatchell (2004-North Carolina), and Andy Landers (2007-Georgia).

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WE hear all kinds of rumors about the University of Louisville women's basketball team and although we have to laugh at the idiot nature of some of them...we like that fact that UofL women's basketball has become that popular where people are talking about it all year now.

What we've heard...Mercedes Russell (6'5" high school player from Oregon) visited the UofL campus Monday and Tuesday, after visiting Tennessee Sunday.

What we know. Nothing. No official announcement nor sighting of her. She played in the finals of the FIBA Americas U 16 Tournament in Merida, Mexico Saturday night...so it is unlikely she made the trips...after a week in Mexico, most people are ready to go home...

What we've heard...Becca Greenwell, who was the co-MVP of that tournament in Mexico is interested in (take your pick) Louisville, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Tennessee...

Becca Greenwell will be a junior at
Owensboro Catholic.

What we know. She hasn't committed to any of them yet. She has attended basketball camps in Knoxville for several years, her coach in high school is a former Louisville St.Xavier graduate and big UofL fan, her Dad is a UK fan and she goes to Owensboro Catholic high school...which might seem to give Notre Dame a shot at her. She's getting ready to go into her junior year of high school. Doubtful she'll verbal anywhere soon, in our opinion.

What we've heard...There could be several UofL women's basketball players red-shirting this season. Most popular names that keep popping up are Esther Monny Niamke and Jude Schimmel. 

What we know. Nothing. No word out of UofL announcing any red-shirt seasons. We do know that Cierra Warren underwent successful knee surgery and should be full strength for fall ball. That Shawnta Dyer is fully recovered from her fractured heel. We'll believe the red shirt scenario when we get it straight from Walz or the sports information director. Right now it's 15 players and 15 scholarships....but there are persistant rumors about Niamke going the NAIA route a year because of academics and this is being confirmed by a source we respect highly. We'll let you know on this one.

Speculation and prognostication can be fun and intriguing at times...but rule #1 is always a good one to follow. That rule is...it ain't official until Walz sez so...

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David Watson is a special contributing writer to CARDINAL COUPLE. He weighs in today with some thoughts on the BIG EAST. 

So, just how strong a conference is the BIG EAST? TCU is joining, you know- and Fort Worth, hey, it's one of my favorite east coast cities to visit. I hear that the folks at Houston, East Carolina, Memphis, Central Florida and Lazy Dave's Haircut and Tanning Salon wouldn't mind joining as well. Maybe time for a name change-how does the BIG ALL OVER THE PLACE sound? But, I digress.

How strong is the BIG EAST? Let's look at (6) sports. Rugby, lacrosse, bowling, darts, skipping stones and gator wrestling. Seriously, we'll go with football, basketball and baseball on the men's ledger and basketball, softball and volleyball with the ladies. 

1) Men's basketball. The best conference in the NCAA. You'll  get arguments from the ACC, Big 12 and BIG 10 folks, but, look at the number of teams that get into the Big Dance each year and the talent level at the schools. No matter what Calipari or Tim Fuller say. 

2) Football. Maybe 6th best. Adding TCU will help. Getting a full time commitment from Notre Dame wouldn't hurt. But, football belongs to the SEC, Big 12, PAC 10, ACC, Big 10 and then the BIG EAST. Name the last BIG EAST school that played for the national championship. Go ahead and Google it. 

Best in the nation. Men and women.

3) Baseball. Getting better but still doesn't crack the top five or six. Tough weather up north and tradition hurt here. The mid west, south and west coast schools will always rule here.

4) Women's basketball. Again, the best in the NCAA. Argue all you want, ACC and Big 12, but the legendary programs of Connecticut, Rutgers, Notre Dame and DePaul stack up well against any other conference out there. And, there are some pretty good things happening at Louisville, Syracuse and St. John's as of late, in case you haven't noticed.

5) Volleyball. Top five but not on the par of the Big 10, ACC, Big 12 or PAC 10 yet.
Cincinnati, Notre Dame and Louisville are all recognized as top 20 programs but they ain't no Penn State, Southern Cal or Florida yet. 

6) Softball. The old rough spring weather and lack of tradition factor come into play again and the SEC, PAC 10 and Big 12 rule here.  DePaul, Notre Dame, Louisville and Syracuse have strong, viable programs and South Florida rolls out good teams occasionally...but put any of these schools in the above conferences and they aren't getting above .500 in conference play.

(David Watson is a special contributing writer for CARDINAL COUPLE and recently washed his car.)
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Cards and Irish square off tonight

WEDNESDAY @ THE COUPLE:
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-Cards travel to South Bend for Irish
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Lacrosse signs eight for 2012

An early BIG EAST schedule tester for Louisville tonight in South Bend to face #14 Notre Dame in Purcell Pavilion. Reconfigured for basketball last year, Muffet McGraw (pictured right) can invite over 9,000 of her closest friends in to watch this one...the Irish have sold out the arena twice this year and could very well again tonight. Notre Dame is third in the BIG EAST in home attendance behind Louisville and Connecticut. (Photo by AP).
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The Irish were picked to finish 4th in the pre-season BIG EAST Coaches Poll and have amassed a 13-4, 2-2 record so far in the 2010-11 season. Devereaux Peters, fully recovered from knee injuries that have plagued her career at Notre Dame, has had the top hand for McGraw's team as of late and nearly averages a double-double (12.3, 9.7) on the year. She's deadly on the boards and can run the court very well. Skylar Diggins is another outstanding performer wearing the gold and green, the flashy and solid shooting point guard runs the show for the Irish and must be respected whenever she totes the rock. Impressive this year for Notre Dame
is 6'3" freshman post Natalie Achonwa...who hails from Ontario, Canada. She's a rebounding machine that also scores productively from in the paint.
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Natalie Novosel, a Lexington (KY) Catholic product, is a big time scoring forward for Muffet's muppets...a player that will post you up and take you to the rim or burn you from outside if you slack off her. Becca Bruszewski is the enforcer and pounder on the boards...close to scoring 1000 career points for the Irish and way over that total in elbows thrown and picks set. She's a brawler that doesn't back down or give way. She'll be trouble for the Cards. Erica Soloman is another that is capable of a double-double on any night. Brittany Mallory, a clever senior guard, can spark the Irish with her hustle and deadly outside shooting.
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So, it appears the Cards have numerous weapons and threats to worry about as they take the floor tonight. Given the Cardinal philosophy and creed, though...they'll concentrate more on what they can do, their game and try to dictate the pace and flow of the contest. This won't be easy for Jeff Walz's bunch. Notre Dame comes out smothering with defensive intensity and will trap, press and corner opposing guards into steals and turnovers.
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Shoni Schimmel's magician-like ball handling skills will get perhaps the toughest test of the season so far tonight...with no disrespect to Tennessee or Xavier. Connecticut struggled against the Irish defensive intensity and needed Maya Moore to take over the game late to stagger to a win in Purcell...a game that Geno's bunch trailed most of the way. Louisville has shown the ability to jump on opponents early, build a commanding lead and then maintain it the rest of the game...but such a performance tonight would be surprising for the Cards. If this bunch can overcome the road woes they've experienced this year...they'll be competitive and could take the Irish to the final buzzer.
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Game time is 7 p.m. No TV anywhere that we're aware of...which is a shame...but Jim and Paul will do the radio feed for CARDS RADIO 790 AM / 101.7 FM WKRD.
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Kellie Young has inked eight players for the 2012 University of Louisville lacrosse season and the group has a decidedly east coast flavor....four of them from Maryland, one from North Carolina and one from Pennsylvania. The class:
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-Faye Brust...midfielder/attack from Bel Air, MD. A three sport star at John Carroll H.S.
-Carissa Corbett...midfielder from Wilmington, NC. Team captain and MVP at Hoggard High
-Cat Gordon...midfielder/attack from Glen Arm, MD. Played with Brust at John Carroll.
-Kendall Gordon...defense from Worthington, OH. All league, all district.
-Taylor Hagin...midfielder/attack from Cummings, GA. Offensive MVP three years.
-Emily Kolsevich...attack from Pottstown, PA. Prolific scorer in high school.
-Danielle Lazo...midfielder from Stevensville, MD. U.S. Lacrosse U-19 member.
-Casey Pepperman...midfielder from Baltimore, MD. Speedy midfielder, huge potential.


Coach Young is building a solid program here at Louisville and threatens to contend for the BIG EAST top honors this year. We can't wait for the action to begin this spring and with a solid returning class....the CARDS should notch plenty of wins this season. Louisville went 11-6 last year and return stars Bergan Foley, Emily Dashiell, Katie Oliverio, Meghan Ryan, Danielle Pawliw and Liz Lovejoy along with 14 other players from last year and nine freshmen. 10 home games are scheduled for the Cards...beginning Feb., 20th. against Binghamton. If you haven't attended a match, be sure to get out this spring and watch the fast paced, exciting action on Louisville's state of the art field next to Papa John's Cardinal Stadium and the YUM practice facility on Floyd St.
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