Wednesday Cardinal Couple -- Softball tops 'Toppers 7-2

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

-Ruckenbrod, Keller, Kiyohara key Cardinal 7-2 win

-Lacrosse heads to the Motor City for Detroit match

- Notre Dame 61 - UConn 59 BIG EAST FINAL.

-Whatever happened to ????


Louisville Softball improved their season record to 21-3 Tuesday with a 7-2 win over Western Kentucky Tuesday at Ulmer Stadium. Stepping up with key performances for the Cards were Maggie Ruckenbrod (three hits and one of them a home run), Hannah Kiyohara (three hits and two RBI's) and Katie Keller (homer and triple).

Louisville got on the board in the bottom of the first with Keller's blast over the left field fence, her seventh of the year. Alicja Wolny singled and scored on a Kiyohara single to lead 2-0.

The Cards increased the advantage to 4-0 in the third. Ruckenbrod drew a walk and scored on a Kiyohara double. Jennifer Esteban singled with two outs to score Kiyohara.

Make it 5-0 Cards after the fourth. Keller's triple off the right field fence started the inning and Jordan Trimble hit a fly to center to score KK.

After a two-run top of the fifth for the Toppers, Louisville finished the scoring when Wolny reached on a fielder's choice and Ruckenbrod pounded her second base-clearer of the year over the left field fence. 7-2. Cards win! Cards win!

Caralisa Connell went seven innings for her 13th win of the year...striking out five and allowing just three hits.

The Cards return to action Friday in the Louisville Softball Classic. Two games Friday, one on Sunday and one on Monday.

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%


Lacrosse searches for their sixth win of the season today when they engage Detroit at 2 p.m. Louisville is coming off a 23-1 victory over Presbyterian Saturday. The Titans (1-5) lost to Niagara in overtime last Thursday.

Louisville has the leading goals-per-game performer in the BIG EAST with Nikki Boltja (4.0). The cross and net Cards are fifth in the nation in scoring, scoring margin and seventh in draw controls. 

Looks like an easy afternoon for Kellie Young and the crew against the Atlantic Sun opponent. Detroit head coach Laura Maness was selected National Lacrosse Conference Coach of the Year in 2011.

It's 2013. Cards win by as many as they want with Young getting the backups some valuable game experience in the second half...

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

MArkie MArk, a huge UConn fan, is sad that the Huskies
fell in the tournament. Cheer up, bro! U still headed to
the Dance!

A very exciting finish in the BIG EAST Championship game Tuesday night! Skylar Diggins stole an errant Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis pass, drove the length of the court and found Natalie Achonwa under the basket and for a score with a second to go...giving ND the 61-59 win over Geno's Huskies.

Beating a quality opponent three times in one season no small feat. Hats off to the Irish and let the pre-St. Patrick's Day Party commence.

Hats off, also, to CURTIS FRANKLIN, who was one of three Cardinal Couple Pick 'Em contestants to get all 14 games correct. His entry preceded CARDINAL COUPLE'S Sonja's picks by eight hours and 24 hours before also-undefeated Nick B....so he wins the $25 Chili's gift card.

Billy Ray dances to the new that Curtis has
won the CARDINAL COUPLE Pick 'Em!

Curtis, a regular reader and commenter here at the COUPLE, lives in Southern Indiana and works for a grocery store...in case you're looking for a free meal. He's a huge Cardinal sports fan in general and also roots for Floyd Central High School and the Atlanta Dream. Angel is his favorite all-time Lady Cards WBB player and his current favorite Card is Bria Smith...

Congrats, Curtis! I'll have the loaded potato soup and a burger!

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

The Horizon League has announced their All-Horizon League honors and junior RACHEL STORY, of the UIC Flames, has made the All-Newcomer team.

Asia, Shoni and LaToya Johnson were all teammates
of Rachel's at UofL.

Remember Rachel? She was a Card for two years from 2009-11 before transferring to University of Illinois-Chicago and sitting out a season.

She averaged 15.6 ppg and was sixth overall in the league. She had eleven 20 point performances...getting six of them in the Flames last nine games. Her 451 points so far this year and 168 made field goals rank 11th on UIC's single season leaderboard.

Glad to see the ex-Card doing so well. The guard who came out of Milwaukee is playing a little closer to home now and doing well.  

(Thanks to reader Kenny S. for the find on Rachel Story.)


%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

Also, the Kentucky High School Girls Sweet Sixteen Tournament starts today in Bowling Green. Good luck to all the contestants. Marion County goes in undefeated and the odds on favorite to win the events.

GET YOUR TICKETS!

Paulie

--








  

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE -- WBB faces St. John's in BIG EAST Tournament

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

( GAME UPDATE -- Louisville wins over St. John's 62-55. Sara Hammond with 22 career-high points in the win. Louisville led big early, trailed at the half but came on strong at the end for the victory.

Bria Smith and Monique Reid finishing well and Louisville awaits the winner of Notre Dame vs. USF. WE'LL have much more on this in the Monday Cardinal Couple edition. Readers, weigh in with your immpresions on the win in the comments section or by e-mail...)

- Louisville starts BIG EAST against the Red Storm

- Softball downs Miami (OH) and Austin Peay

- Lacrosse romps Presbyterian on road

-BIG EAST Tournament Second Round results


Louisville now knows who their opponent will be in the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Tournament. St. John's held off a pesky Seton Hall squad yesterday in second round action 51-45 to advance to the chance to play Louisville at noon today in Hartford's XL Center.

The Cards (23-7, 11-6) would likely face top-seeded and #2 in the nation Notre Dame on Monday if they win today.

Jeff Walz isn't worried about playing basketball but he is uncertain about what this team can do...and certain that the Cards have to play perfect basketball for three straight days if they have any chance to take the 2013 title.

One-on-one defense and creating turnovers and transition opportunities are keys to the Cards successes from now until Tuesday night.

One could speculate that the Cards, who defeated St John's 57-54 earlier in the regular season in the KFC YUM Center might have an eye-ahead on who they'll face in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, that will be played in the KFC YUM! Center next week. Tickets still are on sale for two possible chances to see Louisville play.

A win over a good St John's squad, though would likely help Louisville's seed in the big dance. Louisville scored eight straight unanswered points to beat the Red Storm at the end of the game to win when the two faced up earlier this year.

Win today. Worry about tomorrow then, Cards.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><><>

Louisville softball can hit. Oh, yeah...they got bats. UofL pounded Miami (OH) 9-1 and then took out Austin Peay 12-0 to sweep both games in the Red and Black Classic yesterday at Ulmer Stadium.

CARDS 9 - MIAMI 1

Louisville wasted no time getting on the board in their first game. Alicja Wolny's two run blast woke up the right field berm dwellers and Kayla Soles sent one onto Cardinal Blvd. behind the left field fence to give the Cards a 3-0 lead after one inning.

It was 5-0 after three innings. Maggie Ruckenbrod hit the Cards third "touch 'em all" off the scoreboard in left after Jordan Trimble doubled.

Make it 8-1 after five innings. Katie Keller doubled and after Wolny got walked...both scored when Soles singled. Soles got to the plate when Hannah Kiyohara singled.

Louisville aded a run in the sixth when Taner Fowler scored on a Brittany Sims single.

Rachel Le Coq (8-1) in the circle for Louisville allowing just four hits for the RedHawks and a run.

CARDS 12 - AP 0

Keller was the bomb in game two, going 4-4 with 5 rbi's and a homer.

The Cards struck early in this one, too. Keller crashing a homer off the scoreboard in the first and Trimble doubling and scoring on a Soles single to make it 2-0 UofL after one inning.

Keller's double scored Katelyn Mann and Jennifer Esteban in the second to make it 4-0 Cards. She drove in Mann in the third inning with a double to increase the UofL lead to 5-0.

Louisville capped the scoring in the fourth with seven runs. Eight hits...keyed by a two-run triple by Mann, doubles from Ruckenbrod, Keller and Wolny and singles from Soles and Esteban.

Caralisa Connell (11-2) and LeCoq combined in the circle
...allowing just one Govs hit in five innings.

Louisville's start time today against Illinois State has been moved up to 2 p.m. because of forecasted rain in the Derby City.

<><><><><><><><><><<><><><><><>>>>><><><>><>><><><><>

Louisville Lacrosse travelled to Georgia and blasted Presbyterian 23-1 yesterday. The stick-and-net Cards had a 5-0 lead after three minutes...freshman Erica Eipp getting three assists and two goals in the rapid-fire start.

Louisville was up 10-0 with eighteen minutes left in the first half...Nikki Boltja getting three straight scores...and led at the half 14-0...Emily Kolsevich and Jamie Redding getting on the board with scores.

The Cards continued the onslaught to begin the final half. Boltja, Cortnee Daly and Faye Brust with two scores each.

The Blue Hose didn't score until there was 1:11 remaining in the game the Cards had the backups on the field.

"It was excellent. Again, we had all of our subs in for the last 21 minutes of the contest. To have them do it, who haven't been on the field in these big games we've been playing, shows that they are paying attention in practice, they are working hard and they have put their time in. They represented us today. It's really a proud moment for me as a coach."  --Kellie Young, Louisville head lacrosse coach.

Louisville heads to Detroit next for a 2 p.m. contest on Wednesday.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

No major surprises in Day Two of the BIG EAST WBB Tournament yesterday. St John's, as mentioned above, advances to face Louisville. USF, the #8 seed, defeated Rutgers 42-39 in a defensive struggle that was painful to watch. DePaul got a big effort from Anna Martin in taking Marquette out of the dance with a 77-69 win, Villanova bombed Sugar Rodgers and Georgetown 89-58.

So, Day 3 features the top eight seeds.

The Cards and Red Storm start it off at noon. USF and Notre Dame follow at 2 p.m. DePaul tries Connecticut at 6 and Villanova and Syracuse finish the game at 8.

Multiple entries in the Cardinal Couple Pick 'Em Contest are 7-0. Standings after seven games:

7-0  Quentin V, Jenny O'Bryan, Perry S, K. Starks, PDX Phil, Mike D, Sonja Sykes, Curtis F, Allen H, Nick B, Carol W, Andrea S, Sally K, Micha L, Ben S, Andy L.

6-1  Kenny S, Paulie, Andy L, Matthew Mitchell for Governor, Jimmy S, Carlos A, Gene S, Timmy the Intern

5-2  Jeff McA, Joe T, Doug A, Matt D, Bill the Goat, Blue Lou, Connie E, The Source, Janet M.

4-3  Sandy W, Mike F, David W, Joe H, Mark M, Mark T, Aaron F.

3-4  Milton K, Green and Gold

2-5  Ellen G.

1-6  Coco

0-7  Staff Chimps


Tie-breaker is to the earliest entry we received.

Good luck, we're halfway through...



Paulie

--

Lacrosse only action on Wednesday

WEDNESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

It’s a quiet day in the ‘Ville.  After a disappointing loss at Syracuse Monday night, the basketball Cards returns home for some rest, classes and practice before heading to Hartford for the Big East Tournament. 

In the meantime, the fields were quiet on Tuesday, too.  Next up for Louisville Women’s Athletics is lacrosse.  Lacrosse hopes to return to their winning ways as they take to the field on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. at U of L Lacrosse Stadium. 

The Cardinals had a brief encounter with national rankings last week checking in at #20.  After the first loss on the season against Denver, the Cards fell out of the rankings this week, but are still receiving votes.  Denver, the lone loss for the Cards, also unranked, received votes in this week’s poll.

The Cardinals return home to face Vanderbilt.  Vanderbilt is 1-5 on the season with two top 10 losses to Duke and last years Champions, Northwestern.  Vanderbilt leads the series against the Cards, 2-1, with their most recent win over the Cards coming last season in a close match where the Cardinals fell 15-12.

 Looking to redeem that loss, no doubt, the Cardinals will need to put their 6^th ranked defense to work.  The Commodores are ranked 10^th in overall goals and have two senior standouts in attacker Carly Linthicum and goalkeeper Chelsea Pasfield.
 

The two are ranked 2^nd and 1^st, respectively, in their specialty on the field.  Cardinals will have their work cut out for them. 

If you are like me and are working during the match today, you can watch for free online at CardsTV at www.gocards.com.  The game will also be broadcast statewide on WHAS Channel 11.2, Insight 432, or Comcast 207.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


Don't forget to try your luck in the Cardinal Couple BIG EAST WBB Pick 'Em Tournament contest we are having. Entries by Friday noon. $25 Chili's gift card to the winner. You can leave them in a comments section or e-mail them directly to cardinalcouple@insightbb.com Be sure to add your name and a way to contact you if you win.


Former CARDINAL COUPLE columnist David Watson is in. His winners are below

DAY 1.  Seton Hall, Marquette, Providence,
DAY 2.  Seton Hall, USF, Marquette, Villanova
DAY 3.  Seton Hall, Notre Dame. UConn, Villanova
DAY 4.  Notre Dame, Villanova
DAY 5.  Notre Dame.



-- 

Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Softball goes 1-1 in Orlando

SATURDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


- Softball falls 2-0 to Texas, defeats Temple 8-0

- Lacrosse with a Rocky Mountain "High" in Denver

-Women's swimming/diving #1 after Day 3 of Big East Tournament

-CARDINAL COUPLE on the air.


The softball Cards got the bats rolling against Temple but ran into a strong pitching performance from Texas' Blaire Luna in Day 1 of the 2013 Citrus Classic in Orlando, FL. Friday.

TEXAS 2 - CARDS 0

Scoreless after two innings, the Longhorns strung together three singles in the third to go up 1-0 on Louisville. They added a run in the fifth on a two-out walk and Louisville fielding error.

Luna held the Cards bat at bay...keeping them hitless until seventh inning. Katie Keller smashed a two-out double and Alicja Wolny reached first on a hit-by-pitch to give the Cards a shot in the inning but Luna got her 13th strike out of the day to end the rally and the game.

Caralisa Connell took the loss (8-2) two runs, one earned and seven hits allowed.

CARDS 8 - Temple 0

Louisville struck early in the second game of the day for them with two runs in the first inning. Keller singled and scored on Alicja Wolny's double (she didn't get hit by a pitch!). Wolny made it home on a Hannah Kiyohara single.

The Cards added three more runs in the fourth. Singles by Jennifer Esteban, Keller and Katelyn Mann scored Esteban and a error got Keller to the plate. Taner Fowler's base hit sent Mann home to make it 5-0 UofL.

UofL added three runs in the fifth to end the game. Kiyohara led off with a single, Whitney Arion walked and Chrisanna Roberts got hit by a pitch to load the bases full of Cards. Kiyohara scored when Keller got hit by a pitch (stop the violence!) Mann singled home Arion and a based-loaded walk to Wolny forced home Roberts (although she probably went willingly) to make it 8-0 and end the game.

Rachel LeCoq with the win (5-1) allowing four hits.

Cards get Ga. Tech tomorrow on ESPN3 at 12:15 p.m. Tune it in after listening to CARDINAL COUPLE from 11-noon on CRESCENT HILL RADIO 

It'll be their second game of the day...they start Saturday versus Longwood University.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Lacrosse is on their first road trip of the season, the LAX crew in Denver to play the Nuggets...oops, scratch that...the Pioneers of the University of Denver. First meeting between the two schools, Denver is 2-1 on the season, Louisville 3-0 and in the top 20 at 20 in the WLA rankings.

Louisville has outscored their opponents by an average of +9.67 a game in their three wins and Nikki Boltja leads the team with 11 goals.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Louisville women's swimming and diving in first place after Day 3 of the BIG EAST Tournament...a narrow lead over Notre Dame. Cards the defending BIG EAST Tournament champs.

More info at www.gocards.com

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Finally, tomorrow morning is the first broadcast of the Cardinal Couple Radio show...11 a.m. to noon E.S.T. on Crescent Hill Radio.

You can listen on line at www.crescenthillradio.com . Click the link to listen on the left hand side of the site.

We'll cover ladies hoops, softball, lacrosse and have a live human sacrifice at 11:37...just kidding about the sacrifice!

Staff communists columnists Jenny O'Bryan and Jeff McAdams are slated to appear with Paulie and we expect it to be a great time!

Join us, won't you?

--

Sandy Is Back To Her Laundry

--

TUESDAY CARDINAL COUPLE


( Staff Columnist Sandy Walker brings us her weekly Laundry list of UofL women's sports today. Voted 'most likely to spin and rinse' by her high school classmates...Sandy is a fixture at Cardinal Womens' athletic events and likes to sit in the visiting team's section...where she hands out detergent samples, discount coupons and maps to the UofL coaches' houses. Folded up and in the hamper, we bring you Sandy.)


Thanks to a back up repair call for Sandy's washing machine she is again showing off various team issues but it seems that she is getting off to a slow start.

ALL THINGS SOFTBALL



Hannah Kiyohara

Louisville junior Hannah Kiyohara was named as BIG EAST Softball Player of the Week.  She is hitting .462 with a .588 on-base percentage and went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI to give Louisville an 8-0 win against Stony Brook. 



Also recognized was junior Rachel LeCoq who was named to the Big East honor roll. 

She had two wins and did not allow an earned run in 22.0 innings. In 3 complete games she pitched two shutouts, struck out five and only giving up one walk.

Rachel LeCoq

This years complete team roster can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-softbl/mtt/lou-w-softbl-mtt.html

PROMOTIONS

The team has released their 2013 promotional schedule which includes fan friendly giveaways, special events and season long promotions.   The first fans specials are set for March 12 v Western KY and March 20 against IU where fans can enjoy dollar hot dogs and beer.  Bring your blankets and lawn chairs for the outfield or take advantage of comfortable chair seats in the stadium.

With most home games at Ulmer Stadium have no admission the school is still offering a “2013 season ticket” which includes additional promotions, team schedule and the right to enter ticket stubs for special season long give-aways.  The list of current season promotions can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-softbl/spec-rel/021813aaa.html.

SCHEDULE

The next game is at home for the 8-2 Cards against Kent State in the Cardinal Classic this Friday at 2:30.  The complete season schedule is shown at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-softbl/sched/lou-w-softbl-sched.html.

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

BASKETBALL

Congratulations to the basketball women as they completed their return defeat of DePaul.  In case you want more on this match or the game recap, stats and notes can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/021713aad.html.

Be sure and mark your calendar for tomorrow night’s 7:00 KFC YUM! CENTER game against the University of South Florida who is displaying a deceptive season record of 17-7 and BIG EAST 6-5.  This will be the Lady Cards next-to-last regular season home game and has not been announced as televised by any national stations. Come downtown and put your bucket in the seats so your support for the team can be shown.  We were fortunate to defeat them earlier in the season while in Florida and it is a definite that they would love to return the favor.  The 21-5 Louisville Women have struggled all season with major injuries which have required new people to step up to each task as needed.  Although it is reported that Mo is healthy and can play this Wednesday  the injury report as a whole is no different and they need the fans to act as their 6^th player.
 

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

LACROSSE
 

It is not the time to let the ladies of Louisville Lacrosse down now.   They have risen to their own expectations and plan to continue to cause others to take notice.  The 2-0 Cardinals next meet Old Dominion at the UL Lacrosse Stadium this Saturday at 1:00.   Dress warm and bring the hot chocolate.  It appears that this season will be worth the effort as their upset win over number 13 Ohio State shows.

DOUBLE AWARDS FOR BOLTJA!

Nikki Boltja

Nikki Boltja was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and also WomensLax.com Player of the Week.  She totaled 4 goals, an assist, a ground ball and a caused turnover in the 12-11 upset victory over the Buckeys.  Her complete bio can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/mtt/nikki_boltja_733695.html.

LACROSSE RULE OF THE WEEK
 

“When a whistle blows, all players must stop in place. When a ball is ruled out of play, the player closest to the ball gets possession when play is resumed. Loss of possession may occur if a player deliberately runs or throws the ball out of play. “  Complete rules can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/spec-rel/081506aab.html

Kellie Young’s complete team roster can be found at http://www.gocards.com/sports/w-lacros/mtt/lou-w-lacros-mtt.html.  This is an extremely young team with four starting freshmen so come out and show them what Cardinal Support is all about.

--

 

Thriller at Lacrosse -- Cards down OSU 12-11

.

SUNDAY CARINAL COUPLE

- Lacrosse pulls huge upset over OSU 12-11

- Softball splits in second day of J'Ville Tournament

- Cards WBB faces DePaul in YUM!


It was huge. It was totally awesome.

Simply said, it was the biggest win in the history of Louisville Lacrosse.

On a bitterly cold day in the Louisville Lacrosse Stadium, Louisville overcame a 10-8 deficit with 14:16 to go in the second half and defeated #13 Ohio State University 12-11 Saturday afternoon.

It was originally 13-11. What we don't understand about Lacrosse is how a referee can take a point away because of a stick/net inspection. Kay Morissette scored a seemingly brilliant gola with 6:46 left in the game to put the Cards up 13-11. Then, as the teams line up for the face-off after the "goal", a referee inspects Morissette's stick and net and decides there is something wrong with it. Two point Cardinal advantage gone. Kay's score erased.

 Seriously?

Whatever. These refs were biased against Louisville for the majority of the game, so...it wasn't surprising. Good teams find a way to win, though and Louisville did.

Louisville held on to the 1-point advantage and goes to 2-0 on the season with the win.

The Cards overcame a 5-4 halftime deficit to take a 6-5 lead shortly after the second stanza started.

No...wait...the refs take another goal away from Louisville. Back to 5-5. Maybe Nikki Boltja was chewing gum in class. Maybe they didn't say "Mother, may I.." after scoring.

Whatever. I don't understand Lacrosse rules yet. Maybe I will someday. The refs seem to make stuff up as they go.

Anyway, fast forward to the second half. Cards down 10-8 after OSU's best player (Jackie Cifarelli) gets her first score of the game. That's how well the Louisville defense was playing. 14:16 to go. Colleen O'Malley gets Louisville within one. Nikki Boltja ties it 90 seconds later. After OSU goes back ahead 11-10...the clock stops for some reason, the refs catch that...but it them becomes B.S.T.

Boltja Standard Time.

Nikki scores to tie it with 9:17 (maybe) left. Nikki puts Louisville ahead 12-11 with 7:31 left.

Nikki, I think I love you...

See Cardinal fans go nuts. See Louisville shut out OSU the rest of the way. See the team and fans go nuts as the final seconds tick off and celebrate. See the squad rush over to thank the students, parents and fans in the bleachers.

This was beautiful. 

I talked with Julie Hermann minutes after the upset.
Beaming, incredulous and thrilled after the win, she told me about the dedication. Three seniors coming into her office early in the spring and telling her that Lacrosse was going to thrive. Pleading with her to not give up on the program. Asking her not to give up on them. They were changing the attitude, the meaning of Louisville Lacrosse.

I've never seen Julie Hermann cry. She looked pretty close to it today. A look of happiness. Full of pride. Happy Julie.

One proud mama.

Walking the field after the win. Pride. Joy. Reflection.

Kelly Young looked pretty close to tears,too. A signature win. A team she so strongly believes in. Her pride in Boltja, O'Malley, Oliverio, the freshmen. Everyone. 

Her girls, her brood. A renewed dedication to team, to the Louisville Lacrosse brand. A satisified and happy coach.

I've seen coaches thrilled over wins. Young's look of rapture and excitement will stay with me a long time. I recorded her comments on the sidelines. They don't do justice to the gleam I saw in her eyes. I won't forget that for a very long time. Sometimes, words just don't express what vision can. Picture worth a thousand words stuff.

I saw a masterpiece today.

Job well done, ladies. Louisville Lacrosse has arrived. Get on board, Cardinal fans. The CSX tracks run right behind the Lacrosse Stadium. It's doubtful either of the trains that rolled by Saturday afternoon during the game could have matched the power and steam of the Cardinals.

Boltja had four goals for the Cards, O'Malley four, Cortnee Daley two and Faye Brust and Monica Negron one each.


-Paulie

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Softball splits in the the second day of the Jacksonville Classic. A tough 1-0 loss to OSU in eight innings...the Cardinal bats falling silent after 16 runs the day before.

Transfer Rachel LeCoq pitching her Cajun heart out...giving up a run in the top of eight...tiebreaker rules in effect. The Cards fall short...runners on the corners and one out. Can't score. Bats...funny how they come and go.

Bats woke up in the second game against Jacksonville. A 9-0 fun-fest. Three hitter for Caralisa Connell, the same amount of hits LeCoq gave up.

Louisville finishes the Jacksonville stay tomorrow...facing Stony Brook for the second time... at 7:30 p.m.


<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


Quentin Voigt's preview of Lady Cards WBB against DePaul tomorrow at 1:30 in the YUM! below:

RING, RING, RING, Riiiiiiiiinnnnnggggg !!!

Time to attack! No quarter surrendered, no quarter asked!

Doug Bruno, head coach of DePaul has probably been worried about this game since he was miraculously able to vanquish UofL in Chi-Town on January 5th. The loss he should have accepted then - would have not built the fervor apparently building within CardNation for the beat-down of epic (EPIC, I repeat) proportions, destined to be visited on the Blue Demons. Sunday. 1:30 p.m. The place: One Arena Plaza (the KFC YUM! Center) , Louisville, KY.

Herr Bruno's squad features 5'8" Brittany Hrynko, a sophomore who's getting 15.6 ppg, dished out 129 assists this season and grabs 4.8 rebounds a game. She went for 21 points, 7 assists and 4 steals last time against the Cards. Will Anna Martin be a factor? We'll see if the knee will let her play. She had 22 against Louisville in the previous meeting.

Jasmine Perry is a talented forward for Dougie. He says:

"Jasmine Perry is one of the best players in the state of Indiana. Jasmine will bring great athleticism to campus and is a excellent rebounder, defender and shooter. Jasmine is also the total package in that she is an honor student that will help carry on DePaul's tradition of striving for success  --both on the court and in the classroom."

A just bit of praise for the young lady that adds 14.1 a game for DePaul's offense. She was 6 for 6 against Louisville earlier this year and hit 3 for 4 from the charity stripe.

And then there's Katherine. The leading rebounder in the BIG EAST. Katherine Harry gets the boards. She defends well, too...holding UofL's posts to 1 for 3 from the field last time out.

I believe in SPEED! Speed kills, in time. Ask Muhammad Ali, he proved it time and time again. The Lady Cards have the speed to beat DePaul today. Witness UK stepping on the accelerator earlier this year and demolishing DePaul by 32 in Rupp.

Running with purpose, shooting with the cold eye of an assassin, owning every rebound, valuing the ball. Attack them, attack them....and attack them! Go Cards. Give them "L"

- Quentin Voigt

I do think the Cards can win today. A lot of it will depend on the heart and effort that they display. It's an emotional game today. Monique Reid's grandmother passed away a couple of days ago. A grandmother to the team. To Mo, who might play today. To all who were fortunate enough to know her. A beautiful lady.

Will UofL use that emotion? Will last year's scenario play out...Louisville loses in Chicago, wins the second match-up in Louisville. The only game this year where Louisville outrebounded an opponent and lost.

"Why is it, Coach...that I must play when
the women are playing also. Please explain
this to me. I am not happy, sir. Not at all."

Who will show up for this one? The men's team plays at 1:00 on ESPN. Walz wants 12-13,000 there. We'd like to see that, too. Anything over 9,000 is a big boost to Louisville's WBB chances today. In case you're out-of-town and can't attend, the WBB game is on ESPNU.

It's 'go' time for Walz and the Cards. Five games left before the Hartford Invitational.

As I said in an earlier column this week...

Whatcha got left, Cards?

(Today's game is a "wear Pink" in support of Breast Cancer Awareness. Pink 'em up! See you there! We'll have post-game coverage later today. Go Cards!)

-Paulie


--

Lacrosse clobbers Canisius 13-3, Softball outslugs Minnesota

SUNDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

- Early offense, dominating defense corrals Canisius 13-3 

-Softball with 21 hits in 16-8 trouncing of the Gophers

It was a "Golden" day for two Louisville women's sports teams. Lacrosse handled the Golden Griffins by ten and softball blasted the Golden Gophers by eight. Maybe they all went to Golden Corral after the wins...

Al Greener and the pep band were on hand.

A spectacular start for Louiville Lacrosse Sunday afternoon at the Lacrosse Stadium, jumping out to a 5-0 lead in the first 12 1/2 minutes of the first half and shutting down the Golden Griffins to just three goals in a 13-3 opening-day win in front of 300 fans who braved the 40 degree temperature.

After a nicely done rendition of the National Anthem by UofL red-shirt sophomore midfielder Amy Poteet, the teams got busy and the Cards were doing the majority of the work.

Kay Morissette with an impressive start to her career, the freshman scoring four unassisted goals. Louisville goalie Ashley Herbst collecting seven saves and the Cardinal defense limiting Canisius to just 10 shots on goal.

Freshman Erika Eipp scored first for the Cards with only two minutes gone from the clock and another freshman Cortnee Daly followed with the second UofL score with 23:48 left in the first half. Junior Nikki Boltja made it 3-0 Cards just 24 seconds later on a free position shot and the Cards leading scorer from last season took advantage of another penalty shot at 20:42 to put Kellie Young's squad ahead 4-0.

The Cards got a Morissette unassisted goal three minutes later and it wasn't until the 14:47 mark that Canisius hit the scoreboard for the first time. The UofL defense was styming the Golden Griffins attack and the offense was maintainin long stretches of possession.

Faye Brust collected another Cardinal goal near the net and Morissette tallied her second score of the first half as the clock ticked down to 13:02.

The Cards tenacious defense continued to turn the Griffins away and Katie Oliverio registered her first goal of the season with 7:29. When Boltja got her second net-finder of the game...Louisville led 9-1 with 5:33 remaining in the half. Morissette completed the first half hat trick with her third score 15 seconds before half and Louisville took a 10-1 lead into the YUM! Center locker room.

Six Cardinals had scored for Coach Young and Louisville had forced Canisuis into 12 turnovers, while just committing seven themselves. Louisville held a 17-10 shot advantage and Herbst and the defense allowed only five shots on goal.

Canisius switched goalies to start the second half but it didn't appear to be a wise move at first...because
Louisville got off to a speedy start when Oliverio scored on a fast break just 23 seconds into action. Two Canisius goals followed over the next seven minutes, but the Cards defense tightened up and did not allow another Golden Griffith score over the final 22:28.

Morissette notched her fourth score on an unassisted drive at the 15:59 mark to make it 12-3 and Colleen O'Malley closed out the game's scoring on a free position shot three minutes later for the final 13-3 score.

Louisville attempted 32 shots in scoring their 13 goals and held Canisius to 3 for 18 shooting. Morissette led Louisville with four goals on seven attempts, Boltja was three for nine and Oliverio two for three. Eipp, O'Malley, Brust and Daly all had one score each for the Cards.

Six of the 13 Cardinal goals came from the freshman class.

CARDINAL COUPLE (Paulie and Jeff McAdams) caught up with Coach Young after the contest and got these exclusive observations:

On the play of the freshmen:

"They really are a big impact and change for our program, coming in with their talent and what we call LAX IQ. They're fast, they've got great sticks and they're elevating the players around them.

On the defensive effort:

"It was multi-faceted. We stopped them 7-on-7, we stopped them when we were a player down (from penalties). We stopped them in three different sets that we run. They were very consistent in what they did. From top to bottom, I was very happy with our defensive play."

On Nikki Boltja:

"As I just said to her team-mates, we don't want to call out any one player but we go to Nikki a lot because she is literally out here every day. The reason she takes over a game is because she has done the work. She gets her bag of balls, she takes her shots and with as many saves that the Canisius goalies had today (14) you can bet Nikki will be back out here tomorrow taking twice as many shots. She's a fighter. She just wants to put the ball in the back of the net for her team-mates and they follow her lead."

And a battle well-fought today by Boltja and her teammates. Louisville Lacrosse returns to action Saturday with Ohio State visiting the stadium.

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Louisville softball finished their Vegas stay in booming fashion Sunday afternoon, out-slugging Minnesota 16-8.
The Cards had 21 hits and four home runs. Katie Keller went 3-4 with seven RBI's and two round-trippers and Taner Fowler 3-5 with four RBI's and a fence-clearer.

The Cards scored once in the top of the first when Whitney Arion singled home Alicja Wolny. The Cards narrowly missed a second run when Fowler was thrown out at the plate attempting to score.

Minnesota touched Cardinal starting pitcher Rachel LeCoq for four first-inning runs, the big blow a 2 run homer with two outs.

Louisville came back with the bats in the top of the second. A Katelyn Mann single, Maggie Ruckenbrod double and Jasmine Smisthson-Willett walk loaded the bases with no outs. A walk and fly out scored two runs and the Cards were within one. Taner Fowler followed with her first home run of the season... a three run blast to make it 6-4 Cards 

A Minnesota two-run homer with one out sent LeCoq to the dugout and Caralisa Connell took the circle. Carl got the Cards out of the jam and it was 6-6 after three innings.

Louisville took a 7-6 lead on a solo blast by Keller in the fourth and Connell held the Golden Gophers at bay in the bottom half of the inning.

UofL added four more runs in the top of the fifth on six hits...Keller highlighting the inning with a 2 RBI double. Louisville now led 11-6. Carl got the job done again on the mound, holding UM scoreless.

The Cards exploded for five runs in the top of the sixth...Katelyn Mann with a two-run shot and Katie Keller's three run "touch 'em all" had the Cards ahead 16-6. Carl gave up two runs in the bottom of the inning but held on to retire the side and get the win.

Le Coq pitched 1.2 innings and allowed four runs on four hits. Connell's relief effort was 4.1 innings of four run, five hit pitching.

So, the Cards leave Vegas with a 4-1 record. Pitching not quite where it needs to be yet, but the UofL bats have covered it in four out of the five games. Much as Pearsall intimated it might be. Once thing for certain, Louisville appears to be never out of any contest so far, if the hitters are "on". 21 hits is a new Cardinal game record.

Softball returns to action Friday with another three day, five game marathon in the Jacksonville (FL) Tournament. They'll face Stony Brook and Bethune-Cookman on the 15th., Ohio State and Jacksonville on Saturday and Stony Brook again on Sunday.
.
..
...