Women's Soccer Hosts No. 1 Florida State on Saturday Night

Saturday, October 17

Louisville, Ky.

7:00 PM

University of Louisville

FLORIDA STATE

Women's Soccer Hosts No. 1 Florida State on Saturday Night

October 16, 2015 | Women's Soccer

Louisville hosts Florida State on Senior Night

By: Kim Pemberton

LOUISVILLE, KY. -- The University of Louisville women's soccer team concludes their three-game home stand on Senior Night against the 2014 National Champions Florida State on Saturday evening at Dr. Mark and Cindy Lynn Stadium.

It will be the second time this season that the Cardinals have faced the top ranked team in the nation when they welcome Florida State to Lynn Stadium. Last Thursday, the Cardinals defeated then-No. 1 North Carolina 2-1 in overtime.

Coming off an exciting week in which the Cardinals defeated a top-ranked team and fought Duke to a scoreless draw, Louisville enters the match with an overall record of 7-5-2 and a 3-2-1 record in ACC play. Junior goalkeeper Taylor Bucklin picked up three weekly awards after recording 18 saves against both North Carolina and Duke. Junior Caroline Kimble scored her first career goal with eight seconds left in overtime off a free kick to lift the Cardinals to their first victory over a No. 1 team in program history.

For the season, 10 Cardinals have scored this season with four players leading the balanced attack by recording two goals. Redshirt-senior Casey Whitfield leads the team with six points scoring two goals and adding two assists. Sophomore Alison Price adds two goals and assist for five points while senior Rachel Avant adds a goal and three assists for five points. Sophomore Isabella Habuda and freshman Gabrielle Vincent add two goals for the team. Junior goalkeepers Taylor Bucklin (53 saves) and Paige Brown (14 saves) have both seen time in goal this season with the two combining for a 0.82 goals against average.

Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is in her 16th season with the Cardinals. She has guided Louisville to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011.

SCOUTING FLORIDA STATE
Florida State enters the match as the newest top ranked team and boast a 12-1-1 record and currently leads the ACC with a 5-0-1 record after defeating both North Carolina and North Carolina State last weekend.

The Seminoles have the third highest scoring offense in the country with an average of 2.86 goals per game. Nine of the 12 players that have scored this season have at least three goals. Redshirt junior Berglind Thorvaldsdottir leads the Seminoles with six goals while senior forward Cheyna Williams and freshman Natalie Kuikka add five goals apiece. Freshman midfielder Megan Connolly contributes a team-best nine assists along with four goals for a team-high 17 points. Senior Carson Pickett is second on the team with eight assists. ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week redshirt sophomore Cassie Miller leads the Seminoles in the goal and boasts a 0.45 goals against average along with a .812 save percentage. The Seminoles have shut out their opponents in eight of their last nine games.
For the past 11 seasons, Mark Kirokorian has been the head women's soccer coach at Florida State. He has led the Seminoles to a National Championship in 2014, seven College Cup appearances along with three appearances in the national title games.

THE SERIES
The Cardinals and Seminoles will meet for the fourth time in series history with the Seminoles leading the series 3-0. Last time the two teams played, Florida State took a 6-0 victory last season.

Louisville Women's Soccer Ticket Information
Single match tickets are available through the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office. Reserved chairback tickets are set at $12 for adults and $6 for youth. Fans can purchase online through www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at (502) 852-5151 or in-person at the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office located at Gate 2 at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Tickets can also be purchased on match days at Lynn Stadium starting one hour prior to kickoff.

Season tickets start as low as $45 and can be purchased by calling the Louisville Cardinals Ticket Office at (502) 852-0120 or (502) 852-5151. Season tickets for 2015 include every regular season home match for both the men's and women's soccer programs.

Following the Cardinals on Social Media
Fans can follow Louisville men's soccer on Twitter (@ULwomenssoccer) at http://twitter.com/ulwomenssoccer and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ulwomenssoccer.