No. 21 Women's Soccer Hosts No. 24 NC State on Thursday Night

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Louisville women's soccer team will host No. 24 North Carolina State in Lynn Stadium on Thursday night. The Wolfpack are the fourth straight ranked opponent the Cardinals have faced.

Louisville will look to bounce back after a heartbreaking 1-2 double overtime loss to No.15 Notre Dame 3-2 in double overtime on Saturday. It was the Cardinals' first loss in ACC play this season and ended a four game unbeaten streak.

Brooklynn Rivers leads the Cardinals with 10 points. She has four goals and two assists on the year. Gabrielle Vincent enters the game second on the team in points with three goals and two assists, while Jill Vetere and Allison Whitfield each add two goals and three assists on the year.

Taylor Bucklin leads the Cardinals in goal with a 7-3-2 record and five shutouts on the season. She has a 0.85 goals against average, allowing only 11 goals. She also has 38 saves on the year.

Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is in her 17th season with the Cardinals. She has guided Louisville to four NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011.

SCOUTING NC STATE
NC State is coming off a 1-0 victory over Boston College on Sunday in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Freshman midfielder Ricarda Walkling led the way with an unassisted goal in the sixth minute to give the Wolfpack the win.

NC State is led by freshman midfielder Tziarra King and redshirt junior forward Jackie Stengel who both have had five goals and one assist on the season. Freshman midfielder Michaella van Maanen and Walkling have added four goals and two assists and three goals and four assists respectively.

Sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Wootten leads the Wolfpack in goal with a 9-3 record and five shutouts on the season. She also has 42 saves and a 0.77 goals against average.

Head coach Tim Santoro is currently in his fourth season with the Wolfpack. He has guided the Wolfpack through a rebuilding process and has seen quite a bit of success. Before his stint in Raleigh he worked as an assistant for the Wake Forest women's team

SERIES HISTORY
Louisville leads the all time series 2-1 over the Wolfpack. The Cardinals took home a 1-0 victory last season in Raleigh in late October.

CARDINALS IN THE POLLS
The University of Louisville women's soccer team is ranked 21sr in this week's Soccer America poll. Last week they debuted at No. 18 for first time the Cardinals since they appeared at No. 24 on Oct. 29, 2013 in the Soccer America poll. Louisville is one of nine ACC teams ranked in the poll.

WORKING OVERTIME
Louisville has played three straight double overtime games heading into this week's matchups. In those three games the Cardinals went 1-1-1. All three matches were to ranked teams as well. This season the Cardinals have played six overtime matches. In one overtime period the Cardinals own a 1-0-0 record and in double overtime they own a 1-2-2 record. Overall the Cardinals are 2-2-2 in extra periods played.

University of Louisville Athletics

No. 21 Women's Soccer Hosts No. 24 NC State on Thursday Night

Players Mentioned

Brooklynn Rivers

Allison Whitfield

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