Women's Soccer Travels to NC State for the Season Finale on Thursday Night

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- In their final contest of the regular season, the University of Louisville women's soccer team heads to Raleigh, N.C. on Thursday for a key ACC matchup against the NC State Wolfpack at 7:00 p.m. Following back-to-back scoreless draws, the Cardinals are 9-6-2 overall and 3-4-2 in ACC action.

Through 17 matches, freshman midfielder Emina Ekic leads the Louisville offense with seven goals and three assists. Sophomore forwards Allison Whitfield and Brooklyn Rivers have also been central offensive weapons for the Cardinals, each tallying four goals and two assists on the season.

Coming off of her third consecutive shutout, redshirt freshman goalkeeper Gabby Kouzelos has registered 50 saves for the Cardinals and holds a goals against average of 0.99.

Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is in her 18th season with the Cardinals. She has led Louisville to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011.

SCOUTING NC STATE
With a 1-0 double overtime victory at Virginia Tech on Sunday, NC State extended their winning streak to four matches. The Wolfpack hold an overall record of 12-4-1 and are 5-3-1 in ACC action, with all three conference losses coming at the hand of ranked opponents.

Tziarra King is the leading scorer for the Wolfpack with nine goals. The sophomore midfielder also leads NC State in assists with six, totaling 24 points for the season. The trio of Ricarda Walkling, Kia Rankin, and Maxine Blackwood each have four goals and two assists apiece through 17 matches.

In goal, Sydney Wootten has held opponents scoreless eight times throughout the season and has recorded shutouts in each of the Wolfpack's last three contests. Through 14 matches, she has accumulated 43 saves and owns a goals against average of 0.87.

Tim Santoro is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Wolfpack. Under his leadership, NC State earned a trip to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history, reaching their first NCAA Tournament in 20 years.

SERIES HISTORY
The Cardinals and the Wolfpack will meet for the fifth time in series history. The last meeting between the two programs resulted in a 1-1 draw in Louisville in 2016. Louisville owns a 2-1 advantage in the series.

Women's Soccer Travels to NC State for the Season Finale on Thursday Night

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Emina Ekic

Gabby Kouzelos

Allison Whitfield

University of Louisville Athletics