Thursday, August 19
LOUISVILLE, KY
7:30 p.m. ET
University of Louisville
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WESTERN MICHIGAN
Louisville Hosts Western Michigan in Season Opener on Thursday
August 18, 2021 | Women's Soccer
The Cardinals and Broncos will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET.
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - University of Louisville women's soccer opens the regular season on Thursday when it hosts Western Michigan at Lynn Stadium. The game will begin at 7:30 p.m. ET and broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
All women's soccer matches will have free admission during the 2021 season. A donor event will take place at Cardinal Stadium prior to the start of Thursday's game, so fans are encouraged to arrive early to provide ample time for parking.
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Louisville is coming off a 2-0 exhibition win over Ball State last Saturday. Ravin Alexander and Mikayla Hampton scored second half goals to secure the win.
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Hampton, a graduate transfer from Northwestern, is one of 11 newcomers to the Cardinals' roster that includes 10 freshmen. In the exhibition, five freshmen (Nina Nicosia, Hayley Howard, Julia Simon, Anouk Denton, Brooke Dardano) got the start, while seven saw game action.
Overall, Louisville's roster features eight seniors/graduates, three juniors and five sophomores to go along with the 10 freshmen.
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Sixth year goalkeeper Gabby Kouzelos returns after playing every minute in goal last season, but the Cardinals return just four players that scored a goal in 2020-21 as Delaney Snyder, Taylor Kerwin, Morgan Bentley and Maisie Whitsett all scored one goal each.
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Louisville was picked eighth in the ACC preseason poll with 77 points, just eight points shy of seventh-place Virginia Tech (85).
Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is entering her 22nd year at the helm. She is the winningest coach in program history with a career record of 187-168-37.
Under Ferguson-Dayes, Louisville is 18-1-2 in season openers and 14-6-1 in home openers. The Cardinals have won 16 of the last 17 season openers, including their last four. The lone loss in a season opener was a 2-1 defeat at UT Martin on August 30, 2002. Louisville has won nine straight home openers and is 7-0 in home openers at Lynn Stadium, which opened in 2014.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan finished the 2020-21 season on a four-game winning streak with a 6-2-2 overall record. As a team, the Broncos registered 15 goals and 55 saves through 10 games. The Broncos' attack is led by fifth-year forward Bailey Korhorn, who scored five goals last season. Morgan Ottenson and Jenna Blackburn each led the team with four assists and fifth-year goalkeeper Maggie Rogers returns with 31 saves, one shutout and a 0.861 save percentage.
Series History - Louisville is 0-0-1 all-time against Western Michigan with the lone meeting ending in a 1-1 tie at Louisville on Sept. 12, 1998.
GAME FACTS
Date: Thursday, August 19
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: Louisville, Ky. | Lynn Stadium
Video: ACCNX (Jeff Greer, play-by-play; Casey Whitfield, analyst)
Series History: 0-0-1 (T1, 0-0-1 home, 0-0-0 away, 0-0-0 neutral)
Last Meeting: T, 1-1 (Sept. 12, 1998 at Louisville)
Next UofL Game: Thursday, Aug. 26 vs. James Madison
For the latest information on Louisville women's soccer, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Twitter account at @ULWomensSoccer or on Facebook at facebook.com/ulwomenssoccer.
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All women's soccer matches will have free admission during the 2021 season. A donor event will take place at Cardinal Stadium prior to the start of Thursday's game, so fans are encouraged to arrive early to provide ample time for parking.
Â
Louisville is coming off a 2-0 exhibition win over Ball State last Saturday. Ravin Alexander and Mikayla Hampton scored second half goals to secure the win.
Â
Hampton, a graduate transfer from Northwestern, is one of 11 newcomers to the Cardinals' roster that includes 10 freshmen. In the exhibition, five freshmen (Nina Nicosia, Hayley Howard, Julia Simon, Anouk Denton, Brooke Dardano) got the start, while seven saw game action.
Overall, Louisville's roster features eight seniors/graduates, three juniors and five sophomores to go along with the 10 freshmen.
Â
Sixth year goalkeeper Gabby Kouzelos returns after playing every minute in goal last season, but the Cardinals return just four players that scored a goal in 2020-21 as Delaney Snyder, Taylor Kerwin, Morgan Bentley and Maisie Whitsett all scored one goal each.
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Louisville was picked eighth in the ACC preseason poll with 77 points, just eight points shy of seventh-place Virginia Tech (85).
Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is entering her 22nd year at the helm. She is the winningest coach in program history with a career record of 187-168-37.
Under Ferguson-Dayes, Louisville is 18-1-2 in season openers and 14-6-1 in home openers. The Cardinals have won 16 of the last 17 season openers, including their last four. The lone loss in a season opener was a 2-1 defeat at UT Martin on August 30, 2002. Louisville has won nine straight home openers and is 7-0 in home openers at Lynn Stadium, which opened in 2014.
ABOUT THE BRONCOS
Western Michigan finished the 2020-21 season on a four-game winning streak with a 6-2-2 overall record. As a team, the Broncos registered 15 goals and 55 saves through 10 games. The Broncos' attack is led by fifth-year forward Bailey Korhorn, who scored five goals last season. Morgan Ottenson and Jenna Blackburn each led the team with four assists and fifth-year goalkeeper Maggie Rogers returns with 31 saves, one shutout and a 0.861 save percentage.
Series History - Louisville is 0-0-1 all-time against Western Michigan with the lone meeting ending in a 1-1 tie at Louisville on Sept. 12, 1998.
GAME FACTS
Date: Thursday, August 19
Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Site: Louisville, Ky. | Lynn Stadium
Video: ACCNX (Jeff Greer, play-by-play; Casey Whitfield, analyst)
Series History: 0-0-1 (T1, 0-0-1 home, 0-0-0 away, 0-0-0 neutral)
Last Meeting: T, 1-1 (Sept. 12, 1998 at Louisville)
Next UofL Game: Thursday, Aug. 26 vs. James Madison
For the latest information on Louisville women's soccer, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Twitter account at @ULWomensSoccer or on Facebook at facebook.com/ulwomenssoccer.
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Players Mentioned
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