Women’s Soccer Adds Five to 2026 Class
November 13, 2025 | Women's Soccer
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — University of Louisville women's soccer head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes and her staff announced that they have added five players to its 2026 class.
McKalie Ball, Cate Cantu, Avery George, Suzie Roginski and Lilia Work are all set to join the Cardinals for the 2026 season. The class is composed of two goalkeepers, one forward, one midfielder and one defender. They hail from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Tennessee.
McKalie Ball
Forward | 5-6
Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn.
High School: Webb School of Knoxville
Club Team: FC Alliance ECNL
McKalie comes to the Cardinals from Knoxville, Tennessee where she played high school at Webb School of Knoxville and club for FC Alliance ECNL and coach Cameron Schneider. During her high school career, she was a three-time All-State selection and a four-time All-Region selection. Her high school team were state runner-ups the past two years in 2024 and 2025. She finished her high school career with 82 goals and 36 assists. For her club team, they were 2024 ECNL Ohio Valley Conference Champions and she was a ECNL First Team All Conference selection. She intends to major in exercise physiology.
"McKalie will graduate high school early and start with us in the spring which will be invaluable for her development! She is a fast winger who likes to run at you 1-v-1 ! She enjoys being on the ball and is a very good crosser of the ball! Her time with us in the spring will allow her to learn our system and get comfortable with the demands we place on the players both in and out of possession!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"McKalie's talent on the soccer field is matched only by her work rate and passion. She is a big player for big games." - Elaine Roth, High School Coach
Cate Cantu
Goalkeeper | 5-8
Hometown: Ardmore, Penn.
High School: Lower Merion
Club Team: Penn Fusion Soccer Academy
Cate comes to Louisville from Ardmore, Pennsylvania where she played for Lower Merion High School and club for Penn Fusion Soccer Academy and coach Craig Scangarella. She was a three-time All Central League First Team and All Main-Line First Team selection. In her senior season, she was named a High School All-American. For the club team, they were ECNL National Champions in 2024 and three-time ECNL North Atlantic Conference Champions. She earned ECNL North Atlantic Second Team honors in 2024. She intends to major in business.
"We are thrilled to add Cate to our team next fall! She is an outstanding goalkeeper who is very athletic, brave and has an extremely high ceiling! She plays for a wonderful club and coach and her talent and ability will allow her to make an immediate impact on our program!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"I have had the privilege to coach Cate the past couple of years at Penn Fusion Soccer Academy. Her development and growth into an elite goalkeeper has been exciting to watch. Cate is also an amazing person. Her character, mentality, and work ethic are positive examples for our younger players to model at the club. Her ceiling is very high heading into the college level." - Craig Scangarella, Club Coach
Avery George
Defender | 5-6
Hometown: Bexley, Ohio
High School: Bexley
Club Team: Ohio Premier
Avery comes to the Cardinals from Bexley, Ohio where she played for Bexley High School and club for Ohio Premier and coach Willie Gage. She was on the same club team as fellow signee Suzie Roginski. She was named to the second team Ohio Valley ECNL All-Conference team for her club. She intends to major in business.
"Avery will be graduating high school early and will start with us this spring! Avery plays in a wonderful club environment at Ohio Premier for great coaches! Avery is a center back who is a very thoughtful player! She is very good defensively in the 1-v-1, she's a great communicator and takes pride in organizing the back line! The experience she will gain in the spring will put her in a great position to make an impact next fall!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"Avery is an incredibly talented center back who has brought great leadership and personality to our team. Along with her work ethic and growth mindset she will not only make a fantastic addition to the Cardinal back line but to the program itself. While I truly believe the OP program has benefited her, I think it goes without saying that the players and coaches here have also benefited greatly from Avery's participation. She has a bright future, and it's been a pleasure to be her coach!" - Willie Gage, Club Coach
Suzie Roginski
Goalkeeper | 5-9
Hometown: Hilliard, Ohio
High School: Bishop Watterson
Club Team: Ohio Premier
Suzie comes to Louisville from Hilliard, Ohio where she played for Bishop Watterson High School and club for Ohio Premier and coach Willie Gage. She was on the same club team as fellow signee Avery George. While playing for Bishop Watterson, they advanced to two final fours and won the 2024 state championship. The 2024 squad was the winningest team in Watterson school history and Roginski had a 0.46 goals against average and 11 shutouts. She intends to major in health sciences.
"We are very excited to add Suzie to our goalkeeping group! She is a wonderful goalkeeper who is very athletic, is a good shot stopper, and has a great presence in goal! Her training mentality is excellent and we are thrilled to work with her!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"Suzie Roginski is one of the most energetic and enthusiastic players that I have ever had the pleasure of coaching! In four years as a varsity starter she led our program to three regional tournaments, two final fours and .... State Championships! Her passion and energy will always be a part of her legacy of success at Bishop Watterson High School!" - Scott Dempsey, High School Coach
Lilia Work
Midfielder | 5-6
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
High School: Sacred Heart Academy
Club Team: Racing Louisville FC
Lilia is a local product from Louisville where she played for Sacred Heart Academy and club for Racing Louisville FC and coach Erik Krivitsky. She comes from an athletic family where her dad and uncle played college football at West Point, mom ran track at Colgate University and brother plays soccer at Transylvania. While at Sacred Heart, they were the state champs in 2024-25 and the state runner-up in 2023-24. Lilia earned first team All-State and All-Region honors in 2024 and was named the Sacred Heart Junior Athlete of the Year. For her club team, she won Best 11 Award at the 2023 ECNL National Conference Cup Selection camp. She was a part of the Racing Louisville W League team in 2024 and 2025.
"Lilia has been someone that we have followed for quite some time now and we are super excited that she will be playing in her hometown for us! She has a very intuitive feel for the game, she's a great passer and has an extremely high work rate! Lilia will quickly adapt to our system and we are confident that she will make a wonderful addition to our midfield!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"Lilia is everything you could hope for in a player and a person. She is strong willed, selfless, and driven. Even after her injury, her leadership, positivity, and love for the game never faded. She's the kind of teammate who lifts everyone around her, and her impact goes far beyond the field. I couldn't be prouder to see her take this next step in her journey at the University of Louisville. She's truly special" - Shaun Francis, High School Coach
McKalie Ball, Cate Cantu, Avery George, Suzie Roginski and Lilia Work are all set to join the Cardinals for the 2026 season. The class is composed of two goalkeepers, one forward, one midfielder and one defender. They hail from Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Tennessee.
McKalie Ball
Forward | 5-6
Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn.
High School: Webb School of Knoxville
Club Team: FC Alliance ECNL
McKalie comes to the Cardinals from Knoxville, Tennessee where she played high school at Webb School of Knoxville and club for FC Alliance ECNL and coach Cameron Schneider. During her high school career, she was a three-time All-State selection and a four-time All-Region selection. Her high school team were state runner-ups the past two years in 2024 and 2025. She finished her high school career with 82 goals and 36 assists. For her club team, they were 2024 ECNL Ohio Valley Conference Champions and she was a ECNL First Team All Conference selection. She intends to major in exercise physiology.
"McKalie will graduate high school early and start with us in the spring which will be invaluable for her development! She is a fast winger who likes to run at you 1-v-1 ! She enjoys being on the ball and is a very good crosser of the ball! Her time with us in the spring will allow her to learn our system and get comfortable with the demands we place on the players both in and out of possession!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"McKalie's talent on the soccer field is matched only by her work rate and passion. She is a big player for big games." - Elaine Roth, High School Coach
Cate Cantu
Goalkeeper | 5-8
Hometown: Ardmore, Penn.
High School: Lower Merion
Club Team: Penn Fusion Soccer Academy
Cate comes to Louisville from Ardmore, Pennsylvania where she played for Lower Merion High School and club for Penn Fusion Soccer Academy and coach Craig Scangarella. She was a three-time All Central League First Team and All Main-Line First Team selection. In her senior season, she was named a High School All-American. For the club team, they were ECNL National Champions in 2024 and three-time ECNL North Atlantic Conference Champions. She earned ECNL North Atlantic Second Team honors in 2024. She intends to major in business.
"We are thrilled to add Cate to our team next fall! She is an outstanding goalkeeper who is very athletic, brave and has an extremely high ceiling! She plays for a wonderful club and coach and her talent and ability will allow her to make an immediate impact on our program!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"I have had the privilege to coach Cate the past couple of years at Penn Fusion Soccer Academy. Her development and growth into an elite goalkeeper has been exciting to watch. Cate is also an amazing person. Her character, mentality, and work ethic are positive examples for our younger players to model at the club. Her ceiling is very high heading into the college level." - Craig Scangarella, Club Coach
Avery George
Defender | 5-6
Hometown: Bexley, Ohio
High School: Bexley
Club Team: Ohio Premier
Avery comes to the Cardinals from Bexley, Ohio where she played for Bexley High School and club for Ohio Premier and coach Willie Gage. She was on the same club team as fellow signee Suzie Roginski. She was named to the second team Ohio Valley ECNL All-Conference team for her club. She intends to major in business.
"Avery will be graduating high school early and will start with us this spring! Avery plays in a wonderful club environment at Ohio Premier for great coaches! Avery is a center back who is a very thoughtful player! She is very good defensively in the 1-v-1, she's a great communicator and takes pride in organizing the back line! The experience she will gain in the spring will put her in a great position to make an impact next fall!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"Avery is an incredibly talented center back who has brought great leadership and personality to our team. Along with her work ethic and growth mindset she will not only make a fantastic addition to the Cardinal back line but to the program itself. While I truly believe the OP program has benefited her, I think it goes without saying that the players and coaches here have also benefited greatly from Avery's participation. She has a bright future, and it's been a pleasure to be her coach!" - Willie Gage, Club Coach
Suzie Roginski
Goalkeeper | 5-9
Hometown: Hilliard, Ohio
High School: Bishop Watterson
Club Team: Ohio Premier
Suzie comes to Louisville from Hilliard, Ohio where she played for Bishop Watterson High School and club for Ohio Premier and coach Willie Gage. She was on the same club team as fellow signee Avery George. While playing for Bishop Watterson, they advanced to two final fours and won the 2024 state championship. The 2024 squad was the winningest team in Watterson school history and Roginski had a 0.46 goals against average and 11 shutouts. She intends to major in health sciences.
"We are very excited to add Suzie to our goalkeeping group! She is a wonderful goalkeeper who is very athletic, is a good shot stopper, and has a great presence in goal! Her training mentality is excellent and we are thrilled to work with her!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"Suzie Roginski is one of the most energetic and enthusiastic players that I have ever had the pleasure of coaching! In four years as a varsity starter she led our program to three regional tournaments, two final fours and .... State Championships! Her passion and energy will always be a part of her legacy of success at Bishop Watterson High School!" - Scott Dempsey, High School Coach
Lilia Work
Midfielder | 5-6
Hometown: Louisville, Ky.
High School: Sacred Heart Academy
Club Team: Racing Louisville FC
Lilia is a local product from Louisville where she played for Sacred Heart Academy and club for Racing Louisville FC and coach Erik Krivitsky. She comes from an athletic family where her dad and uncle played college football at West Point, mom ran track at Colgate University and brother plays soccer at Transylvania. While at Sacred Heart, they were the state champs in 2024-25 and the state runner-up in 2023-24. Lilia earned first team All-State and All-Region honors in 2024 and was named the Sacred Heart Junior Athlete of the Year. For her club team, she won Best 11 Award at the 2023 ECNL National Conference Cup Selection camp. She was a part of the Racing Louisville W League team in 2024 and 2025.
"Lilia has been someone that we have followed for quite some time now and we are super excited that she will be playing in her hometown for us! She has a very intuitive feel for the game, she's a great passer and has an extremely high work rate! Lilia will quickly adapt to our system and we are confident that she will make a wonderful addition to our midfield!" - Karen Ferguson-Dayes
"Lilia is everything you could hope for in a player and a person. She is strong willed, selfless, and driven. Even after her injury, her leadership, positivity, and love for the game never faded. She's the kind of teammate who lifts everyone around her, and her impact goes far beyond the field. I couldn't be prouder to see her take this next step in her journey at the University of Louisville. She's truly special" - Shaun Francis, High School Coach
WSOC: Karen Ferguson-Dayes Presser (Selection Show - 11/10/25)
Thursday, November 13
WSOC: SMU Highlights (10/30/25)
Friday, October 31
WSOC: NC State Highlights (10/23/25)
Friday, October 24
WSOC: Boston College Highlights (10/12/25)
Sunday, October 12
