Louisville Women’s Soccer Hosting NCAA 1st Round FRIDAY at Lynn Stadium +Ticket Info

Mark BlankenbakerNovember 12, 2019

The Louisville women’s soccer team received an at-large bid to the 2019 NCAA Championship and will host Lipscomb on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6:00 p.m. in Lynn Stadium.

Louisville earned a bid after finishing fourth in the ACC with a record of 5-3-2 for their highest finish in the ACC. The Cardinals will be making their sixth NCAA Championship appearance.

The Cardinals enter the NCAA Championship with a 12-4-2 overall record. Directing the way for the Cardinals is head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes, who has guided the Cards to all six of the NCAA bids. Louisville is led offensively by Emina Ekic, Brooklynn Rivers, Delaney Snyder and Maisie Whitsett. Ekic was named first team All-ACC after finishing the regular season with eight goals and seven assists, including five game-winners. Rivers earned third team All-ACC after finishing the regular season with five goals. Snyder has four goals and one assist while Whitsett has three goals and one assist.

Defensively, Louisville is anchored by junior keeper Gabby Kouzelos, senior captain Arianna Ferraro and senior centerback Niamh Nelson. They have helped guide the Cardinals to eight shutouts this season, including four straight. Kouzelos, a second team All-ACC selection, owns a 0.74 goals against average and has collected 45 saves on the year.

Lipscomb defeated Kennesaw State in the ASUN Championship Final on Saturday to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Bisons won on penalty kicks (4-3) after a score of 1-1.

The Bisons enter the tournament with an overall record of 13-5-2. Lipscomb have gone undefeated in their last seven games, winning six straight before the tie in the ASUN Championship game. The Bisons are led by five All-Conference selections: Olivia Doak (First Team), Maycie McKay (First Team), Leah Cernicky (Second Team), Katia Hanger (Second Team, All-Freshman) and Molly Grant (All-Freshman).

Friday’s matchup will be the first meeting between the two teams.

Tickets are on-sale now at GoCards.com/NCAAWSoccer. Ticket are $10 for reserved chairback seating and $5 for general admission berm tickets. Groups of 10 or more are eligible for $3 tickets by calling the Louisville Athletics Ticket Office at (502) 852-5151. The first 100 University of Louisville students get in free with a valid student ID, paid for by Louisville Athletics.