By Derek Brightwell
The Cards turned in a strong road performance at Old Dominion with a 15-12 win Friday and an 18-5 win at
William & Mary on Sunday, securing their first road victories of the season.
At Old Dominion the Cards relied on another strong performance from senior All-American Nikki Boltja. She
led an aggressive offensive attack for the Cards who had three different runs of scoring three or more unanswered
goals.
Boltja scored five goals on Friday and seven on Sunday, pushing her total to 20 on the season. But the Cards
maintained an offensive balance throughout the weekend with a total of six players scoring against Old Dominion
and William & Mary. Balance is key for Louisville moving ahead.
“A balanced offense is tough to beat,” head coach Kellie Young said. “Nikki was solid again and along with her
were huge efforts from Faye Brust and Courtnee Daley.”
Brust scored five times, giving her ten on the year and Daley’s three in each game put her at ten for the year.
The depth of the team has been a pleasant surprise for the coaching staff, with at least five different players
scoring in each of their first four games.
“Courtnee Daley has been a beast for us, so solid and consistent,” Young said of her sophomore midfielder. “Faye
Brust has found her game, impacting multiple areas of our game.”
This year the Cards schedule is overwhelmingly road-heavy, with only six of the 17 games coming at U of L.
“Travel makes us tougher,” Young remarked of the schedule. “A game like tonight at Old Dominion, when
we are playing a team in their home opener with tons of home field supporters in the stands brings great mental
toughness and a true effort in attacking the game play by play. As we get closer to post season, the experience on
the road will certainly help.”
One aspect of the game that the Cards have thrived at this year has been controlling the draw. Sunday’s win at
William & Mary was the third consecutive game in which they had 17 draw controls.
“Our draw possession has been consistent and possession of the ball drives the game,” said Young. “Having two
draw specialists has given the draw a different look for opponents to scout.”
The Cards are now 3-1 on the season; their next game is against Denver, March 1 at 1:00 pm.