2024 season

The season opener on August 31 will see the Wildcats face off against Southern Miss of the Sun Belt Conference. In week four, Ohio from the Mid-American Conference will visit Lexington. Other notable home games include Vanderbilt on October 12, Auburn on October 26, Murray State on November 16, and the regular-season finale against Louisville on November 30.

Louisville will be sending a group of athletes to the 96th annual Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays in Austin, Texas from March 27-30. At the same time, the squad will also be represented at Texas State’s Bobcat Invite in San Marcos, Texas. The Cardinals will then split their team between the Stanford Invitational and San Francisco State’s Mike Fanelli Track Classic, both taking place from March 29-30, to round out the first weekend of the outdoor season.

The Cardinals will kick off their season with a game against Indiana State on February 16th at noon ET. The following day, they will face off against USF on their home field at 4:00 p.m. ET. The weekend will wrap up with a game against UConn on February 18th at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Oklahoma emerged as the top-scoring team of the meet, earning an impressive overall score of 197.850. Kentucky followed closely behind, securing second place with their strong performance. Michigan State finished in third with a score of 196.300, while Michigan trailed behind with a score of 195.875.

Beard, a senior and a two-year starter, has been with the Louisville program for four seasons. He boasts an impressive career, having played in 118 games with a .297 average, 11 home runs, and 88 RBIs. His performance earned him the title of Freshman All-American in 2022.

The Wildcats will kick off their season with four consecutive home games at Kroger Field. They will face SEC opponents South Carolina and Georgia during this stretch. The schedule also features home games against Southern Miss, Ohio, Vanderbilt, Auburn, Murray State, and in-state rival Louisville.

The Cardinals’ 56-game slate will see them face off against five teams that were ranked in the final ESPN.com USA Softball or USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association top-25 last season. In addition, they will go up against nine NCAA tournament teams, including Women’s College World Series runner-up Florida State.

To kick things off, the Cats will engage in a Blue-White scrimmage on January 13 at Frederick Douglass High School in Lexington. This will provide an excellent opportunity for the team to warm up and showcase their skills.

Among the standout signees is defender Emerson Andrews from Highland Park, Texas. She has had an impressive youth career, playing for the No. 2 ranked ECNL team and reaching the national semifinals and finals. Ella Dykstra from St. Joseph, Missouri is another notable addition, having been selected for the ODP Regional and National Teams.

Leading the pack is Lauryn Contini, a midfielder hailing from New Philadelphia, Ohio. Contini comes highly regarded, having been voted the no. 2 player on Ohio’s Best Top-23 high school girls soccer players for the 2023 season. Coach Ferguson-Dayes expects Contini to be an immediate attacking presence, praising her goal-scoring ability and offensive instincts.