Louisville lacrosse headed to 4th straight NCAA tournament

For a fourth consecutive year, the Louisville lacrosse team has earned a trip to the NCAA tournament. The Cards earned one of 13 at-large bids to the tournament, and will face James Madison in the first round on Friday, May 12 in University Park, Pa.

“This selection is one of the most proud moments in my coaching career,” head coach Kellie Young said in a release. “This team and these players have worked every day to move us forward and make it clear that we are here to stay. Now it’s a new season and time to prove our footing on the national scene.”

The 18th-ranked Cardinals enter the NCAA tournament with an 11-7 overall record. If they’re able to get past James Madison on Friday, then they’ll face No. 4 overall seed Penn State on Sunday.

Louisville’s first round game will hold some special meaning for Young. The head coach left James Madison a decade ago to start the U of L program, which began play in 2008.

The Cardinals have never advanced out of the first weekend of the NCAA tournament despite becoming a mainstay in the field. The good news for U of L is that Northwestern, the team that has beaten them in each of the past three tournaments, won’t be in Pennsylvania this weekend.

Best of luck to coach Young and her team this week.