McFerran, Woods Named to Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team

The University of Louisville's Ayeisha McFerran and Nicole Woods have been named to the 2016 Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Team as announced by the league office on Tuesday. The Cardinals were also picked to finish sixth in a vote by the head coaches.

McFerran, a sophomore goalkeeper from Larne, Northern Ireland is coming off of an impressive rookie season. In 2015, she posted a 1.24 goals against average and nine shutouts and became the first freshman in program history to earn National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America honors after being named to the All-West Region first team. McFerran is also a member of the Irish National Field Hockey team.

This marks the second straight conference preseason honor for Woods, a junior forward/midfielder from Beverly, Mass. She was a second team All-ACC selection and first team NFHCA All-West Region pick in 2015 after leading the Cardinals with 22 points and nine goals. Woods is a member of USA Field Hockey's Under-21 team and was recently named to the 2016 Junior World Cup Roster.

Louisville finished the 2015 season with a 13-7 overall record and made its second straight NCAA appearance. The Cardinals spent seven weeks ranked among the top 10 in the nation and were ranked No. 11 in the NFHCA coaches poll.

The Cardinals will open the 2016 season at Indiana on Aug. 26.

About ACC Field Hockey
In a vote by the league's seven head coaches, North Carolina received 34 points and is the preseason favorite to claim the 2016 ACC Field Hockey Championship. The Tar Heels garnered four votes for first place, ahead of Virginia, which received one first place vote and 28 points. Defending national champion Syracuse was picked third with 27 points and garnered two first place votes. Duke was tabbed to finish in fourth with 22 points, ahead of Wake Forest (14 points), Louisville (12), and Boston College (10).

ACC teams have won 18 of the 35 NCAA field hockey titles, including 11 of the last 14, and at least one ACC squad has advanced to the national championship for 17 straight years. All seven ACC programs earned bids to the 2015 NCAA Championship and all seven finished the 2015 season ranked nationally.

2016 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
1. North Carolina (4) - 34
2. Virginia (1) - 28
3. Syracuse (2) - 27
4. Duke - 22
5. Wake Forest - 14
6. Louisville - 12
7. Boston College – 10

2016 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
Emily McCoy, Sr., M, Boston College
Ashley Kristen, Jr., F, Duke
Nicole Woods, Jr., F/M, Louisville
Ayeisha McFerran , So., GK, Louisville
Julia Young, Sr., B, North Carolina
Emma Bozek, Sr., M/F, North Carolina
Lies Lagerweij, Jr., B, Syracuse
Laura Hurff, Jr., M/F, Syracuse
Tara Vittese, Jr., M, Virginia
Lucy Hyams, Sr., M, Virginia
Jule Grashoff, So., F, Wake Forest

Released in conjunction with the ACC

University of Louisville Athletics

McFerran, Woods Named to Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team

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Ayeisha McFerran

Nicole Woods

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