No. 9 Field Hockey Travels to No. 5 Duke Friday, Hosts UMass Sunday

The ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will travel to Durham, N.C., to face No. 5 Duke in an ACC matchup Friday, Oct. 2. The Cardinals will return to Trager Stadium for a non-conference game against Massachusetts Sunday Oct. 4.

Sunday's game against UMass marks the Cardinals' annual Pink Game. Giveaways include pink water bottles and pompoms. Pink balloons will be available for purchase with proceeds going to Play4TheCure for breast cancer research.

About Louisville: The Cardinals (6-3, 0-3 ACC) is ranked ninth in the most recent NFHCA Coaches Poll released on Sept. 29. Louisville is led offensively by sophomore Stephanie Byrne who has six goals on the season. Sophomore Nicole Woods follows with 10 points (3G, 4A). Freshman goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran (6-3) carries a 1.38 goals against average with four shutouts in nine games.

Last weekend: Then-No. 8 Louisville fell 2-1 to No. 7 Wake Forest Sept. 25 at Trager Stadium. Wake took the lead in the 23^rd minute behind Krysta Wangerin's goal, but Stephanie Byrne's goal evened the score five minutes later. The Demon Deacons pulled ahead for good on their only penalty corner of the second half when Julie Grashoff made the score 2-1. The Cards had a chance to tie the game when they were awarded a penalty stroke with 15 seconds remaining in regulation, but Elisa Garcia's attempt was stopped by Wake goalkeeper Valerie Dahmen.

Up Next: Louisville will resume ACC play on Oct. 9 when league-leader and second-ranked Syracuse visits Trager Stadium for an ESPN3 game.

Cards against the opponents
No. 5 Duke
Series Record: Duke leads 7-3
Last Meeting: Oct. 3, 2014 – UL won 2-1 at Trager Stadium
Recapping the 2014 matchup: Erin McCrudden and Elisa Garcia each scored first-half goals and the No. 12 University of Louisville field hockey team held on to beat No. 4 Duke 2-1 in an ACC matchup at Trager Stadium. Martine Chichizola put the Blue Devils on the scoreboard in the second half.
Scouting the Blue Devils:
• Duke brings a 6-3 record into the weekend and recently moved up to No. 5 in this week's National Field Hockey Association Coaches poll after beating No. 12 Delaware 5-1 last weekend. The Blue Devils stand fifth in the ACC with an 0-2 league record.
• Ashley Kristen leads the team offensively with 17 points (4G, 9A) and leads nation with nine assists in nine games. Heather Morris has registered a team-best six goals on the season. Goalkeeper Lauren Blazing (5-3) carries a 1.63 goals against average with 46 saves on the season.
•The Blue Devils are coached by Pam Bustin who is in her fifth season at Duke. Prior to that, Bustin spent 13 seasons as Louisville's head coach.

Massachusetts
Series Record: UL leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 8, 2003 – UL won 5-0 at Trager Stadium
Recapping the 2003 matchup: Lisa Wasser, Jen Payne, Desire Miller, Olivia Netzler and Shelby Summers each scored in the Cards' 5-0 win over UMass at Trager Stadium.
Scouting the Minutewomen: UMass brings a 5-4 record into the weekend prior to an Oct. 2 Atlantic 10 conference game at Saint Louis. The Minutewomen are coming off of a 1-0 loss to No. 9 Stanford last weekend.
• The Minutewomen are led by Izzie Delario's 12 points (2G, 8A). Melanie Kreusch and Sara Hawkshaw lead the team with five goals apiece. Goalkeeper Sam Carlino (5-4) carries a 1.89 goals-against average with 49 saves on the season.
• NOTE: Prior to becoming Louisville's head coach in 2011, Justine Sowry spent four seasons at the helm for the Minutewomen.

Louisville ranked No. 9 in NFHCA poll
The University of Louisville field hockey team is ranked No. 9 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll released on Sept. 29. The Cards dropped one spot after a 2-1 loss to No. 7 Wake Forest, but remain in the top 10 for the third straight week. Louisville opened the 2015 season at No. 12.
• This marks the 25th straight week the Cardinals have appeared in the top 20 rankings dating back to the 2013 season. The Cards finished 2014 ranked 10th in the final poll. Last season, Louisville spent six weeks in the top 10.
• On Oct. 7, 2014, Louisville appeared at No. 5 in the coaches' poll marking the second top-five appearance in program history with Louisville achieving a program-best No. 4 ranking in the 2002 season.
• All seven ACC teams were included in the NFHCA's top 11. It marks the 29th consecutive poll that the entire league has been ranked, a streak dating back to October 2012.

Louisville among nation's leaders (Part 2)
The Cardinals rank among the top 20 in shutouts per game (4^th/0.44), penalty corners per game (9^th/8.00), goals against average (13^th/1.44), scoring margin (16th/1.33) and winning percentage.
• Freshman goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran is No. 14 with a 1.38 goals against average. Her .733 save percentage stands at No. 19 in the nation.

Balanced attack
The Cardinals have outscored opponents 25-13 on the season with 10 different players recording goals and five players with two or more goals.

Tough stretch
This weekend, the Cardinals will face No. 5 Duke, marking the sixth straight ranked opponent they have faced. The stretch started Sept. 11 against then-No. 6 Virginia (L, 3-4) and continued with No. 17 Liberty (W, 2-1). Louisville then traveled to No. 3 North Carolina (L, 0-5) and No. 19 James Madison (W, 5-0) before returning home to face No. 8 Wake Forest (L, 1-2). On Oct. 9, the Cards will face No. 2 Syracuse.

Louisville No. 9 in the NCAA RPI
The Cardinals are currently No. 9 in the RPI released by the NCAA on Sept. 29. Seven of Louisville's 2015 opponents are included in the top 20 with all seven ACC teams listed in the top 10. Below is a list of Louisville's opponents in the top 10 of the RPI.
1 - Syracuse
2 - North Carolina
4 - Duke
6 – Virginia
7 - Wake Forest
8 - Liberty
10 - Boston College

Home Sweet Home
Louisville has a 3-2 record at Trager Stadium and is now 20-3 at home since the beginning of the 2013 season.
• The Cards were 8-1 at Trager in 2014. On Oct. 17, 2014 Louisville fell 2-1 in overtime to No. 17 Boston College, snapping a 16 -game home victory streak dating back to the 2012 season.
• Prior to the Boston College loss in 2014, the Cards' last home loss came on Nov. 2, 2012 when they fell 2-1 in overtime to then-No. 5 Connecticut in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship.
• In 2013, UofL posted a perfect 10-0 record at Trager Stadium, going undefeated at home for the first time in school history.

Garcia, Woods earn preseason All-ACC honors
• Elisa Garcia and Nicole Woods were selected to the Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey team and the Cardinals were picked to finish sixth in the league according to a vote of the league's seven head coaches.
• Garcia (Santiago, Chile), a senior midfielder and team co-captain, is a two-time All-National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) West Region selection. In 2014, the three-year starter led the Cardinals with 27 points and 13 assists.
• Woods (Beverly, Mass.) a sophomore midfielder/back was recently named to USA Field Hockey's Under 21 team after serving on the U19 team in 2014. As a freshman, Woods earned a starting role for the Cardinals and scored three goals with four assists for 10 points.
• North Carolina, which has reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship each of the past six years, garnered four votes for first place and edged out Syracuse for the top spot. The Orange, which advanced to the national championship game last year, collected two first place votes and 31 points. Duke was selected on one ballot to win the league and stands third in the preseason poll. Virginia, Wake Forest, Louisville, and Boston College round out the preseason poll.

Woods and Stone selected to USA Field Hockey's Junior National Teams
Sophomore Nicole Woods was selected to the Under-21 squad while incoming freshman Taylor Stone was named to the Under-19 squad.
• Members of the junior national teams were selected from the Junior National Camp which was comprised of the top 110 athletes selected from Young Women's National Championship, National Futures Championship and Futures Elite Championship. Louisville head coach Justine Sowry served as a coach for the 2015 USA U21 camp.
• Woods, a forward/midfielder from Beverly, Mass., was selected to the 2014 USA U19 squad and recently traveled to Belgium with the team. As a freshman, Woods played in all 21 of Louisville's games and scored three goals while dishing out four assists.
• Stone, a back from Herndon, Va., was a member of the 2013-14 USA Field Hockey team. She also represented the United States in the 2013 Maccabiah Games.

McFerran, Irish National Team compete in World League Games
Ayeisha McFerran is not your typical freshman making the adjustment to Division I field hockey. The goalkeeper from Larne, Northern Ireland, is also the youngest member of Ireland's National Team and has earned 24 senior caps. She competed in the 2015 World League Round 3 Games in Valencia where the Irish posted an eighth place finish. While playing in the World League 2 tournament, McFerran came off the bench to help the Irish national team beat Canada in an overtime shootout and win the championship.

Netzler-Gray returns to Louisville – on the sidelines
Louisville field hockey fans will see a familiar face on the sidelines this season. Former Cardinal great Olivia Netzler-Gray has returned to her alma mater and is in her first season as an assistant coach. Netzler-Gray (2001-03) was a two-time NFHCA All-Region selection and still ranks among the program's top 10 leaders in career goals and points.

No. 9 Field Hockey Travels to No. 5 Duke Friday, Hosts UMass Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Stephanie Byrne

Elisa Garcia

Erin McCrudden

Ayeisha McFerran

Taylor Stone

Nicole Woods

University of Louisville Athletics