No. 9 Field Hockey Travels to No. 13 Boston College, Northeastern

The ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will travel to Boston College for its final ACC contest Friday at 4 p.m. The Cardinals will then face Northeastern Sunday at 1 p.m.

Cardinal Quick Hits:
• Louisville (8-5, 0-5 ACC) is ranked No. 9 in the most recent NFHCA Coaches Poll released on Oct. 13.
• The Cardinals are led offensively by sophomore Stephanie Byrne who has six goals on the season. Sophomore Nicole Woods also has 12 points with four goals and four assists on the season.
• Freshman goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran (8-5) carries a 1.26 goals against average with league-best six shutouts in 13 games.
• Senior Elisa Garcia needs two more points to move to No. 9 on the school's career points list and four more assists to move to No. 4 on the all-time assist list.

Last weekend: The Cardinals went 1-1 on the weekend after a 2-1 setback against top-ranked Syracuse, but rebounded to beat Ohio State 1-0.
#1 Syracuse 2 - #11 Louisville 1
Louisville rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit when senior Elisa Garcia scored on a penalty corner midway through the second half. With just under six minutes remaining in the game, Syracuse was awarded a penalty stroke and Roos Weers converted her attempt to give the Orange the 2-1 win.
#11 Louisville 1 - Ohio State 0
Junior Lotta Kahlert provided the only scoring in the 10th minute of the game when she connected on a penalty corner rebound. Freshman Ayeisha McFerran collected three saves en route to her sixth shutout of the season as the Cards beat host Ohio State 1-0.

Up Next: The Cardinals will return to Trager Stadium to kick off a three-game home stand against Central Michigan on Oct. 25.

Cards against the opponents
No. 13 Boston College
Series Record: BC leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 2014 - BC won 2-1 in overtime at Trager Stadium.
Recapping the 2014 matchup: Boston College took a 1-0 lead on Eryn McCoy's first half goal, but the Cards responded with a goal from Elisa Garcia in the 58th minute of the game. In the fourth minute of overtime, McCoy's second goal of the contest lifted the Eagles to a 2-1 victory.
• The loss snapped Louisville's 16-game win streak at Trager Stadium.
Scouting the Eagles: Boston College brings a 7-6 overall record and an 0-4 mark in ACC play into the weekend. The Eagles are No. 13 in the most recent NFHCA coaches poll released on Oct. 13.
• The Eagles are coming off of a 4-2 win over New Hampshire on Sunday. Prior to that, BC fell 2-1 to No. 4 Duke in an ACC matchup Friday.
• Emily McCoy leads the team with seven goals and has dished out four assists for 18 points.
• Leah Settipane (7-6) carries a 1.91 goals against average with 79 saves and two shutouts in 13 games played.

Northeastern
Series Record: UL leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 22, 2013 - Louisville won 1-0 at Northeastern
Recapping the last matchup: The No. 19 University of Louisville field hockey team scored two goals in the final 14 minutes of the game to overcome a 1-0 deficit and defeat Northeastern 2-1 Sunday afternoon at Trager Stadium. Erin Schneidtmiller and Alyssa Voelmle accounted for Louisville's second-half goals while Lindsay Bennett gave Northeastern a 1-0 lead in the first half.
Scouting the Huskies: Northeastern brings a 4-10 record into the weekend.
• The Huskies are coming off a 3-1 loss to No. 18 James Madison on Sunday. Prior to that, Northeastern beat William & Mary 2-1 in a Friday matchup.
• The Huskies are led by Natalie Stewart's 14 points (5G, 4A). Becky Garner (4-10) carries a 2.78 goals against average with 100 saves in 14 games.

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 Oct. 13. The Cards moved up two spots after falling 2-1 to top-ranked Syracuse and beating Ohio State 1-0. This marks the fourth week Louisville has appeared in the top 10. The Cards opened the 2015 season at No. 12.
• This marks the 27th 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 13. It marks the 31st 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 25 in shutouts per game (2nd/0.46), penalty corners per game (9th/7.85), goals against average (12th/1.31), save percentage (.730), scoring margin (24th/.85)
• Freshman goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran is No. 10 with a 1.26 goals against average. Her .733 save percentage stands at No. 20 in the nation.

Balanced attack
The Cardinals have outscored opponents 28-17 on the season with 10 different players recording goals and eight players with two or more goals.

Tough stretch
This weekend, the Cardinals will face No. 13 Boston College this weekend marking the eighth ranked opponent in the last 10 games. 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). The past two weekends Cardinals traveled to No. 5 Duke (L, 2-0) and fell 2-1 to No. 1 Syracuse.

Louisville No. 6 in the NCAA RPI
The Cardinals are currently No. 6 in the RPI released by the NCAA on Oct. 13. Seven of Louisville's 2015 opponents are included in the top 20 with all seven ACC teams listed in the top 11. Below is a list of Louisville's opponents in the top 20 of the NCAA's RPI.
1 – North Carolina
2 - Syracuse
3 - Duke
4 – Virginia
5 - Wake Forest
7 - Liberty
12 - Boston College

Youth Factor
With the graduation of seven seniors from the 2014 team, Louisville had some experienced shoes to fill. This year's team features 12 underclassmen, five of whom have started multiple games for the Cardinals. Among the more significant underclassmen contributions:
• Freshman Ayeisha McFerran has started every game and leads the ACC with six shutouts.
• Sophomore Stephanie Byrne leads the team with six goals and is tied atop team standings with 12 points.
• Sophomore Nicole Woods also has 12 points (4G, 4A) to tie for the team lead.
• Freshman Tess Hannah has played in every game with four starts and has three goals on the season.

Home Sweet Home
Louisville has a 4-3 record at Trager Stadium and is now 21-4 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 among Louisville's career leaders
Senior Elisa Garcia has moved to No. 5 on Louisville's list for all-time assists. The midfielder currently has 28 career assists and needs four more to move into a tie for fourth with 2011 All-American Hayley Turner (2008-11). Nicole Youman (2007-10) owns the career assists record with 52.
• Garcia also currently has 68 career points, placing her at No. 10 on the school's all-time list. She needs two more to move into a three-way tie for eighth with Jen Kastelic (2002-05) and 2014 All-American Alyssa Volemle (2011-14).

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.

University of Louisville Athletics

No. 9 Field Hockey Travels to No. 13 Boston College, Northeastern

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Players Mentioned

Stephanie Byrne

Elisa Garcia

Tess Hannah

Lotta Kahlert

Ayeisha McFerran

Taylor Stone

Alyssa Voelmle

Nicole Woods

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