No. 9 Field Hockey Tops Rutgers 1-0 in Regular Season Finale
November 01, 2015 | Field Hockey
Woods scores lone goal of the game, McFerran notches ninth shutout of the season as Cards beat Rutgers 1-0 on senior day
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team celebrated senior day with a 1-0 win over Rutgers in its regular season finale Sunday at Trager Stadium. Sophomore Nicole Woods scored the lone goal of the game and freshman goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran collected four saves en route to the Cardinals' ninth shutout of the season. Louisville improves to 13-5 while Rutgers drops to 7-11.
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"It was a must-win game for us today and to be able to get it done on senior day is very special," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "Give a lot of credit to Rutgers, they're a tough opponent. They're physical, they play hard and they use a style that we're not really used to. We played some okay hockey, but then we got off base a little bit and didn't play to our identity, so that part was disappointing. But it was important to get the win and now we really need to take care of ourselves as we have very short turnaround really before our ACC game against North Carolina."
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The teams were locked in a midfield battle with Louisville firing off three shots before the Cardinals broke through in the 20th minute of the game. Senior Elisa Garcia sent a shot toward the cage and Woods tipped it past Rutgers goalkeeper Shevaun Hayes. Woods' team-best ninth goal of the season proved to be the only goal in the game for either team.
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The Cardinals took the 1-0 lead into halftime after outshooting the Scarlett Knights 4-1 while each team had one penalty corner.
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In the opening minutes of the second half, Rutgers went on the attack, firing off two quick shots, both of which were stopped by McFerran. The Cardinals went on to gain a 7-5 edge in shots and a 4-2 advantage in corners. With 2:32 left in regulation, the Scarlet Knights pulled Hayes in favor of an extra field player. Rutgers gained possession on its end of the field with just over a minute remaining, but a cross by Linde van Schaik came up empty and the Cardinals held the ball on their end of the field for the final 30 second to secure the shutout.
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Hayes (7-11) finished the game with three saves.
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McFerran (13-5) moves into a three-way tie for first on the school's single-season list for shutouts. Louisville's nine shutouts on the season are the most since 2001. The school record for shutouts is 10 and was set in 1980.
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With her assist to the win over Rutgers, Garcia gained sole possession of third place on Louisville's list for career assists with 36 and needs two more to tie for second. She also stands at seventh on the Cardinals' all-time points list with 74.
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Prior to the game, the Cardinals honored seniors Megan Anstotz, Elisa Garcia, Katharine Gwynne-Wood and Victoria Stratton.
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Louisville returns to action on Nov. 5 when the Cardinals face No. 3 North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. The championship will be hosted by the University of Virginia and will take place Nov. 5-8 in Charlottesville, Va.
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"It was a must-win game for us today and to be able to get it done on senior day is very special," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "Give a lot of credit to Rutgers, they're a tough opponent. They're physical, they play hard and they use a style that we're not really used to. We played some okay hockey, but then we got off base a little bit and didn't play to our identity, so that part was disappointing. But it was important to get the win and now we really need to take care of ourselves as we have very short turnaround really before our ACC game against North Carolina."
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The teams were locked in a midfield battle with Louisville firing off three shots before the Cardinals broke through in the 20th minute of the game. Senior Elisa Garcia sent a shot toward the cage and Woods tipped it past Rutgers goalkeeper Shevaun Hayes. Woods' team-best ninth goal of the season proved to be the only goal in the game for either team.
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The Cardinals took the 1-0 lead into halftime after outshooting the Scarlett Knights 4-1 while each team had one penalty corner.
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In the opening minutes of the second half, Rutgers went on the attack, firing off two quick shots, both of which were stopped by McFerran. The Cardinals went on to gain a 7-5 edge in shots and a 4-2 advantage in corners. With 2:32 left in regulation, the Scarlet Knights pulled Hayes in favor of an extra field player. Rutgers gained possession on its end of the field with just over a minute remaining, but a cross by Linde van Schaik came up empty and the Cardinals held the ball on their end of the field for the final 30 second to secure the shutout.
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Hayes (7-11) finished the game with three saves.
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McFerran (13-5) moves into a three-way tie for first on the school's single-season list for shutouts. Louisville's nine shutouts on the season are the most since 2001. The school record for shutouts is 10 and was set in 1980.
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With her assist to the win over Rutgers, Garcia gained sole possession of third place on Louisville's list for career assists with 36 and needs two more to tie for second. She also stands at seventh on the Cardinals' all-time points list with 74.
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Prior to the game, the Cardinals honored seniors Megan Anstotz, Elisa Garcia, Katharine Gwynne-Wood and Victoria Stratton.
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Louisville returns to action on Nov. 5 when the Cardinals face No. 3 North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. The championship will be hosted by the University of Virginia and will take place Nov. 5-8 in Charlottesville, Va.
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Players Mentioned
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/ Field HockeyFH: Justine Sowry Postgame Press Conference
Tuesday, November 04
FH: Justine Sowry on the 2025 senior class
Saturday, November 01
FH: Highlights vs No. 9 Syracuse
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FH: Highlights vs #19 Cal
Saturday, October 18
