No. 9 Field Hockey Falls to No. 3 North Carolina

Friday, September 18

Chapel Hill, N.C.

6:00 PM

University of Louisville

(5-2 (0-2ACC))

North Carolina

(6-1 (1-1ACC))

Louisville

North Carolina

September 18, 2015 | Field Hockey

Box Score

Cards fall to Tar Heels 5-0 in first road loss of the season

CHAPEL HILL, N. C. – The ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team suffered its first road loss of the season with a 5-0 setback at No. 3 North Carolina Friday evening at UNC's Henry Stadium. The Cardinals fall to 5-2 (0-2 ACC) while the Tar Heels improve to 6-1 (1-1).

"When you are playing against a team like Carolina you need to bring your best and play as a team," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "We were so far from that and they made us pay in a big, big way. Not a lot of positives came out of today with the exception of Stephanie Byrne who showed tremendous character and fight. As individuals we need to take responsibility and as a team we need to collectively come together and bounce back for Sunday's game."

The teams played through 25 scoreless minutes before North Carolina broke through with a penalty corner goal from Casey DiNardo who tipped Julia Young's shot past Louisville's freshman goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran. Less than three minutes later, the Tar Heels struck again with a goal from Lauren Moyer. The UNC offense continued when Emily Wood added another goal to make the score 3-0 with under three minutes remaining in the half.

North Carolina took the 3-0 lead into the break after outshooting Louisville 6-4 and holding a 3-1 advantage in corners.

The Tar Heels continued to attack in the opening minutes of the second half, firing off seven shots and drawing two corners before Nina Notman connected on the first of her two goals in the game at the 51:45 mark. Ten minutes later, Notman gave North Carolina a 5-0 lead which stood for the remainder of the game.

In the second half, UNC outshot Louisville 9-4 and totaled a 15-8 advantage in the game. Each team had two corners in the second half, but the Tar Heels held a 5-3 edge overall. McFerran (5-2) posted four saves – all in the second half. UNC's Shannon Johnson (6-1) had two stops in the game.

The Cardinals (5-2, 0-2 ACC) will stay in Chapel Hill where they will face No. 19 James Madison Sunday at 11 a.m.

NOTES: This marks the first time Louisville has been shut out since Nov. 8, 2013 when Old Dominion defeated the Cardinals 2-0 in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship.