Cards Set for NCAA Field Hockey Tournament

NCAA First & Second Rounds
Durham, N.C. |Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium
Television/Live Scoring: GoDuke.com
Schedule
November 12
Game 1: #1 Duke vs. American - 11:30 a.m.
Game 2: #9 Louisville vs. #8 Delaware - 2 p.m.
November 13
Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Game 2 - 2 p.m.

The University of Louisville field hockey team is set to compete in its third straight NCAA tournament this weekend when the ninth-ranked Cardinals travel to Durham, N.C. to take on No. 8 Delaware Saturday at 2 p.m. on Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium. The game will be shown on the Blue Devil Network on GoDuke.com.

"I couldn't be prouder of our program for making it three years in a row," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "It's one of the toughest sports to make the NCAA tournament and for our team to do it convincingly, I'm just really proud of the season we've had."

Setting the Stage:
While Duke's turf is a familiar setting, Delaware will provide a new challenge for the Cardinals. The teams have only met three times with the Blue Hens winning the first two matchups 3-2 in 2002 and 1-0 in overtime in 2004. In their most recent meeting Louisville won 5-2 in the 2011 Champions Challenge which was hosted by Duke and played at Jack Katz Stadium.

About Delaware:
Eighth-ranked Delaware (19-2) earned the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA tournament after clinching its fourth-straight conference title - and extending its current win streak to 15 games. Sophomore standout Greta Hauck leads the nation with 29 goals and 67 points and is the current NFHCA National Offensive Player of the Week.

What's at Stake:
The winner of Saturday's game will move on to face the winner of the other first round game between the tournament's overall top seed, No. 1 Duke and No. 19 American University which is coming off of a 2-1 win over Kent State in Wednesday's NCAA play-in game.

Sunday's second round game will start at 2 p.m. with the winner earning a spot in the NCAA semifinals which will take place Nov. 18 at Old Dominion's L.R. Hill Complex in Norfolk, Va., The national championship game is slated for Nov. 20.

Cards against the Rest of the Field
Louisville vs. Duke
Series History: Duke leads 9-3
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2016 - Duke won 2-1 at Trager Stadium.
• The Cardinals snapped their season-opening six game win streak with 2-1 loss to then-No. 2 Duke in their ACC opener at Trager Stadium. After the Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead, Taylor Stone evened the score at 1-1 in the second half, but Hunter Bracale's goal with under eight minutes left in the game lifted the Blue Devils to the 2-1 victory.
Scouting the Blue Devils: No. 1 Duke (15-3) earned the program's first ACC regular season title with a 5-1 mark in conference play. The Blue Devils fell to North Carolina 3-2 in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament last weekend. Alyssa Chillano and Heather Morris pace Duke offensively with 11 goals apiece. Goalkeeper Sammi Steele carries a 1.37 goals against average with four shutouts on the season.
•The Blue Devils are coached by Pam Bustin who is in her sixth season at Duke. Prior to that, Bustin spent 13 seasons (1998-2010) as Louisville's head coach.

Louisville vs American
Series History: Louisville leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 18, 2011 - Louisville won 1-0 in Washington D.C.
Scouting the Eagles: No. 19 American (14-6) is coming off of a 2-1 win over Kent State in a play-in game on Wednesday.
The Eagles reached the NCAA postseason after winning the Patriot League Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Boston University in the title game.
• Natalie Konerth leads the team with 14 goals and 29 points. Goalkeeper Maura Jacobs (11-5) carries a 1.74 goals against average with four shutouts on the season.
CARDINAL CONNECTIONS: Former Louisville field hockey standout (and Louisville, Ky. native) Erin Schneidtmiller (2010-13) is in her second season as an assistant on the American coaching staff. Additionally, Kirstin Gebhart, a former UofL assistant under Justine Sowry from 2012-13, is in her third season as an assistant coach at American.

Louisville NCAA Field Hockey Tournament History
2015 – First round (at Connecticut)
            #3 UConn 3 -#9 Louisville 0
2014 - First round (at Connecticut)
            #4 Stanford 2 - #10 Louisville 1/OT
2008 - First round (at Michigan State)
            6 Iowa 1 - 13 Louisville 0
2004 - Play-in game (at Pacific)
            Pacific 1 - Louisville 0/OT
2003 - First round (at Michigan State)
            Michigan State 2 - Louisville 0

Up Last
No. 5 North Carolina 3 - No. 8 Louisville 2
Louisville built a 2-0 lead with first half goals from Abby Grimes and Minout Mink, but UNC's Lauren Moyer delivered three goals in the half - including the game-winner with no time left on the clock to lift the Tar Heels to a 3-2 win in the ACC Quarterfinals.

The ACC in the NCAA
Six ACC schools earned berths to the 2016 NCAA Field Hockey Championship. Duke earned the top overall seed and will be a host site. Defending national champion Syracuse was also selected as a host site and enters the tournament as the No. 3 seed. Virginia clinched the league's automatic berth by winning the ACC Championship, while Boston College, Louisville, and North Carolina claimed at-large bids and will begin tournament play on the road.
• This marks the fourth straight year that at least six ACC teams have earned a postseason bid.
• The six ACC teams in the NCAA Championship are ranked in the top 11 spots in the NFHCA Poll.
• The ACC currently has streaks of 27 straight years with at least one team in the NCAA semifinals, 13 straight years with multiple teams in the semifinals, and 17 straight with at least one team in the national championship game. • Last year, Duke, North Carolina, and Syracuse advanced to the NCAA semifinals, and Syracuse took home national title.

Cards Place Five on All-ACC teams
Five UofL players were among the 23 student-athletes named to the 2016 Field Hockey All-ACC Teams. Ayeisha McFerran was selected to the first team while Erin McCrudden, Nicole Woods, Lizzie Gittens and Minout Mink earned second team honors. Louisville and North Carolina led the league with five selections each.
•McFerran, a sophomore from Larne, Northern Ireland, is making her first appearance on the All-ACC team. The goalkeeper leads the league with six shutouts and carries a 1.28 goals against average. She was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 18. She is also a 2015 NFHCA All-American and All-West Region first team selection.
•Gittens, a graduate student from Southampton, England, has started every game for the Cardinals this season. The defender stands third on the team with six goals – including three game-winners - and has 15 points. She has helped anchor a defense which has produced six shutouts and has limited opponents to 25 goals in 20 games for a 1.23 team goals against average.
•McCrudden, a senior midfielder from Putnam Valley, N.Y. leads the league with 18 assists and is tied for second on the team with 22 points. The team co-captain earned ACC Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 18 after scoring the game-winning goal against then-No. 3 North Carolina. McCrudden was recently selected to play in the NFHCA Senior Game. She was a 2015 All-West Region second team.
•Mink, a freshman forward from Haaksbergen, Netherlands, leads the team with 15 goals – five of them game-winners – and 33 points. She stands fourth in the ACC in goals and fifth in points.
•Woods, a junior from Beverly, Mass., earns All-ACC honors for the second straight year after being named to the second team in 2015. The midfielder/forward has five goals and 10 assists and stands fourth on the team with 20 points. She earned ACC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season. The 2015 NFHCA All-West Region first team selection is as member of the USA U-21 team and was named to the 2016 Junior World Cup Roster.

Louisville Earns No. 4 Seed in ACC Championship
•The Cardinals posted a 3-3 record in conference play and finished the regular season in a four-way tie for third along with North Carolina, Boston College and Virginia. The Cards earned the No. 4 seed and faced fifth-seeded North Carolina in the quarterfinals on Nov. 3.

McCrudden Selected to Play in NFHCA Senior Game
Erin McCrudden has been selected to play in the 2016 Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Senior Game which will be held on Saturday, November 19 at 2:30 p.m. at Old Dominion University.

Louisville Ranked No. 9 in NFHCA poll
Louisville is ranked ninth in the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association poll released on Nov. 8. The Cardinals dropped a spot after falling 3-2 to No. 5 North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship on Nov. 3.
• Louisville opened the season at No. 12 in the preseason poll and has since spent the last 10 weeks in the top 10.
• This marks the 42nd straight week the Cardinals have appeared in the top 20 rankings dating back to the 2013 season. 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 20. It marks the 44th consecutive poll that the entire league has been ranked, a streak dating back to October 2012.

Cards No. 9 in RPI
Louisville stands at No. 9 in the NCAA RPI report released on Nov. 7. The Cards have spent the last two weeks at No. 8 after moving up from No. 11 in the first part of the season.
• The Cardinals have posted a 2-3 record against teams ranked above them in the RPI including: No. 1 Duke (L, 1-2), No. 3 Syracuse (L, 1-2/OT), No. 5 North Carolina (W, 1-0; L, 2-3) and No. 6 Virginia (W, 3-2/OT).
• Louisville's NCAA first round opponent, Delaware sits at No. 8 in the current RPI.

Mink Shines
Freshman Minout Mink is in the midst of an impressive rookie campaign. The forward from Haaksbergen, Netherlands, leads the team with 15 goals and holds the school record for goals scored by a freshman. She also stands tied for sixth on Louisville's list for single season goals.
• Mink delivered a pair of goals in her collegiate debut and a hat trick versus Central Michigan. She registered at least one goal in Louisville's first five games, snapping the streak in the 1-0 win at Michigan State on Sept. 11.

Cards Among Nation's Leaders
The Cardinals stand among the NCAA Division I leaders in several categories as a team and individually. The following is a breakdown of Louisville's national leaders.
Ayeisha McFerran
• Goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran stands eighth in the nation with a .760 save percentage and is ninth with a 1.28 goals against average.
Erin McCrudden
• Senior Erin McCrudden is second nation in assists per game with 18 assists in 20 games
Team
•Louisville is ranked fourth in the nation with 0.35 shutouts per game, fifth with 3.05 assists per game, sixth with a 1.23 team goals against average and seventh with a .769 save percentage. UofL rounds out the top 10 with a .750 win percentage.
• The Cards stand among the top 20 in three other categories including 13th in scoring margin (1.58) and points per game (8.75). Additionally, Louisville is 19th with 6.95 penalty corners per game.

Senior Salute
Louisville honored the senior class of 2016 prior to the Oct. 16 game against Kent State. Entering this weekend the group has won 58 games while compiling an impressive 32-6 record at Trager Stadium including a perfect 10-0 mark in 2013.
• This class has helped the program reach several milestones while leading the transition into the ACC. Their teams have been a mainstay in the national top 20 rankings, while spending 21 weeks among the top 10, reaching as high as No. 5 in 2014. They have also helped lead the team to three straight NCAA appearances.
• As sophomores, they played a part in Louisville's victory over top-ranked North Carolina, notching the program's first ACC win and first victory over a No. 1 team. As freshmen, they played an integral part in winning a share of the 2013 BIG EAST regular season championship.
• The 2016 senior class has also excelled academically, earning the NFHCA Academic team award in each of their seasons here.

McCrudden and Woods dishing it out at a record pace
• Senior Erin McCrudden registered three assists in the 4-1 win at Appalachian State on Sept. 25. The feat matches a school record for assists in a single game.
• Earlier in the season, junior Nicole Woods also dished out three assist in the 7-1 win over Brown on Sept. 3.

Cards Among ACC Leaders
Louisville is ranked among the leaders in the ACC in several statistical categories including: first in goals against average (1.23) and shutouts per game 0.35. The Cards are second in assists per game (3.05), penalty corners per game (6.95) and save percentage (.769).
• Ayeisha McFerran leads the conference with six shutouts and a .760 save percentage. The sophomore is second with a 1.28 goals against average.
• Freshman Minout Mink is tied for first with five game-winning goals, fourth with 15 goals and fifth in points (33). Senior Erin McCrudden is atop the conference standings with 18 assists while junior Marigrace Ragsdale is third with 10 assists.

Calling Card - Stingy defense
Louisville has seven shutouts on the season while limiting opponents to 25 goals in 20 games.
• The 2015 Louisville defense produced nine shutouts, the most since the 2001 team also recorded nine. The school record is 10 - set in 1980.

Balanced Attack
The Cardinals have 57 goals on the season with 13 players contributing at least one goal and 11 players adding multiple scores. Freshman Minout Mink leads the way with 15 goals while senior Lotta Kahlert follows with nine.

Home Sweet Home
The Cards posted a 7-2 record at Trager Stadium this season to bring their home tally to 32-6 since the 2013.
• 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.
• Louisville carries a 24 game win streak against non-conference opponents at Trager Stadium. The Cardinals have not lost to a non-conference opponent at home since Aug. 24, 2012 when they fell to Northeastern in their season opener. - Louisville also lost a 2-1 decision to UConn on Oct. 6, 2012 when both teams were members of the BIG EAST Conference.

You've got to play the best
The Cardinals faced a challenging schedule in 2016. Eleven of their 20 opponents are currently ranked in the NFHCA's top 20 with six of those teams ranked inside the top 10.

Woods Tabbed ACC Offensive Player of the Week
Nicole Woods was named ACC Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 25.
• Woods helped lead the Cardinals to a pair of ranked wins over the weekend with two goals and a pair of assists. The junior dished out an assist to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead against No. 9 Virginia, and helped direct an attack which would eventually lead to a 3-2 overtime win. On Sunday, she registered a pair of goals and an assist as Louisville defeated No. 17 James Madison 4-2.
• Woods was also named to the NFHCA Weekly Honor Roll.

McCrudden and McFerran Earn ACC Weekly Honors
Erin McCrudden was named ACC Field Hockey Co-Offensive Player of the Week and Ayeisha McFerran was tabbed Co-Defensive Players of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 18.
• McCrudden scored the game's only goal in Louisville's 1-0 upset over No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday. The senior midfielder from Putnam Valley, N.Y., broke away from the Tar Heel defense and drilled her only shot of the game into the cage. The next day she dished out two assists to help the Cardinals overcome a 2-0 deficit to beat Kent State in the Cardinals' home finale.
• McCrudden was also named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Weekly honor roll.
• McFerran registered four saves en route to her ACC-leading sixth shutout of the season as the Cardinals upset No. 3 North Carolina. She collected eight saves as Louisville prevailed over Kent State on senior day. McFerran posted a 1.05 goals against average and an .857 save percentage on the weekend.

Kahlert Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week
Lotta Kahlert was named ACC Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Sept. 6.
• Kahlert led the Cardinals offensively with three goals as Louisville opened its home season with wins over Brown and Richmond. The team co-captain had a goal in the 7-1 win over Brown and scored twice in the 5-1 victory over Richmond.

Kahlert and McCrudden Tabbed Team Captains
The 2016 Cardinals will be look to senior captains Lotta Kahlert and Erin McCrudden to lead them on the field. Kahlert has played in every game as a Cardinal and started all 20 her junior season. McCrudden worked her way into the starting lineup in 2015 and went on to earn NFHCA All-West Region honors.

Woods Named to 2016 Junior World Cup Roster
Nicole Woods has been named to the Under-21 United States Women's National Team Junior World Cup roster. The 2016 Junior World Cup will take place November 23 – December 4 in Santiago, Chile.
• The junior forward/midfielder was selected to the 2016 Junior World Cup Roster after training with the U-21 USWNT throughout the summer which included a first place finish at the 2016 Young Women's National Championship. In March 2016, she scored five goals in the 2016 Junior Pan American Championship to help Team USA to a silver medal and an automatic berth to the Junior Women's World Cup.
• Woods was initially named to the U21 team in the summer of 2015, she competed with the team in a test series against Great Britain in January 2016. She was previously a member of the USA Field Hockey U19 squad and traveled to Belgium for a series of games.

McFerran, Woods Named to Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
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.
2016 ACC Field Hockey Preseason
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

Looking back to 2015
The Cardinals finished the 2015 campaign with a 13-7 overall record and made their second-straight NCAA appearance. Louisville was ranked No. 11 in the final Penn Monto/NFHCA National Coaches Poll and spent seven weeks among the top 10 in the nation after opening the 2015 season at No. 12.

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Players Mentioned

Hollyn Barr

Lizzie Gittens

Abby Grimes

Lotta Kahlert

Erin McCrudden

Ayeisha McFerran

Minout Mink

Marigrace Ragsdale

Taylor Stone

Nicole Woods

University of Louisville Athletics