No. 11 Field Hockey Travels to No. 5 North Carolina

The University of Louisville field hockey team will wrap up a three-game road stretch this weekend when the No. 11 Cardinals travel to North Carolina to face their ninth ranked opponent in the last 11 games with an ACC matchup against the No. 5 Tar Heels on Saturday.

Cardinal Quick Hits
• Louisville enters the weekend with a 10-4 overall record and a 3-1 mark in ACC play and currently in a three-way tie for first in league standings with North Carolina and Virginia. The Cardinals are ranked No. 11 in the NFHCA Coaches' Poll, marking UofL's 49th straight appearance in the top 20 dating back to the 2013 season.
• Last weekend, the Cards pushed their win streak to six straight games with a pair of road wins starting with a 4-1 upset of No. 8 Boston College and ending with a 5-2 win over New Hampshire.
• Sophomore Minout Mink leads the team with eight goals and 18 points. Senior co-captain Nicole Woods follows closely with 17 points (6G, 5A). Freshman Marisas Martin Pelegrina rounds out the top three scorers with 14 points (4G, 6A).
• Ayeisha McFerran (6-3), holds a 1.65 goals against average in 11 appearances after being sidelined due to injury for the first three games of the season.
• Justine Sowry is in her seventh season at the helm for the Cardinals. The 2016 NFHCA West Region Coach of the Year has compiled a 90-45 record at Louisville and has an overall 148-76 record while in her 11th season as a head coach.
• The Cards were picked to finish fourth in the ACC preseason coaches' poll. Ayeisha McFerran, Minout Mink and Nicole Woods earned All-ACC preseason honors.
• UofL went 15-6 in 2016 and earned their third consecutive NCAA at-large bid. Louisville returns 14 letterwinners from last year's team and welcomes 10 newcomers.

The Weekend Ahead
Oct. 14
Louisville at North Carolina
Time: 1 p.m.
Location: Durham, N.C.
Venue: Duke's Williams Field at Jack Katz Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra
Live Scoring: goheels.com
Twitter Updates: @ULFieldHockey

Cards against the opponent
Series History: UNC leads 4-3
Last Meeting: Nov. 3, 2017 - UNC won 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship.
• Lauren Moyer's penalty corner goal after time expired lifted No. 5 North Carolina to a 3-2 win over Louisville in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship.
• The eighth-ranked Cardinals built a 2-0 lead, but it wasn't enough as fifth-ranked North Carolina scored three goals in the second half including the game-winner with no time left on the clock.
Scouting the Tar Heels: No. 5 North Carolina enters the weekend with an 11-2 overall record. The Tar Heels are tied for first with Louisville and Virginia in ACC standings and bring an eight-game win streak into Saturday's matchup up.
• North Carolina is led offensively by midfielder Ashley Hoffman with 23 points (9G, 5A) and forward Gab Major with 22 points (6G, 10A). Catherine Hayden follows with 16 points (7G, 2A).
• In goal, Amanda Hendry (11-2) carries a 0.92 goals against average with 32 saves and three shutouts on the season.

Up next
The Cardinals will wrap up ACC play face fourth-ranked Virginia at Trager Stadium, Oct. 21 at 12 p.m. Louisville will finish out regular season at home against No. 3 Michigan on Oct. 22 at 12p.m. and Ohio on Oct. 29 at 1 p.m.

Last weekend: The Cardinals extended their win streak to six games and improved their overall to 10-4 with a 3-1 mark in ACC play after a 4-1 win over No. 8 Boston College Friday and a 5-2 victory against New Hampshire Sunday.

#11 Louisville 4 - #8 Boston College 1
Madison Walsh and Taylor Stone each scored a pair of goals and Ayeisha McFerran collected seven saves to help lead the 11th-ranked Cardinals to a 4-1 win over host eight-ranked Boston College in an ACC matchup Friday evening at BC's Field Hockey Complex.
• McFerran posted a season-high seven saves in the contest while Sarah Dwyer had three stops for Boston College. In the game, BC outshot the Cardinals 13-9 and held a 4-2 edge in corners.

#11 Louisville 5 - New Hampshire 2
Senior Marigrace Ragsdale scored two goals and dished out a pair of assists to lead the No. 11 Cardinals to a 5-2 win over host New Hampshire Sunday afternoon at Memorial Field. With the victory, the Cardinals extend their win streak to six games.
• Louisville goalkeeper junior Ayeisha McFerran collected two saves to get the win while Rudert had four stops for the Wildcats. In the game, Louisville outshot New Hampshire 15-11 and had a 5-2 edge in corners.

Young and talented
The Cardinals' 2017 roster features nine freshmen and six sophomores. Louisville's starting lineup has featured as many as three freshmen and three sophomores with all active underclassmen seeing playing time.
• Freshman Marisa Martin Pelegrina leads teh team with 13 points (4G, 5A). Sophomore Minout Mink has scored a team-high five goals and stands second with 11 points. Fellow sophomore goalkeeper Hollyn Barr carries a 4-1 record and 1.12 goals against average.

Balanced offense
Louisville has scored 34 goals through 14 games this season with nine different players accounting for the offensive output. Sophomore Minout Mink leads the team with eight goals while senior Nicole Woods follows with six scores. Senior Marigrace Ragsdale and junior Taylor Stone have five goals apiece.

Mink Shines
With a team-best eight goals on the season, sophomore Minout Mink is picking up where she left off after last year's impressive rookie campaign. She garnered 2016 NFHCA All-West Region first team and All-ACC second team honors after leading the team with 15 goals, setting a school record for goals scored by a freshman.

Louisville stands at No. 12 in the RPI
The NCAA has released its fourth RPI report of the season and the Cardinals stand at No. 12, up one spot from last week. UofL is no stranger to facing quality competition and this season is no different with 11 of its 18 opponents appearing among the top 20. Below is a list of Louisville's 2017 opponents who are included in the NCAA's top 25 RPI.
2. Duke
3. Michigan
4. Virginia
5. Northwestern
6. North Carolina
7. Boston College
9. Delaware
10. Syracuse
14. Wake Forest
15. James Madison
16. Maryland

Cards No. 11 in NFHCA Rankings
UofL is No. 11 in the 2017 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Poll released on Oct. 10, staying in the same spot after defeating No. 8 Boston College and New Hampshire on the road last weekend. The Cards spent two weeks in the top 10 after debuting at No. 9 - their highest preseason ranking in program history.
• On Sept. 12, the Cardinals snapped a streak of 12 straight weeks in the top 10 for Cardinals have appeared in the NFHCA top 10 in 12 straight ranking periods dating back to Sept. 8, 2016. UofL finished last season at No. 9 after posting a 15-6 overall record and earning its third-straight NCAA tournament bid.
• This marks the 49th straight week the Cardinals have appeared in the top 20 rankings dating back to the 2013 season.
• 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.

ACC strong
All seven ACC field hockey programs are ranked among the top 20 in the nation. The league boasts five teams in the top 10: Duke (No. 2), Virginia (No. 4), North Carolina (No. 5), Syracuse (No. 7), and Boston College (No. 10) while Louisville stands and No. 11 and Wake Forest follows at No. 12.
• Every ACC field hockey team has been ranked for the entirety of the last four seasons, a streak that dates to October of 2012 and includes 51 consecutive NFHCA Polls.

Cards Sweep First 2017 ACC Weekly Honors
Marisa Martin Pelegrina has been named ACC Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week, while teammate Hollyn Barr was named Defensive Player of the Week.
• Martin Pelegrina made an impressive college debut with two goals and two assists in the Cardinals' season-opening 4-1 win over Indiana on Friday. In that game, she played a part in each of Louisville goals, her two shots in the game resulted in a pair of goals and she delivered assists on the other two goals in the 4-1 win. On Sunday, the freshman dished out her third assist of the season to give the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead against reigning national champion, No. 3 Delaware. Martin Pelegrina led the Cardinals on the weekend with two goals, three assists and seven points.
•Barr finished the weekend with a 2-0 record, tallied 13 saves and while posting a 1.00 goals against average and an .867 save percentage.

Tough road ahead
Twelve of Louisville's 18 opponents appear in the NFHCA preseason top 25. In addition to their ACC opponents, the Cardinals' non-conference slate features matchups against No. 4 Michigan, No. 7 Delaware, No. 10 Northwestern, No. 16 James Madison, No. 17 Maryland and No. 24 American.

Home Sweet Home
Louisville is off to an impressive start to the 2017 season with a 6-0 record at Trager Stadium, bringing its home tally to 38-6 since the 2013 season. In 2016, the Cards posted a 7-2 record at Trager Stadium.
• 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 28-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.

International experience
The Cardinals' roster is bolstered by several players who have gained valuable experience within their countries' national programs. The following is a list of players and their national squads.
Marisa Martin Pelegrina - German U18 Team
Ayeisha McFerran - Irish National Team (2015-present)
        • World League 2 Champions (Goalkeeper of the Tournament)
        • Seventh place finish in World League Semifinals
Meghan Schneider - U.S. U19 Team
Taylor Stone - U.S. U21 Team (USA/England Tour Roster); Also played in 2017 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem
Nicole Woods - U.S. National Team (Summer 2017)
        • 2017 World League Champions (Johannesburg, S.A.)
        • Bronze Medal 2017 Pan American Cups (Lancaster, Pa.)

Championship City
Louisville's Trager Stadium will serve as the host site for two major field hockey championships in November 2017. UofL will kick off the postseason by hosting the ACC Championship Nov. 2-5 and two weeks later will welcome the NCAA DI final four teams. Additionally, Trager Stadium is proud to stage the DI, DII and DIII title games on Nov. 19.
• While this will be the first time the Cardinals have hosted the ACC Championship, it will be the sixth time that Trager Stadium will serve as the host site for the NCAA Division I Field Hockey National Championship. The event was also staged on the Cardinals' home field in 2002, 2005, 2008 and 2011. Trager Stadium has also been selected as the host site for the 2018 NCAA Field Hockey Championship.
• In addition, the NCAA Division II Championship was played at the facility in 2010. Located in Cardinal Park on the UofL campus, Trager Stadium opened in 2000 and was expanded in 2008 with a seating capacity of 2,500.

Cards picked to finish fourth in ACC
The University of Louisville field hockey team was picked to finish fourth in the ACC according to a vote of the league's seven head coaches. The Cardinals led the conference with three players selected to the Preseason All-ACC team with senior Nicole Woods, junior Ayeisha McFerran and sophomore Minout Mink earning the honor.
• Woods (Beverly, Mass.) picks up her second straight ACC preseason accolade. The three-year starter is a two-time All-ACC and NFHCA All-Region pick and is a member of USA Field Hockey's National Team.
•McFerran (Larne, Northern Ireland) is also making her second appearance on the ACC Preseason Team. The two-time All-America selection and member of the Irish National Team led the league with six shutouts and stood second with a 1.27 goals-against average last season.
• Mink (Haaksbergen, Netherlands) earned NFHCA All-West region honors after leading the Cards with 15 goals and 33 points in 2016.

2017 ACC Field Hockey Preseason Poll
1. North Carolina (1) - 31
2. Duke (2) - 27
2. Syracuse (2) - 27
4. Louisville (1) - 22
5. Virginia (1) - 21
6. Wake Forest - 12
7. Boston College - 7

University of Louisville Athletics

Related News

Players Mentioned

Hollyn Barr

Marisa Martin Pelegrina

Ayeisha McFerran

Minout Mink

Marigrace Ragsdale

Meghan Schneider

Taylor Stone

Madison Walsh

Nicole Woods

Related Videos