Field Hockey to Face Northwestern in NCAA First Round in Ann Arbor

The No. 10-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich. to face No. 9 Northwestern in the first round of the 2017 NCAA Field Hockey Championship Saturday, Nov. 11. Host third-ranked Michigan the tournament's overall No. 3 seed, will face 11^th-ranked Syracuse the other first round matchup Saturday. This marks Louisville's fourth consecutive NCAA at-large bid and the seventh overall in program history.

The winner of the first and second rounds will advance to the NCAA semifinals which will take place Nov. 17 at Louisville's Trager Stadium., with the national championship game being played on Nov. 17 at 2 p.m.

"I'm very proud of what we've accomplished the last four days in the ACC tournament," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "This is the first time that we've made the NCAA tournament four years in a row and I'm incredibly proud of that and of our three seniors who have experienced that. This will also be the first time that we will be getting on a bus to travel up to Michigan. It's going to be a hard bracket, but every bracket is going to be difficult and a challenge. But what an amazing opportunity. Each of these teams we are familiar with so it's going to be one heck of a weekend."

Louisville has played all three opponents in the Ann Arbor bracket this season. Louisville fell 2-0 at Northwestern on Sept. 19. The Cardinals lost a 6-0 decision to Michigan at Trager Stadium on Oct. 22 and defeated Syracuse twice with a 3-2 double overtime win in the regular season on Sept. 29 and 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship on Nov. 2.

Ticket Information:

Single-day tickets for the first/second rounds are priced at $8 for adults, $5 for students 18 and under and $3 per ticket for groups of 10 or more. Fans can also purchase all-session passes at $16 for adults and $10 for students. All tickets will be general admission.

Tickets may be purchased online at MGoBlue.com/tickets, by phone (734-764-0247 or 1-866-296-6849) or in person at the U-M Ticket Office (1000 S. State St.).

About Louisville:
The Cardinals (14-7) are coming off of a 1-0 loss to No. 6 North Carolina in the finals of the ACC Championship Sunday afternoon at Louisville's Trager Stadium.

Louisville finished tied for second in the ACC regular season standings with a 4-2 conference record and earned the No. 3 seed in the ACC Championship. The four ACC wins were the most for the Cards since joining the conference in 2014.

Cards vs. the field
Northwestern
Series Record: UL leads 7-2
Last meeting: Sept. 19, 2017 - Northwestern won 2-0 in Evanston.
Shots: NU 18 - UL 11
Penalty Corners: NU 12 - UL 5
Saves: McFerran (UL) 6, Kalfas (NU) 4
Goals: Mansfield (NU) (2)
Scouting the Wildcats: Northwestern is making its 14th overall NCAA appearance and its first since 2004. The Wilcats enter the NCAA tournament after falling to Michigan in the Big Ten semifinals on Nov. 2. The Wildcats carry a 14-6 overall record and went 6-2 in Big Ten play. to tied for second in the conference regular season.
• Pascale Massey leads the team with 14 goals and has dished out four assists to stand second on the team with 32 points. Puck Pentenga has scored 10 goals and leads the team with 17 assists and 37 points.
• Annie Kalfas carries a 1.72 goals against average with three shutouts this season.

Quick Hits
• In addition to Louisville, five other ACC teams earned NCAA bids including the overall No. 2 seed Duke, the No. 4 seed North Carolina, Virginia, which will serve as a host site, Syracuse and Wake Forest.

• The Cardinals are led in scoring by sophomore two-time All-ACC selection Minout Mink who has 10 goals and 23 points. Ayeisha McFerran carries a 1.85 goals against average after being sidelined by injury for the first three games of the season.

• UofL placed four players on the All-ACC teams: Ayeisha McFerran earned her second All-ACC first team nod, while Nicole Woods garners her fourth. Minout Mink was named to the second team for the second straight year and Taylor Stone makes her All-ACC debut on the second team.

• 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 94-47 record at Louisville and has an overall 152-77 record while in her 11th season as a head coach.

Up Last:
• Louisville earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after posting a runner-up finish in the ACC Championship at its own Trager Stadium after winning their first quarterfinal game since joining the league in 2014. Louisville defeated Syracuse 3-2 in the quarterfinals and followed with a thrilling 3-2 shootout victory against No. 2 Duke in the semifinals to reach the title game where they fell 1-0 to North Carolina.
• McFerran, sophomore Carter Ayars and freshman Alli Bitting were named to the ACC All-Tournament team.

Cards in the NCAA Tournament
2016 – First round (at Duke)
                #8 Delaware 1 - #9 Louisville 0
2015 – First round (at Connecticut)
                #3 Connecticut 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

University of Louisville Athletics

Field Hockey to Face Northwestern in NCAA First Round in Ann Arbor

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Players Mentioned

Carter Ayars

Alli Bitting

Ayeisha McFerran

Minout Mink

Taylor Stone

Nicole Woods

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