A Pair of Ranked Opponents Up Next for No. 10 Cards

The tenth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will hit the road to take on a pair of ranked opponents this weekend. The Cardinals (11-4, 2-3 ACC) will wrap up ACC play with a match at No. 15 Syracuse (8-5, 1-4) Friday at 7 p.m. Louisville will stay in New York to face the University at Albany Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Weekend Ahead
Oct. 19 at No. 15 Syracuse, 7 p.m.
Television: ACC Network Extra
Location: Syracuse, N.Y.
Venue: J.S. Coyne Stadium
Live Scoring: Cuse.com
Twitter Updates: ULFieldHockey

Oct. 21 at Albany, 12 p.m.
Television: UAlbany Sports
Location: Albany, N.Y.
Venue: Alumni Turf
Live Scoring: UAlbanysports.com
Twitter Updates: ULFieldHockey

• The Cardinals bring an 11-4 overall record and a 2-3 mark in ACC play into the weekend. Louisville stands tied with Boston College and Wake Forest for third in the ACC while Syracuse is tied with Virginia for sixth with a 1-4 league record.
• Sophomore Bethany Russ leads the team with nine goals and 20 points - she has recorded a point in seven of the last eight games. Freshman Erica Cooper stands second on the team with eight goals and 16 points.
• Senior Katie Walsh has dished out a team-best eight assists and stands tied for fifth in the ACC in that category.
• Ayeisha McFerran stands second in the ACC with a 1.13 goals against average and is tied for the conference lead with five shutouts.
• The Cards stand at No. 10 in the NFHCA rankings released on Oct. 16. This marks the 62nd straight week Louisville has appeared in the top 20 rankings dating back to the 2013 season.
• Louisville's 1-0 win over then-No. 11 Northwestern on Sept. 16 marked head coach Justine Sowry's 100th win at UofL.
• Sowry is in her eighth season at the helm and has compiled a 105-53 record at Louisville with an overall 163-84 mark while in her 12th season as a head coach.
• UofL was picked to finish third in the 2018 Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship, according to a vote of the league's seven head coaches. Seniors Ayeisha McFerran and Taylor Stone were also named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.
• UofL finished the 2017 season with a 14-8 overall record and made its fourth straight and seventh overall NCAA appearance. The Cardinals reached the finals of the ACC championship after defeating No. 11 Syracuse 3-2 in the program's first ACC quarterfinal victory and following with a thrilling 3-2 shootout win over No. 2 Duke in the semifinals.

Cards Against the Field
Syracuse
Series History: Syracuse leads 10-5
Last Meeting: Nov. 2, 2017 -
Scouting the Orange: No. 15 Syracuse enters the weekend with an 8-5 overall record and a 1-4 mark in ACC play. Most recently, the Orange dropped a 4-1 decision at Wake Forest last Sunday. Prior to that, Syracuse picked up its first ACC win with a 2-1 overtime victory against then, No. 9 Boston College on Oct. 5.
• Roos Weers leads the team with 17 points (7G, 3A) while Chiara Gutsche has registered a team-best eight goals on the season. Borg van der Velde carries a 1.70 goals against average with two shutouts.

Cards Against the Field
Albany
Series History: Tied 1-1
Last Meeting: Sept. 30, 2012 -
Scouting the Great Danes: Albany brings a 10-3 overall record into the weekend prior to a Friday matchup against America East opponent Maine. The Great Danes have won their last three games, defeating UMass Lowell, New Hampshire and Vermont to improve to 4-1 in conference play.
•Ghislaine Beerkens leads Albany with 10 goals and 21 points while Dana Bozek follows closely with nine goals and 20 points.
•Current America East Defensive Player of the Week Melissa Nealon carries a 0.83 goals against average with five shutouts.

Up Last
Louisville 3 - Miami 2/OT
Bethany Russ's goal in overtime lifted the tenth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 3-2 win over Miami (Ohio) Sunday afternoon at Trager Stadium.
• Russ's game-winning goal came at the 1:42 mark in the overtime period after sophomore Mercedes Pastor earned a penalty corner. Sophomore Alli Bitting got the play started with a feed to Russ who fired a shot into the left side of the cage. After scoring a pair of goals in the contest, the redshirt sophomore now leads the team with a career-best nine goals, with five of them standing as game-winners.
• In the game, Louisville outshot Miami 9-7 and the RedHawks held a 6-5 advantage in corners. Senior Ayeisha McFerran collected four saves while Maddie Passarella had two stops for the RedHawks.

Duke 1 - Louisville 0/Sudden-victory shootout
The 10th ranked University of Louisville field hockey team lost 1-0 to No. 4 Duke in a sudden-victory shootout Friday evening at Trager Stadium.
• In the game, Duke held an 11-4 edge in shots and the team's earned four penalty corners apiece. McFerran collected three saves while Sammi Steele had two stops to help keep Louisville off of the scoreboard for the first time this season.

Up Next
Louisville will travel to Kent State for its regular season finale on Oct. 28. The Cardinals will then head to Raleigh, N.C. for the ACC Championship which will be held Nov. 1-4 at the University of North Carolina.
McFerran, Stone selected to NFHCA Senior Game Roster
Ayeisha McFerran and Taylor Stone were selected to the 2018 Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I Senior Game roster as announced on Oct. 17
• McFerran and Stone will compete in the contest on their home field on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. in conjunction with the NCAA Division I national championships which will be held at the University of Louisville's Trager Stadium Nov. 16 and 18.
• McFerran (Larne, Northern Ireland) has started every game for the Cardinals and has collected five shutouts, tied for the most among ACC goalkeepers. The team co-captain carries a 1.13 goals against average standing second in the ACC and eight in the nation. The three-time NFHCA all-American and all-West Region selection also stands second in the nation among active goalkeepers with 48 career victories and is ranked among the top three on Louisville's career list for wins, shutouts and goals against average.
• Stone, a midfielder/defender from Herndon, Va., stands third on the team with four goals and eight points. She has also been a valuable part of the Cardinals' defense which has produced five shutouts.   In 2017, she earned NFHCA All-America honors and was named to the All-West Region and All-ACC teams after tallying a career-best seven goals. The team co-captain has registered 15 career goals and notched 33 points.

Senior salute
On Sunday, the Cardinals will honor seniors Maria Gomez, Ayeisha McFerran, Taylor Stone and Katie Walsh. Entering the weekend, this group has won 52 games while compiling an impressive 34-10 record at Trager Stadium.
• The class has helped the program reach several milestones including NCAA appearances in each of their three seasons.
• Last season, they helped the Cardinals to a program-best 4-2 record in ACC play and finished tied for second in the conference. They each played an integral role in Louisville's historic run to the ACC finals after a dramatic shootout win over Duke in the semifinals.
• Their teams have been a mainstay in the national top 20 rankings throughout their careers, while spending 35 weeks among the top 10, reaching as high as No.7 twice.

Cards No. 16 in NCAA RPI
Louisville appears at No. 16 in the NCAA most recent RPI report released on Oct. 16 - staying in the same spot as last week after falling to No. 4 Duke in a sudden-victory shootout and edging Miami (Ohio) in overtime last weekend.
• UofL is no stranger to facing quality competition and this season is no different with seven of its 17 opponents appearing among the top 19. Below is a list of Louisville's 2018 opponents who are included among the NCAA's RPI leaders.
1. North Carolina
3. Duke
7. Syracuse
10. Wake Forest
14. Delaware
15. Boston College
20. Northwestern

Cards No. 10 in Penn Monto/NFHCA Rankings
UofL is No. 10 in the 2018 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Poll released on Oct. 16. The Cardinals stayed in the same spot after a 1-0 sudden-victory shootout loss to No. 4 and a 3-2 overtime win against Miami (Ohio) last weekend.
• This marks the seventh top-10 appearance in seven ranking periods for Cards this season. Louisville debuted at No. 8 in the preseason poll, the highest preseason ranking in program history.
• In 2017 Louisville appeared in the top 10 six times, reaching as high as No. 7 on Oct. 17, 2017.
• This marks the 62nd straight week Louisville has 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.

Stingy Defense
Senior Ayeisha McFerran and the Cardinals' defense have turned in some impressive performances lately with five shutouts.
• Overall, McFerran stands second in the ACC with a 1.13 goals against average and is tied for the conference lead with five shutouts on the season.

McFerran for the Win
Ayeisha McFerran has earned 48 career wins and currently stands second on the NCAA's list for active goalkeeper victories - one behind Penn State's Jenny Rizzo who has 49.
• Below is a breakdown of the top five active goalkeeper career victories.
Goalie- Wins
1    Jenny Rizzo , Penn St. - 49
2    Ayeisha McFerran , Louisville - 48
3    Sarah Holliday , Maryland - 47
4    Sammi Steele , Duke - 44
5    Carrera Lucas , Virginia - 40
• McFerran stepped into a starting role as a freshman and has established an impressive collegiate career, earning NFHCA All-America honors in each of her seasons at UofL. The senior also stands third on Louisville's all-time list for career goalkeeper victories, needing two more to move into a tie for second with Marie-Claire Heller (2004-07) and four more to tie for first with Christy Hershey (2000-03).

Cooper Shines in Rookie Season
Freshman Erica Cooper is having an impressive rookie season thus far. The Louisville, Ky., native has played in all 15 games with 10 starts and stands second on the team with eight goals and is tied for the team lead with 16 points.
• Cooper tallied all four goals in the 4-0 win at Appalachian State on Sept. 23. With her performance, Cooper became the first Louisville player to score four goals in a game since Sept. 17, 2010 when Nicole Youman tallied four against Georgetown.

Russ Back in Action
After being sidelined by injury in 2017, Bethany Russ has returned to form this season with a career-high seven goals thus far. The redshirt sophomore leads the team with nine goals and 20 points and has recorded a point via a goal or an assist in seven of the last eight games.
• Five of her nine goals have stood as gamewinners, placing her second in the ACC in that category.

Balanced scoring
Nine different players have combined to score 33 goals this season with seven of those players recording multiple goals. Sophomore Bethany Russ leads the charge with nine goals while freshman Erica Cooper follows closely with eight.

Walsh dishing it out
Senior Katie Walsh leads the team with a career-high eight assists on the season and is tied for fifth in ACC standings.

Championship City
For the second straight year and the sixth time overall, Trager Stadium will serve as the host site for the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship. The event was also staged on the Cardinals' home field in 2002, 2005, 2008, 2011 and 2017. 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.

Home Sweet Home
Louisville owns a 5-3 record at Trager Stadium this season, with three straight wins at the Cardinals' home facility, bringing its home tally to 46-12 since the 2013 season.
• Louisville compiled a 9-3 record at Trager Stadium in 2017.
• 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.
• The 6-2 loss to No. 4 Michigan snapped a 28-game win streak against non-conference opponents at Trager Stadium dating back to 2012. Prior to the Oct. 22 setback, the Cardinals had 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.
Carter Ayars - U.S. U21 Team (2018)
Mackenzie Karl - U.S. U17 Team (2015-16)
Ayeisha McFerran - Irish National Team (2014-present)
      • 2018 FIH World Cup Silver Medal -
      - Goalkeeper of the Tournament
      • 2017 World League 2 Champions
      - Goalkeeper of the Tournament
Mercedes Pastor - Argentina U21 Team (2015-17); U18 Team (2013-14)
Meghan Schneider - U.S. U21 Team (2018); U19 Team (2017-18)
Taylor Stone - U.S. National Development Team (2018); U21 Team (2017); U19 Team (2015-16); U17 Team (2014-15)
      • Also played in 2017 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem
Katie Walsh - U.S. National Development Team (2018-19)

ACC Strong
All seven ACC field hockey programs are ranked among the top 20 in the nation with four appearing in the top 10. North Carolina (1), Duke (4) and Louisville (10) represent the league in the top 10 while Boston College (11), Wake Forest (14), Syracuse (15) and Virginia (23) round out the ranked ACC schools.

Tough Road Ahead
Ten of Louisville's 17 opponents appear in the NFHCA top 25. In addition to the aforementioned six ACC opponents, the Cardinals' non-conference slate features matchups against No. 17 Northwestern, No. 18 Delaware, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 22 Albany.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Carter Ayars

Alli Bitting

Erica Cooper

Maria Gomez

Mackenzie Karl

Ayeisha McFerran

Mercedes Pastor

Bethany Russ

Meghan Schneider

Taylor Stone

Katie Walsh

University of Louisville Athletics