No. 9 Cardinals Hit the Road for Ball State

The ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will wrap up a four-game road swing on Wednesday when the Cardinals pay a visit to Ball State for a 3 p.m. matchup.

About Louisville
• The Cardinals bring an 8-3 overall record and a 2-2 mark in ACC play into the weekend.
• Erica Cooper leads the team with six goals and 12 points. The freshman accounted for all four goals in Louisville's 4-0 victory over Appalachian State, becoming the first Louisville player to score four goals in a game since Sept. 17, 2010 when Nicole Youman accomplished the feat against Georgetown.
• Senior Katie Walsh has dished out a team-best four assists and stands tied for sixth in the ACC in that category.
• Current ACC Defensive Player of the Week Ayeisha McFerran has posted shutouts in four of the last five games. The three-time NFHCA All-America selection carries a 1.26 goals against average.
• The Cards stand at No 8 in the NFHCA rankings released on Sept. 25. This marks the 59th 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 102-52 record at Louisville with an overall 161-84 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
Ball State
Series History: Ball State leads 15-11*
Last Meeting: Sept. 2, 2012 - Louisville won 5-0 at Trager Stadium. Amber Thomas scored a pair of goals while Becca Maddock, Michelle Amon and Erin Schneidtmiller also chipped in with a goal apiece. Erin Conrad collected three saves in the shutout.
* The majority of the series history dates back to when the teams were both members of the Mid-American Conference (1994-2004)
Scouting the Cardinals: Ball State brings a 1-9 record into the weekend after falling to top-ranked North Carolina 9-0 on Sunday. Prior to that, the Cardinals defeated Appalachian State 1-0 in a MAC matchup on Friday.
• Michelle Shampton and Rachel Pereira lead the team offensively with five points (2G, 1A) apiece. Grace Chavez carries a 5.54 goals against average with one shutout.

Recapping Last Week
In their lone contest of the week, the eighth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team defeated No. 15 Virginia 2-0 behind goals from sophomore Bethany Russ and freshman Katie Schneider Saturday afternoon at UVA's Turf Field. Senior Ayeisha McFerran collected five saves en route to her fourth shutout in the last five games.
• In the game, UVA held a 7-6 edge in shots and a 4-3 advantage in corners. McFerran had five stops while Carrera Lucas had two saves for Virginia.

Up Next
The Cards will return to the friendly confines of Trager Stadium this weekend when they take on Michigan State Sunday at 12 p.m. in the first contest of a three-game home stand. Louisville will wrap up its home season next weekend when the Cards play host to Duke on Oct. 12 and Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 14.

McFerran Tabbed ACC Defensive Player of the Week - Again
Ayeisha McFerran was named Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Sept. 30 as announced by the conference office. This marks the Cardinal goalkeeper's second weekly honor of the season and the fifth in her career.
• McFerran collected five saves en route to her second-straight shutout, and fourth in the last five games, in Louisville's 2-0 win at No. 15 Virginia Saturday. The Larne, Northern Ireland, native tallied three first-half stops to hold the Cavaliers at bay until the Cards took a 1-0 lead in the final minute of the half. She followed with a pair of second half saves to keep Virginia scoreless.

Cards No. 10 in NCAA RPI
Louisville appears at No. 10 in the NCAA's initial RPI report of the 2018 season which was released on Sept. 25, dropping four spots after debuting at No. 6 in the initial report.
• UofL is no stranger to facing quality competition and this season is no different with seven of its 17 opponents appearing among the top 18. Below is a list of Louisville's 2018 opponents who are included among the NCAA's RPI leaders.
1. North Carolina
4. Duke
9. Northwestern
11. Boston College
13. California
15. Virginia
18. Delaware

Cards No. 8 in Penn Monto/NFHCA Rankings
UofL is No. 8 in the 2018 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Poll released on Sept. 25. The Cardinals slid one spot from their previous season-best No. 7 ranking after falling to then-unranked Wake Forest and beating Appalachian State last weekend.
• This marks the fourth top-10 appearance in five 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 58th 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 four shutouts in the last five games.
• Overall, McFerran carries a 1.26 goals against average with a league-best four shutouts on the season, but in the past five games, has limited opponents to a 0.80 goals against average dating back to Sept. 14 when the Cards posted a 1-0 win against Boston College.

McFerran For the Win
Senior Ayeisha McFerran has earned 45 career wins and currently stands second on the NCAA's list for active goalkeeper victories - two behind Penn State's Jenny Rizzo who has 47.

Below is a breakdown of the top five active goalkeeper career victories.
Goalie                                               Wins
1 Jenny Rizzo , Penn St.                       47
2 Ayeisha McFerran , Louisville          45
     Sarah Holliday , Maryland                45
4 Sammi Steele , Duke                        41
5 Carrera Lucas , Virginia                    39

• 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 five more to move into a tie for second with Marie-Claire Heller (2004-07) and seven 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 11 games with eight starts and leads the team with six goals and 12 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 five goals thus far. The redshirt sophomore has recorded a point via a goal or an assist in each of the last five games and stands second on the team with five goals and 11 points.
• Three of her five goals have stood as gamewinners, placing her tied for second in the ACC in that category.

ACC Strong
All seven ACC field hockey programs are ranked among the top 21 in the nation with four appearing in the top 10. North Carolina (1), Duke (4), Louisville (8) and Boston College (9) represent the league in the top 10 while Syracuse (11) and Wake Forest (21) 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. 19 Delaware, No. 10 Northwestern, No. 22 Albany and No. 23 Ohio State.

Balanced scoring
Eight different players have combined to score 21 goals this season with five players recording multiple goals. Freshman Erica Cooper leads the team with six goals while redshirt sophomore Bethany Russ follows closely with five.

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

McFerran earns ACC and NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week honors
Ayeisha McFerran was named the ACC and Longstreth/National Field Hockey Division I Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19.
• McFerran (Larne, Northern Ireland) collected six saves as Louisville posted back-to-back shutout wins against a pair of ranked opponents over the weekend. The senior goalkeeper had five saves, helping the Cardinals to their first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) win of the season as they defeated No. 9 Boston College 1-0. She also had a crucial save to ensure Louisville's 1-0 win on Sunday against No. 11 Northwestern University.

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 3-2 record at Trager Stadium this season, with three straight wins at the Cardinals' home facility, bringing its home tally to 44-11 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.

McFerran Named World Cup Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament
Senior Ayeisha McFerran had a busy hockey-filled summer which culminated in being named Best Goalkeeper of the 2018 World Cup after leading the Irish National Team to a silver medal.
      The Larne, Northern Ireland native was instrumental in the Green Army's historic run, surrendering only three goals in their first five matches, and dominating in a pair of shootout victories as they entered the finals against top-ranked Netherlands. The Dutch went on to capture the gold medal with a 6-0 victory to mark their second straight and eighth overall title.
      Aided by McFerran's outstanding performances in the cage, Hockey Ireland became the first in the nation's history to reach the World Cup finals.
      Making its first World Cup appearance since 2002, Ireland entered the tournament at No. 16 in the FIH world rankings, the second lowest of any team competing in the World Cup and the lowest in their pool. They opened play with wins over the United States and India. Despite a loss to host England, the Irish emerged as the Pool B winner, becoming the first team to gain a spot in the quarterfinals.
      Facing India in a quarterfinal rematch, McFerran again posted shutout to send the contest to a shootout where she stopped two attempts as the Irish prevailed 3-1. She followed that performance with another shootout victory, this time turning back four tries help the Green Army emerge with a 3-2 win against Spain.
      McFerran is in her fourth year as a member of the Irish National Team. In 2017, she was named Goalkeeper of the Tournament after helping the Green Army to the World League 2 title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
      McFerran is three-time NFHCA All-America selection. The three-time All-West Region and All-ACC team member cemented her status as one of the nation's top goalkeepers when she collected a career-high 18 saves and turned in another brilliant shootout performance to hold off No. 2 Duke in the semifinals of the conference tournament, sending the Cardinals to their first appearance in the ACC Championship game.

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 (2015-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)

McFerran, Stone named to Preseason All-ACC Team
McFerran is making her third appearance on the Preseason All-ACC Team. The three-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-American, all All-West Region and All-ACC selection cemented her status as one of the nation's top goalkeepers when she collected a career-high 18 saves and turned in another brilliant shootout performance to hold off Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Championship.
      The Larne, Northern Ireland native was recently named Goalkeeper of the Tournament after helping Ireland to a silver medal in the 2018 World Cup.
      Stone (Herndon, Va.) is making her first appearance on the Preseason All-ACC Team. The 2017 NFHCA All-America, All-West Region and All-ACC honoree is coming off of a career-best season after tallying seven goals and dishing out three assists. She converted four of five penalty stroke attempts and scored the game-winning goal against Syracuse and North Carolina.
      The midfielder/defender garnered ACC Defensive Player of the Week, NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week and Synapse National Defensive Player of the Week for her performances. Stone is a member of USA Field Hockey National Development Squad.

Cards picked to finish third in ACC
The University of Louisville 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.
2018 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish:
1. North Carolina (6) - 48
2. Duke - 39
3. Louisville (1) - 34
T4. Syracuse - 23
T4. Virginia - 23
6. - Boston College - 16
7. - Wake Forest – 13
(First-place votes)

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Players Mentioned

Carter Ayars

Erica Cooper

Mackenzie Karl

Ayeisha McFerran

Mercedes Pastor

Bethany Russ

Katie Schneider

Meghan Schneider

Taylor Stone

Katie Walsh

University of Louisville Athletics