Cardinals Fall 1-0 to No. 22 Albany

Sunday, October 21

Albany, NY

1:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

(12-5)

Albany

(12-3)

Louisville

Albany

Bethany Russ moves the ball during the Cardinals game with Miami (Ohio) at Trager Stadium on October 14.

October 21, 2018 | Field Hockey

Box Score UAlbany 1 - Louisville 0

The Cardinals fell to the Great Danes in a top-25 matchup.

By: Kylie Klotzbach

ALBANY, N.Y. – The No. 10 University of Louisville field hockey team fell in a 1-0 decision to 22^nd-ranked Albany on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Turf Field. With the loss, the Cardinals drop to 12-5 on the season, while the Great Danes improve to 12-3.

"Albany came ready to play," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "They were stronger on the ball and stronger in their tackles than we were. Unfortunately, we were unable to get any rhythm due to both our fundamentals being off and the lack of connections between our lines. It was an incredibly disappointing day, but we have to come together, reset and finish our season playing Louisville field hockey and playing together."

Neither the Cardinals nor the Great Danes were able to create separation through the first half of the game despite chances on both sides of the field.

Less than 10 minutes into the game, the Cards earned the first penalty corner of the contest but were unable to convert. Albany responded with a close call of its own, but Ayeisha McFerran turned the shot away to keep the score knotted at 0-0.

The two teams traded possession for the remainder of the half with the Great Danes leading the Cardinals 4-2 in shots at the break. McFerran picked up a second save with less than five minutes remaining in the half to keep Albany off the board and the score tied at 0-0.

On the hunt for a goal, the Cardinals turned up their offensive pressure in the early-goings of the second half. Just five minutes in, Louisville earned its second penalty corner of the contest, but two quick shots by Mercedes Pastor and Bethany Russ were halted by the Great Danes.

Attempting to match the Cardinals' pressure, the Great Danes regained possession and quickly fired off a shot that was thwarted by McFerran for her third crucial stop of the game.

At the 49:58 mark, the Great Danes were able to capitalize on their first penalty corner of the game as Frederike Helmke found the back of the cage with the assist from Viola Von der Muhlen to give Albany the 1-0 lead.

Looking for the equalizer, the Cardinals continued to attack on offense. Pastor fired off a shot that was blocked, followed by an attempt by Russ which hit the post and forced Louisville to call a timeout with less than five minutes remaining in regulation.

However, the two near-goals would be the Cards' final opportunities of the game as time expired and the Great Danes secured the 1-0 victory.

McFerran (12-5) finished the game with three saves, while Melissa Nealon collected four for Albany.

Up next, Louisville will wrap up the regular season on Oct. 28 at Kent State. Following that, third-seeded Cardinals will head to Chapel Hill, N.C. for the ACC Tournament, where they will play No. 6 Wake Forest on Thursday at 4 p.m.