No. 11 Cards Travel to Kent State for Regular Season Finale

The 11th-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will travel to Kent State to wrap up the regular season on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 12 p.m. Following Sunday's matchup, the Cardinals will head to Chapel Hill, N.C. where they will face Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Championship on Thursday, Nov. 1.

The weekend ahead
Oct. 28 at Kent State, 12 p.m.
Television: Kentstatesports.com
Location: Kent, Ohio
Venue: Murphy-Mellis Field
Live Scoring: kentstatesports.com

Cardinal quick hits
• The 11th-ranked Cardinals bring a 12-5 overall record into the weekend after splitting a pair of road contests last weekend, defeating No. 15 Syracuse 3-2 in double-overtime and falling 1-0 to No. 22 Albany.
• Sophomore Bethany Russ leads the team with nine goals and 20 points. 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 1.15 goals against average and is tied for the conference lead with five shutouts.
• The Cards stand at No. 11 in the NFHCA rankings released on Oct. 23. This marks the 63rd 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 106-54 record at Louisville with an overall 164-85 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
Kent State
Series History: Kent State leads 23-12; the bulk of the series dates back to when both teams were members of the Mid-American Conference (1994-2004).
Last Meeting: Sept. 3, 2017 - UL won 5-1 in a neutral site game played at Ohio State. Senior Nicole Woods delivered her first career hat trick to help lead the ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 5-1 win over Kent State at Ohio State's Varsity Buckeye Field.
Scouting the Golden Flashes: Kent State brings a 6-10 overall record into the weekend prior to a conference matchup against Appalachian State on Friday. The Golden Flashes have won four of their last five games, most recently defeating Ohio 2-1 on Oct. 19.
• Kent State is led by Clara Rodriguez Seto leads the team with 17 points (5G, 7A) while Jessica Apelt follows with 11 points (5G, 1A). Mary Crumlish carries 2.11 goals-against average with two shutouts on the season.

Up Last
Albany 1 - Louisville 0
The No. 10 University of Louisville field hockey team fell in a 1-0 decision to 22nd-ranked Albany on Sunday afternoon at Alumni Turf Field. Ayeisha McFerran collected three saves as the Cards were shut out for only the second time this season.
Louisville 3 - Syracuse 2/2OT
Mercedes Pastor's penalty corner goal with 23 seconds left on the clock in double overtime lifted the 10th-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 3-2 win over No. 15 Syracuse Friday evening at J.S. Coyne Stadium.

Up Next
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.

Cards Earn No. 3 Seed in ACC Field Hockey Championship
Louisville will take on sixth-seeded wake Forest a quarterfinal matchup Thursday at 4 p.m.
• The Cards earned the No. 3 seed in the 2018 ACC Championship and will face the No. 6-seed Wake Forest in the quarterfinals Thursday at 4 p.m. The Demon Deacons defeated the Cardinals 4-2 in the regular season matchup on Sept. 21 in Winston-Salem.
About the ACC Championship
The 2018 ACC Championship will be held at North Carolina's Karen Shelton Stadium Nov. 1,2 and 4.
• Single-session tickets are available for $5 for adults. Youth under 18 and students from an ACC school with valid student identification can enter for free.
2018 ACC Field Hockey Championship
Thursday, November 1
Game 1 - No. 5 Virginia vs. No. 4 Boston College (RSN/ACC Network Extra), 11:00 a.m.
Game 2 - No. 7 Syracuse vs. No. 2 Duke (RSN/ ACC Network Extra), 1:30 p.m.
Game 3 - No. 6 Wake Forest vs. No. 3 Louisville (RSN/ ACC Network Extra), 4:00 p.m.
Friday, November 2
No. 1 North Carolina vs. Game 1 Winner (RSN/ ACC Network Extra), Noon
Game 2 Winner vs. Game 3 Winner (RSN/ ACC Network Extra), 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 5
ACC Championship (RSN/ ACC Network Extra), 1:00 p.m.
2018 ACC Field Hockey Championship Television Coverage
The ACC Field Hockey Championships play-by-play tag team will be familiar to RSN viewers. Tom Werme will handle the quarterfinals on Thursday (Nov. 1) and Sunday's championship game, with Jeff Fischel on hand for Friday's semifinals. Leah Secondo, a former three-sport star at the collegiate level and a leading women's sports analyst for more than three decades, will handle color commentary throughout the tournament.
• The ACC Field Hockey Championship quarterfinal games on Thursday, Nov. 1, are set for 11 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. Friday's semifinal games are scheduled for noon and 2:30 p.m., and Sunday's title game is slated for a 1 p.m. start.
• The ACC's Regional Sports Networks for the 2018-19 season are comprised of FOX Sports South, FOX Sports Florida, FOX Sports Sun, FOX Sports Midwest, FOX Sports Indiana, NESN, YES Network, AT&T SPORTSNET Pittsburgh and NBC Sports Washington.

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 1.15 goals against average standing second in the ACC and tenth in the nation. The three-time NFHCA all-American and all-West Region selection also stands second in the nation among active goalkeepers with 49 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
Oct. 14, the Cardinals honored seniors Maria Gomez, Ayeisha McFerran, Taylor Stone and Katie Walsh. The class has won 53 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. 15 in NCAA RPI
Louisville appears at No. 15 in the NCAA most recent RPI report released on Oct. 23 - moving up one spot after beating Syracuse 3-2 in double overtime and falling 1-0 at UAlbany 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
9. Syracuse
13. Delaware
14. Virginia
16. Albany
17. Boston College
20. Wake Forest

Cards No. 11 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 a conference-best five shutouts.
• Overall, McFerran stands second in the ACC with a 1.15 goals against average and is tied for the conference lead with five shutouts on the season.
• McFerran is also ranked tenth in the national standings with a 1.15 goals against average.

McFerran for the Win
Ayeisha McFerran has earned 49 career wins and currently stands second on the NCAA's list for active goalkeeper victories - two behind Penn State's Jenny Rizzo who has 51.
• Below is a breakdown of the top five active goalkeeper career victories.
Goalie                                                                Wins
1    Jenny Rizzo , Penn St.                                  51
2    Ayeisha McFerran , Louisville                  49
3    Sarah Holliday , Maryland                          48
4    Sammi Steele , Duke                                    45
5    Carrera Lucas , Virginia                               42
• 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 one more to move into a tie for second with Marie-Claire Heller (2004-07) and three more to tie for first with Christy Hershey (2000-03).

Balanced scoring
Ten different players have combined to score 36 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.

Russ Back in Action
After being sidelined by injury in 2017, Bethany Russ has returned to form this season with a career-high nine 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 game-winners, placing her second in the ACC in that category.

Cooper Shines in Rookie Season
Freshman Erica Cooper is having an impressive rookie season thus far. The Louisville, Ky., native has played in all 17 games with 11 starts and stands second on the team with eight goals and 20 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.

ACC Strong
All seven ACC field hockey programs are ranked among the top 20 in the nation with two, North Carolina (1) and Duke (3) appearing in the top 10. Louisville (11), Boston College, (13), Syracuse (14), Wake Forest (19) and Virginia (20) round out the ranked ACC schools.

Tough Slate
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. 16 Delaware, No. 17 Albany, No. 22 Northwestern and No. 23 Ohio State.

McFerran Tabbed ACC Defensive Player of the Week - Again
Ayeisha McFerran was named Defensive Player of the Week for the period ending Sept. 30.
• 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. 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.

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 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 (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)

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)

No. 11 Cards Travel to Kent State for Regular Season Finale

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Players Mentioned

Carter Ayars

Erica Cooper

Maria Gomez

Mackenzie Karl

Ayeisha McFerran

Mercedes Pastor

Bethany Russ

Meghan Schneider

Taylor Stone

Katie Walsh

Nicole Woods

University of Louisville Athletics