No. 12 Cards Set for ACC Championship

Thursday, November 1

Chapel Hill, NC

4:00 PM

University of Louisville

Wake Forest

Louisville Field Hockey team lines up for national anthem pregame against UNC on September 7

Photo by: Jermaine Bibb | Louisville Athletics

October 31, 2018 | Field Hockey

2018 ACC Field Hockey Bracket Louisville Game Notes for ACC Championship Championship Central

Third-seeded Louisville will face the No. 6 seed Wake Forest Thursday at 4 p.m.

By: Lori Korte

The No. 12-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to face No. 20 Wake Forest in the quarterfinals of the 2018 ACC Championship at North Carolina's Shelton Stadium.

About Louisville
The Cardinals bring a 13-5 overall record into the weekend after defeating Kent State 3-1 in their regular season finale on Sunday.
• Sophomore Bethany Russ leads the team with 11 goals and 24 points. Freshman Erica Cooper stands second on the team with nine goals and 18 points.
• Senior Katie Walsh has dished out a team-best nine assists and stands tied for fifth in the ACC in that category.
• Current ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week Ayeisha McFerran stands second in the ACC with a 1.14 goals against average and is tied for the conference lead with five shutouts.
• The Cards stand at No. 12 in the NFHCA rankings released on Oct. 30. This marks the 64th 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 107-54 record at Louisville with an overall 165-85 mark while in her 12th season as a head coach.
• UofL was picked to finish third in the 2018 ACC Field Hockey Championship, according to a vote of the league's seven head coaches. Ayeisha McFerran and Taylor Stone were named to the Preseason All-ACC Team.

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 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.

Up Next
The Cardinals will learn their NCAA tournament when the selection show airs on Nov. 4 at 10 p.m.

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.

Cards in the ACC Championship (History)
Nov. 6, 2014: #4 Seed Wake Forest 2 - #5 Seed Louisville 1 (QF)
Nov. 5, 2015: #3 Seed North Carolina 2 - #6 Seed Louisville 1 (QF)
Nov. 3, 2016: #5 Seed North Carolina 3 - #4 Seed Louisville 2 (QF)
Nov. 2, 2017: #3 Seed Louisville 3 - #6 Seed Syracuse 2 (QF)
Nov. 3, 2017 #3 Seed Louisville 3 - #2 SeedDuke 2/Shootout (SF)
Nov. 5, 2017: #5 Seed North Carolina 1 - #3 Seed Louisville 0 (Finals)

Cards Against the Field
Louisville vs. Wake Forest
Series History: Wake Forest leads 12-5
Last Meeting: Sept. 21, 2018 - Wake Forest won 4-2 in Winston-Salem, N.C.
•Louisville held a 2-1 lead midway through the second half, but Wake Forest capitalized three unanswered penalty corner goals to halt the Cardinals' three-match win streak.
• The goals by the Cardinals came from sophomore Bethany Russ and junior Whena Munn.
Shots: WF 15 - UL 4
Corners: WF 7 - UL 2
Saves: McFerran (UL) 5; Bint (WF) 0
Goals: Russ (UL), Grashoff (WF), Munn (UL), Grashoff (WF), Anderson (WF), Grashoff (WF)

Louisville vs. Virginia
Series History: Virginia leads 7-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 29, 2018 - Louisville won 2-0 in Charlottesville, Va.
• Senior Ayeisha McFerran collected five saves en route to her fourth shutout in the last five games
• Sophomore Bethany Russ and freshman Katie Schneider each scored lead the eighth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to the win over No. 15 Virginia.
Shots: UVA 7 - UL 6
Corners: UVA 4 - UL 3
Saves: McFerran (UL) 5 - Lucas (UVA) 2
Goals: Russ (UL), Schneider (UL)

Louisville vs. Duke
Series History: Duke leads 11-4
Last Meeting: Oct. 12, 2018 - Duke won 1-0 in a double shootout
NOTE: The Blue Devils are coached by Pam Bustin who is in her eighth season at Duke. Prior to that, Bustin spent 13 seasons (1998-2010) as Louisville's head coach.
• The 10th ranked University of Louisville field hockey team lost 1-0 to No. 4 Duke in a sudden-victory shootout.
• The Cardinals were held scoreless for the first time in the 2018 season with the shutout loss.
Shots: Duke 11 - UL 4
Corners: Duke 4 - UL 4
Saves: McFerran (UL) 3; Steele (DU) 2
Goals: (Shootout)

Louisville vs. North Carolina
Series History: North Carolina leads 6-4
Last Meeting: Sept. 7, 2018 - North Carolina won 3-1 at Trager Stadium
•Freshman Katie Schneider's goal gave No. 11 Louisville an early lead, but second-ranked North Carolina tallied three unanswered goals to beat the Cardinals 3-1 in both teams' ACC opener.
Shots: UNC 16 - UL 5
Corners: UNC 9 - UL 2
Saves: McFerran (UL) 6; Hendry (UNC) 2
Goals: Schneider (UL), Matson (UNC), Hayden (UNC), Hoffman (UNC)

Louisville vs. Syracuse
Series History: Syracuse leads 10-6
Last Meeting: Oct. 19, 2018 - Louisville won 3-2 in double overtime
• 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.
Shots: UL 11 - SU 4
Corners: UL 8 - SU 2
Saves: McFerran (UL) 1; van der Velde (SU) 6
Goals: Schneider (UL), Weers (SU), Weers (SU), Bitting (UL), Pastor (UL)

Louisville vs. Boston College
Series History: Louisville leads 3-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 14, 2018 - Louisville won 1-0 at Trager Stadium
• Sophomore Bethany Russ delivered a penalty corner goal with no time remaining on the clock tie to lift the eighth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 1-0 win over No. 9 Boston College.
• Ayeisha McFerran picked up her first shutout of the season while collecting five saves.
Shots: BC 11 - UL 11
Corners: BC 9 - UL 5
Saves: McFerran (UL) 5; Dwyer (BC) 7
Goals: Russ (UL)

Up Last
Louisville 3 - Kent State 1
Bethany Russ scored a pair of goals to help the 11th-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team wrap up the regular season with a 3-1 win at host Kent State Sunday at Murphy-Mellis Field. Freshman Erica Cooper added an insurance goal for her ninth score of the season.
• In the game, the Cardinals outshot the Golden Flashes 10-5 and held a 4-1 advantage in corners. Senior Ayeisha McFerran (13-5) posted four saves while earning her 50th career win. Mary Crumlish (7-11) also tallied four stops in the contest.

McFerran earns third ACC weekly honor of the season
Ayeisha McFerran earned ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for the period ending October 28. This marks McFerran's third weekly honor of the season and the sixth in her career.
• McFerran (Larne, Northern Ireland) collected four saves to help the Cardinals beat Kent State 3-1 in their regular season finale on Sunday. The senior registered her 13th win of the season and notched her 50th career victory. She is now tied for second with Marie-Claire Heller (2004-07) on Louisville's all-time list and needs two more to move into a tie for first with Christy Hershey (2000-03).
• Additionally, her 50 career wins place her second in career wins among active NCAA goalkeepers. She stands one victory behind the current leader.

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 54 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. 17 in NCAA RPI
Louisville appears at No. 17 in the NCAA most recent RPI report released on Oct. 30 - dropping two spots after beating Kent State on Sunday.
• 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
3. Duke
10. Syracuse
13. Virginia
14. Boston College
15. Delaware
18. Wake Forest

Cards No. 12 in Penn Monto/NFHCA Rankings
UofL is No. 12 in the 2018 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Poll released on Oct. 30. The Cardinals dropped one spot after beating Kent State 3-1 in their regular season finale.
• Louisville appeared in the to-10 seven times this season after debuting 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 64th 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 1.14 goals against average and is tied for the conference lead with five shutouts on the season.
• McFerran is also ranked ninth in the national standings with a 1.14 goals against average.

McFerran reaches 50 career wins
Ayeisha McFerran has earned 50 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         50
3   Sarah Holliday , Maryland                49
4 Sammi Steele , Duke                        46
5 Carrera Lucas , Virginia                    43
• 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 tied for second with Marie-Claire Heller (2004-07) on Louisville's all-time list for career goalkeeper victories, and needs two more to tie for first with Christy Hershey (2000-03).

Balanced scoring
Ten different players have combined to score 39 goals this season with seven of those players recording multiple goals. Sophomore Bethany Russ leads the charge with 11 goals while freshman Erica Cooper follows closely with nine.

Walsh dishing it out
Senior Katie Walsh leads the team with a career-high nine 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 11 goals thus far. The redshirt sophomore leads the team with 11 goals and 24 points.
• Six of her 11 goals have stood as game-winners, placing her second in the ACC in that category.

Cooper Shines in Rookie Season
Freshman Erica Cooper is in the midst of an impressive rookie season. The Louisville, Ky., native has played in all 18 games with 12 starts and stands second on the team with nine goals and 22 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 (12), Boston College, (13), Syracuse (14), Virginia (16), Syracuse (17) and Wake Forest (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)