No. 9 Cards Host Michigan State in 'Pink Game' Sunday at 12 p.m.

The ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will play host to Michigan State in its annual 'Pink Game' Sunday at 12 p.m. at Trager Stadium. The Cardinals will wear pink uniforms and fans are encouraged to wear pink to honor breast cancer survivors, victims and promote awareness.

Oct. 7 vs. Michigan State 12 p.m.
Promotion: Pink Game to honor breast cancer survivors, victims and promote awareness
Television: ACC Network Extra
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Trager Stadium
Live Scoring: GoCards.com
Twitter Updates: ULFieldHockey

• The Cardinals bring a 9-3 overall record into the weekend. Louisville stands fourth in the ACC with a 2-2 record.
• Freshman Erica Cooper leads the team with seven goals and 14 points. Sophomore Bethany Russ follows closely with 13 points (6G, 1A) and has recorded a point in each of the last three games.
• Senior Katie Walsh has dished out a team-best six assists and stands tied for fifth 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 1.24 goals against average.
• The Cards stand at No. 9 in the NFHCA rankings released on Oct. 2. This marks the 60th 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 103-52 record at Louisville with an overall 161-83 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
Michigan State
Series History: MSU leads 10-5
Last Meeting: Sept. 11, 2016 - UL won 1-0 in overtime in East Lansing, Mich.
RECAP: Erin McCrudden's goal in the third minute of overtime lifted the No. 8 University of Louisville field hockey team to a 1-0 win over Michigan State. Louisville and Michigan State battled through 72 scoreless minutes before McCrudden's game-winning goal. In that span, the Cardinals outshot the Spartans 19-6 and held a 15-2 advantage in corners - including three in the final minutes of regulation. Ayeisha McFerran had three saves while Katie Miller tallied eight for the Spartans.
Scouting the Spartans: Michigan State enters the weekend with a 4-9 overall record prior to a Big Ten matchup at Indiana on Friday. The Spartans have lost their last four matches - all against conference opponents, most recently falling 2-0 to then-No. 10 Northwestern on Sunday.
• Isa Van der Weij leads the team with 10 points and four goals. Goalkeeper Jade Arundell carries a 2.79 goals against average with one shutout on the season.

Up Last
Senior Taylor Stone scored a pair of goals to help lead the ninth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 5-1 win over Ball State Wednesday afternoon at Briner Sports Stadium.
• Louisville used a season-high 24 shots, 11 on goal, to produce its highest scoring output of the 2018 campaign. In addition to Stone's goals, freshman Erica Cooper notched her team-best seventh goal while sophomore Bethany Russ added her sixth score of the season. Sophomore Alli Bitting registered pair of assists and senior Katie Walsh also dished out two feeds to bring her team-high tally to six.

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
Louisville will wrap up its home season next weekend when the Cards play host to No. 4 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. 11 in NCAA RPI
Louisville appears at No. 11 in the NCAA most recent RPI report released on Oct. 2 dropping one spot from last week.
• 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.
2. North Carolina
3. Duke
6. Syracuse
9. Northwestern
11. Boston College
13. California
15. Virginia
18. Delaware

Cards No. 9 in Penn Monto/NFHCA Rankings
UofL is No. 9 in the 2018 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Poll released on Oct. 2. The Cardinals slipped one spot after beating No. 15 Virginia on the road last weekend.
• This marks the fifth top-10 appearance in six 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 60th 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 six games.
• Overall, McFerran carries a 1.24 goals against average with a league-best four shutouts on the season, but in the past six games, has limited opponents to a 0.83 goals against average dating back to Sept. 14 when the Cards posted a 1-0 win against Boston College.

Nationally speaking
Throughout her career Ayeisha McFerran has been a valuable part of the Cardinals defense. Her results have placed her fourth in the NCAA among active goalkeepers with a 1.43 career goals against average as of Oct. 2.
Goalie                                                  GAA
1    Melissa Nealon , Albany (NY)         1.19
2    Kelsey Bing, Stanford                     1.28
3    Sammi Steele, Duke                       1.40
4    Ayeisha McFerran , Louisville       1.43
5    Victoria Kammerinke , Saint Joseph's 1.44

McFerran for the Win
Ayeisha McFerran has earned 46 career wins and currently stands second on the NCAA's list for active goalkeeper victories - one 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          46
3   Sarah Holliday, Maryland                44
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 four more to move into a tie for second with Marie-Claire Heller (2004-07) and six 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 12 games with eight starts and leads the team with seven goals and 14 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 six goals thus far. The redshirt sophomore has recorded a point via a goal or an assist in each of the last six games and stands second on the team with six goals and 13 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 18 in the nation with four appearing in the top 10. North Carolina (1), Duke (4), Boston College (8) and Louisville (9) represent the league in the top 10 while Syracuse (13) and Wake Forest (16) and Virginia (18) 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. 20 Delaware, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 24 Albany and No. 25 Ohio State.

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

Walsh dishing it out
Senior Katie Walsh leads the team with a career-high six assists on the season and is tied for fifth 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.
      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)

No. 9 Cards Host Michigan State in 'Pink Game' Sunday at 12 p.m.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Carter Ayars

Alli Bitting

Erica Cooper

Mackenzie Karl

Ayeisha McFerran

Mercedes Pastor

Bethany Russ

Katie Schneider

Meghan Schneider

Taylor Stone

Katie Walsh

University of Louisville Athletics