Louisville Hosts 2018 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship

The field has been set for the 2018 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship which will be played November 16 and 18 at the University of Louisville's Trager Stadium. On Friday, North Carolina and Wake Forest will meet in the first semifinal game at 1 p.m. while Maryland and Princeton will square off in the second semifinal game slated for a 3:45 p.m. start.

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association Senior Game will take place at approximately 6 p.m. on Friday following the completion of the Maryland/Princeton semifinal.

Championship Central
https://gocards.com/sports/2018/9/13/2018-ncaa-division-i-field-hockey-championship.aspx

NCAA Field Hockey Tournament Information
2018 NCAA Field Hockey Championship November 16 and 18
Location: Trager Stadium | Louisville, Ky.
Schedule
Friday, November 16
1:00 p.m. – Division I Semifinal Game 1 – North Carolina vs. Wake Forest
3:45 p.m. – Division I Semifinal Game 2 – Princeton vs. Maryland

The NFHCA Division I Senior All-Star Game will take place at 6 p.m., following the completion of Semifinal Game 2. Admission is free.

Sunday, Nov. 18
1:00 p.m. – Division I Championship Game

The semifinals and final will be streamed live on NCAA.com.

Ticket Information
All session:
Adults: $25
Youth/Students: $15
Single session:
Adults: $15
Youth/Students: $10

Tickets may be purchased at NCAA.com/tickets, or by calling the UofL ticket office (502) 852-5151 or on-site the day of the game.

Parking Information
Fans attending the games held at the University of Louisville may utilize the Floyd Street Parking Garage located across from the Don Fightmaster Playground for a $5 fee. The garage will be open to the public on Friday and Sunday at 12 p.m.

North Carolina
Top-ranked North Carolina (21-0) is making its 10^th straight and 23^rd overall NCAA semifinal appearance.

The Tar Heels earned the Atlantic Coast Conference's automatic bid after winning the conference tournament and the regular season title. After hosting the ACC Championship, UNC earned the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and stayed in Chapel Hill for the first and second rounds while picking up a 4-0 win against William & Mary and a 5-2 victory against Michigan.

UNC has outscored opponents 97-15 on the season and leads the nation in goals per game, scoring average and scoring margin. The Tar Heels stand atop the national standings in goals against average (0.71). ACC Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year Erin Matson leads the team with 52 points (17G, 18A) while ACC Defensive Player of the Year Ashley Hoffman stands second on the squad with 39 points (16G, 7A). All-ACC selection Amanda Hendry carries an ACC-best 0.71 goals against average.

North Carolina is coached by Karen Shelton, who is in her 37^th season at the helm and has led the Tar Heels to 23 NCAA semifinal appearances and two national championships (2007 and 2009). She has guided UNC to 21 ACC Championships.

The Tar Heels will take on Wake Forest in the first semifinal game Friday at 1 p.m. The teams met three times this season, most recently in the ACC championship game which UNC won 7-2 on Nov. 4.

Wake Forest
No. 12 Wake Forest (13-9) is making its 10th NCAA semifinal appearance and first since 2008. The Demon Deacons have won three national championships, the first of which came while playing at Trager Stadium in 2002. They went on to capture the title in 2003 and 2004.

The Demon Deacons earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament after posting a runner-up finish in the ACC Championship, falling 7-2 to North Carolina in the finals. The Demon Deacons have won five of their last six games, including a pair of victories over No. 3 Duke – winning 4-3 in the ACC semifinals and 1-0 in double-overtime in an NCAA second round matchup in Durham, N.C. Wake topped No. 7 Iowa 3-2 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Jule Grashoff boasts an ACC-best and stands fourth in the nation with 54 points (24G, 6A). Megan Anderson follows with 38 points (5G, 28A). Isla Bint carries a 2.15 goals against average.

Wake Forest is coached by Jennifer Averill who is in her 27^th season at the helm. While at Wake, she has led the Deacs to three national championships, 10 semifinal appearances, 16 NCAA tournament appearances and four ACC
championships.

The Demon Deacons will face top-seeded North Carolina in the first semifinal matchup Friday at 1 p.m. The teams met three times this season, most recently in the ACC championship game which UNC won 7-2 on Nov. 4.

Maryland
No. 2 Maryland (21-2) is making its 18^th NCAA semifinal appearance. The Terps earned the Big Ten's automatic bid after claiming the conference tournament and regular season titles. Maryland earned the overall No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and hosted the first and second rounds. In their opening match, the Terps defeated No. 17 Albany and went on to beat defending national champion Connecticut 2-1 in overtime to reach the Final Four.

The Terps are led by a trio of players with 14 goals apiece. Big Ten Freshman of the Year Bibi Donraadt stands atop the list with 34 points (14G, 6A) while Big Ten Player of the Year Linnea Gonzales follows closely with 33 points (14G, 5A) and all-conference selection Nike Lorenz rounds out the top three with 32 points (14G, 4A). Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Bodil Keus has tallied 25 points (9G, 7A) with three defensive saves. Sarah Holliday carries a 1.66 goals against average.

Maryland is coached by Missy Meharg, who is in her 31^st season with the Terps. Meharg has led Maryland to seven national titles (1993, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011) - earning three of those at Trager Stadium (2005, 2008, 2011). She has also guided Maryland to 24 straight NCAA appearances and 25 conference championships.

The Terps will face the No. 4 seed Princeton in the second semifinal game Friday at 3:45 p.m. The teams have met once this season with Maryland posting a 5-4 win in double overtime.

Princeton
No. 4 Princeton (15-4) was tabbed the overall No. 3 seed in the NCAA championship after earning an at-large bid to the tournament. The Tigers are making their eighth NCAA semifinal appearance after notching their 24^th NCAA tournament berth. This year, Princeton was selected as a host for the first time since 2009 and went on to beat Virginia and Harvard, both by scores of 2-1 to reach the Final Four.

The Tigers have won 10 of their last 11 matches, with their most recent loss coming on Oct. 10, a 3-1 setback against Harvard in an Ivy League matchup.

Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Year Clara Roth leads the team with 34 points (13G, 8A) while all-Ivy League selection Julianna Tornetta follows with 27 points (19G, 7A). Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Elise Wong has eight points (2G, 4A). Grace Baylis carries a 1.22 goals against average with four shutouts.

Head coach Carla Tagliente is in her third season at Princeton and led the Tigers to three straight NCAA appearances and two semifinal berths (2016, 2018) and one Ivy League title (2017).

Princeton will take on the No. 2 seed Maryland in the second semifinal game Friday at 3:45 p.m. The teams have met once this season with Maryland prevailing 5-4 in double overtime.

University of Louisville Athletics

Louisville Hosts 2018 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship

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