Cards Debut at No. 8 in NFHCA Preseason Rankings

The University of Louisville field hockey team UofL is No. 8 in the 2018 Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I Poll released on August 21. The Cardinals earn the highest preseason ranking in program history and pick up where they left off after finishing the 2017 season at No. 8.

Cards in the NFHCA Rankings
• This marks the 55th straight week Louisville has appeared in the top 20 rankings dating back to the 2013 season.
• The Cards spent six weeks in the top 10 in 2017 after debuting at No. 9 – previously the highest preseason ranking in program history.
• 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.

About Louisville Field Hockey
• 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.
• The Cards return 12 letterwinners and six starters including 2017 NFHCA All-Americans Taylor Stone and Ayeisha McFerran along with fellow All-NFHCA West Region selection Carter Ayars. In addition to the nucleus of returners, Louisville welcomes seven freshmen to the 2018 roster.
• 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.

ACC Strong
All seven ACC field hockey programs are ranked among the top 14 in the nation with four appearing in the top 10. The eighth-ranked Cardinals join North Carolina (No. 2), Duke (No. 3) and Virginia (No. 7) in the top 10 while Syracuse (No. 11), Boston College (No. 13) and Wake Forest (No. 14) round out the ACC schools.
• Every ACC field hockey team has been ranked for the entirety of the last five seasons, a streak that dates to October of 2012 and includes 58 consecutive NFHCA Polls.

Tough Road Ahead
Ten of Louisville's 18 opponents appear in the NFHCA preseason top 25. In addition to the aforementioned ACC opponents, the Cardinals' non-conference slate features matchups against No. 9 Delaware, No. 12 Northwestern, No. 21 Albany and No. 24 Ohio State.

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.

University of Louisville Athletics

Players Mentioned

Carter Ayars

Ayeisha McFerran

Taylor Stone

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