No. 24 Cardinals Travel to No. 3 North Carolina

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Fresh off a win in the final seconds against Syracuse, women's soccer travels to Chapel Hill, North Carolina to take on the No. 3/4 Tar Heels (8-2-1, 3-0). The Cardinals (9-1, 3-0) are ranked No. 24 in the Soccer America poll and No. 25 in the Top Drawer Soccer poll this week.

Maisie Whitsett and Brooklynn Rivers lead the team with 18 points. Whitsett leads the team in goals with eight. Rivers ranked second with seven goals. Junior Allison Whitfield lead the team with five assists.

In goal, redshirt sophomore Gabby Kouzelos has started all 10 contests for Louisville, recording 15 saves and a goals against average of 0.61. Senior Gabrielle Vincent anchors the Cardinals' defense at centerback.

Head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes is in her 19th season with the Cardinals. She has led Louisville to four NCAA tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 appearance in 2011.

SCOUTING NORTH CAROLINA
UNC dropped back-to-back games to ranked opponents at the start of the month but has bounced back with a three-match winning streak of their own for an 8-2-1 overall record and a 3-0 record in ACC play. The Tar Heels defeated Clemson 1-0 on Sunday. The only goal of the game came at 24:59 when Rachel Jones took the ball away from a Tiger defender, dribbled into the box and expertly finished into the right side of the frame.

North Carolina is 4-0-1 at home this season and are led by senior defender Julia Ashley, senior goalkeeper Samantha Leshnak and sophomore forward Alessia Russo. Leshnak is one of the stingiest keepers in the nation with a .882 save percentage. Freshman midfielder Briana Pinto leads UNC in goals with five. The Tar Heels have balanced scoring through their lineup with five players with two goals.

Head Coach Anson Dorrance is now in his 40th season as the Tar Heels' head mentor. His teams have an all-time record of 833-72-39 (.903). Under Anson Dorrance, UNC has won 22 national championships, including 21 NCAA crowns and one AIAW title, won or shared 21 regular-season ACC titles and captured 21 ACC Tournament championships in his 40 years as head coach.

SERIES HISTORY
Louisville leads the series with North Carolina 1-0-1. Last season's match between the teams ended in a double overtime scoreless draw. The Cardinals last beat UNC in 2015 when UofL upset top-ranked Tar Heels at Lynn Stadium.

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Players Mentioned

Gabby Kouzelos

Brooklynn Rivers

Gabrielle Vincent

Allison Whitfield

Maisie Whitsett

University of Louisville Athletics