No. 5 Louisville Hits the Road for William & Mary, No. 4 Duke

Thursday, October 24

Williamsburg, VA

6:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

William & Mary

Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics

No. 5 Louisville Hits the Road for William & Mary, No. 4 Duke

October 23, 2019 | Field Hockey

Game Notes vs WMU and Duke

Cards will wrap up non-conference play at William & Mary on Thursday, face Duke in a top-five matchup Saturday

By: Lori Harmon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The fifth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team hit the road to face its last non-conference opponent of the season, William & Mary on Thursday and No. 4 Duke Saturday.

GAME INFORMATION
October 24 at William & Mary
6 p.m. | Williamsburg, Va.
Live scoring: Tribeathletics.com
Series Record: UL leads 4-1
Last meeting: Sept. 14, 2014, UL won 4-3 in overtime.
Scouting the Tribe: William & Mary enters Thursday's matchup with a 9-5 overall record and in the midst of a six-game win streak.
• The Tribe is led by Christie van de Kamp who has tallied 18 points (6G, 6A). Current Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week Cassidy Goodwin has registered a team-best seven goals.
• Kimi Jones (9-4) carries a 1.89 goals against average and has combined for three shutouts.

October 26 vs. Duke
1:30 p.m. | Durham, N.C.
Television: ACC Network
Live scoring: GoDuke.com
Series Record: Duke leads 11-4
Last meeting: Oct. 12, 2018 - Duke won 1-0 in a shootout at Trager Stadium.
NOTE: The Last two matchups between Louisville and Duke have ended in a shootout with the Cardinals prevailing 3-2 in the semifinals of the ACC Championship on Nov. 3 at Trager Stadium.
CARDINAL CONNECTION: The Blue Devils are coached by Pam Bustin who is in her ninth season at Duke. Prior to that, Bustin spent 13 seasons (1998-2010) as Louisville's head coach.
• Current Louisville head Justine Sowry served as an assistant under Bustin at UofL from 1998-2002.
Scouting the Blue Devils: Duke enters the weekend with an 11-4 overall record and a 1-3 mark in ACC play. The Blue Devils are coming off of a 2-0 win over James Madison on Sunday. Prior to that, they suffered a 3-2 overtime loss at the hands of then-No. 7 Virginia
• Leah Crouse lead the team with 22 points (9G, 4A). Hannah Miller has also registered a team-high nine goals.
• Sammi Steele (11-4) carries a 1.01 goals against average with six shutouts.

CARDINAL QUICK HITS
• Louisville carries a 2-2 record in ACC play and stands fourth in the conference. North Carolina (5-0) sits atop league standings while Boston College (3-1) is second and Virginia (3-2) is third. UofL's next two ACC opponents: Duke and Syracuse are tied for fifth, both with a 1-3 mark.
• The Cards have outscored their opponents 41-17 this season with 12 different players recording at least one goal.
• At 13-2 on the season, the Cardinals have already equaled last year's total and have matched the best record through 15 games since the 2016 season. Louisville also went 13-2 before finishing the year with a program-best mark of 16-5.
• Bethany Russ leads the team with nine goals and 23 points. The senior forward notched her first career hat trick in the 5-0 win over Indiana and scored a pair of goals in the 4-2 victory against Kent State.
• Redshirt junior Hollyn Barr (13-2) has started all 15 games and stands second among ACC leaders with a 1.02 goals against average. She is also tied for first with 6.5 shutouts.
• Mercedes Pastor stands second on the team with nine goals and 21 points. The junior midfielder and 2018 NFHCA All-American was named to the Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
• Justine Sowry is in her ninth season at the helm. She has guided the Cardinals to 120 wins, four NCAA tournament appearances along with a conference title and a runner-up finish in the ACC Championship.
• Louisville posted three consecutive shutouts for the first time since the 2015 season. Prior to that, the Cardinals went four games without surrendering a goal in 2014 and 2011, 1983, 1980 and 1977. The school record for most shutouts in a row is seven, set in the 1979 season.
• Louisville leads the ACC in penalty corners (75).
PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Bethany Russ stands second in the ACC with 76 shots and sixth in goals and points per game.
      - For the second straight season, she leads the Cards in goals and points.
      - Russ currently has nine goals, needing two more to tie her career season high of 11 - set in 2018.
      - Russ has four assists on the season, matching her career high set in 2016.
•Senior Carter Ayars scored her first career goal this season in the win against UMass. She now has four goals and a career-best 10 points.
      - Ayars recently earned her first career ACC player of the Week honor (Oct. 8).
• Redshirt junior Hollyn Barr is having a career-best season with 13 wins and 5.5 shutouts.
• Junior Alli Bitting has matched her career-best goal total this season.
• Julie Kouijzer one of seven players on the team who has started every game this season - and the only freshman in that group of starters.
•Margot Lawn leads the freshman scorers with four goals.
• Junior Mercedes Pastor is having a career-best season in goals and points (8G, 3A, 19PT.) She stands second on the team in both categories.
• Junior Meghan Schneider has dished out a career-high five assists.
• Junior Madison Walsh is in the midst of a career-best season in goals (7), assists (3) and points (17). Her goal in overtime lifted the Cardinals to a 3-2 win against No. 6 Iowa.
      She registered her first career multi-goal game with a pair of goals in the 3-0 win against Wake Forest.

ANY DAY, ANY TIME
Thursday's contest at William & Mary will complete the set for the Cardinals who will have played a game on every day of the week this season.
• Monday (1-0): vs. UC Davis at Michigan State (Sept. 9)
• Tuesday (1-0): vs. Stanford at Trager (Oct. 15)
• Wednesday (1-0): vs. Kent State at Trager (Sept. 4)
• Thursday at William & Mary (Oct. 24)
Friday (3-2) - vs. Indiana at Trager (Aug. 30); at North Carolina (Sept. 20); at Boston College (Sept. 27); vs. Wake Forest at Trager (Oct. 4); vs. Virginia at Trager (Oct. 11);
• Saturday (1-0): vs. Longwood at Trager (Oct. 19); at Duke (Oct. 26)
• Sunday (6-0): vs. UMass at Trager (Sept. 1); at Michigan State (Sept. 8); at Ohio State (Sept. 15); at Providence (Sept. 29); vs. Penn State at Trager (Oct. 6); vs. Iowa at Trager (Oct. 20)

UP NEXT
• The Cardinals will wrap up the regular season and celebrate senior day on November 2 when Syracuse visits Trager Stadium.

WEEKLY RECAP
Louisville 3 - Iowa 2 (OT)
• Madison Walsh's goal with four seconds left in overtime lifted the fifth-ranked Cardinals to a 3-2 win over No. 6 Iowa Sunday afternoon at Trager Stadium.
• The top-10 matchup lived up to its billing as the teams traded leads three times with senior Carter Ayars tying the game after the Cards earned a penalty corner as time expired at the end of regulation.
• In the game, Iowa (11-4) outshot Louisville 15-11 with an 11-8 advantage in shots on goal while the Cards held the penalty corner advantage 8-3. Goalkeeper Hollyn Barr had nine saves for the Cards and Leslie Speight collected five stops for Iowa.
Louisville 4 - Longwood 2
• Four different players scored to lift the fifth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 4-2 win over Longwood Saturday afternoon at Trager Stadium.
Louisville got goals from senior Whena Munn along with freshman trio Margot Lawn, Minna Tremonti and Camryn Pichea as the Cardinals outshot the Lancers 17-3 in the game and held a 7-2 advantage in penalty corners.
Louisville 3 - Stanford 0
• The fifth-ranked Cards got goals from three different players en route to its sixth shutout of the season in a 3-0 win against No. 16 Stanford (9-5) Tuesday afternoon at Trager Stadium.
• Senior Bethany Russ registered a goal and an assist while junior Mercedes Pastor and sophomore Erica Cooper also tallied goals for the Cards who have now outscored opponents 34-13. UofL controlled the ball for the majority of the game, outshooting Stanford 19-4 with a 15-2 advantage in shots on goal and nine corners to the Cardinal's one. Louisville goalkeeper Hollyn Barr had a pair of saves in the shutout while Stanford's Kelsey Bing collected 12 stops.

BARR NAMED ACC CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hollyn Barr was named ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 22. The goalkeeper posted a 1.27 goals against average with a shutout and 11 saves to help the No. 5 Cardinals to a 3-0 showing on the week – including a shutout victory over No. 16 Stanford and a 4-2 overtime win over No. 6 Iowa. She tallied her 11 saves in the three matches while facing 22 shots and playing 189 minutes in the net.
• This marks the second weekly conference honor for Barr who was also earned the nod on August 29, 2017.

AYARS, RUSS SELECTED FOR NFHCA SENIOR GAME
Carter Ayars and Bethany Russ were selected to the Victory Sports Tours/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Senior Game. The contest, which features 38 of the top senior players in the nation will take place in conjunction with the NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
•The Victory Sports Tours/NFHCA Division I Senior Game is projected for 7:00 p.m. EST on Friday, November 22, 2019 at Wake Forest University's Kentner Stadium following the completion of the NCAA Division I semifinal games.

RUSS returns to form
•Senior Bethany Russ Russ picked up where she left off as the Cardinals' leading scorer in 2018. She now leads the team with nine goals and 23 points on the season.
• The forward registered her first career hat trick to help the Cardinals to a 5-0 win against Indiana in their season opener.
•After being sidelined by injury in 2017, Russ rebounded last season, leading the team with a career-high 11 goals and 24 points. Six of her 11 goals stood as gamewinners. Russ went on to earn all-ACC and NFHCA All-Region honors.

STINGY DEFENSE
The Cardinals have allowed 17 goals through 15 games this season for a 1.11 goals against average which ranks third in the ACC and ninth in the nation.

BALANCED SCORING
Twelve different players have contributed to Louisville's 41 goals on the season with seven players tallying multiple goals.
• Bethany Russ leads the team with nine goals while Mercedes Pastor follows closely with eight Madison Walsh rounds out the top three scorers with seven goals on the season. Margot Lawn and Carter Ayars have four goals apiece and Whena Munn has registered a pair of goals. Biz Allgeier, Alli Bitting, Erica Cooper, Minna Tremonti, Camryn Pichea and Mattie Tabor each have one goal.
•The Cards stand at No. 14 in the nation and second in the ACC with a 2.70 scoring average.

THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS
While Louisville's roster boasts a core of experienced players, several freshmen are also making an impact in the early season.
• The Cardinals' starting lineup has featured at least three freshmen in every game this season. Julie Kouijzer started every contest, while Margot Lawn, Minna Tremonti, Emilia Kaczmarczyk and Mattie Tabor have also had at least two starts and played in every game thus far.

CARDS No. 5 in NFHCA Rankings
For the third straight week, Louisville appears at No. 5 in the Penn Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll released on October 22. This marks the second-highest ranking in program history - the Cardinals reached as high as No. 4 in the 2002 season.
Louisville in the NFHCA Rankings
• This marks the 72nd straight week Louisville has appeared among the top 20 in the nation dating back to the 2013 season.
• The Cards have spent the last seven weeks in the top 10 after starting the 2019 season at No. 12 in the preseason rankings.
• UofL finished the 2018 campaign at No. 14 after spending seven weeks in the top 10, reaching as high as No. 8.
• Louisville appeared in the top 10 seven times in 2018 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.
• 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.

ACC STRONG
• All seven ACC teams appear in the top 20, with 2018 national champion North Carolina holding down the top spot. Duke placed fourth in the most recent rankings, Louisville checks in at No. 5 and Virginia at No. 6 to give the ACC four teams among the top 10. Boston College (No. 13), Syracuse (No. 15) and Wake Forest (No. 20) round out the ranked ACC squads.

Tough Slate
• Ten of the Cardinals' 18 opponents are ranked among the top 25 in the current NFHCA poll. In addition to its six ACC opponents, UofL's ranked opponents also include: No. 8 Iowa, No. 16 Stanford, No. 22 Ohio State and No. 25 Providence College.

CARDS NO. 6 IN NCAA RPI REPORT
• UofL appears at No. 6 in the most recent NCAA RPI report released on October 22. The Cards dropped one spot after spending the first two report periods at No. 4 and moving to No. 5 in the Oct. 8 release.
• UofL is no stranger to facing quality competition and this season is no different with eight of its 18 opponents appearing among the top 20. Below is a list of Louisville's 2019 opponents who are included among the NCAA's RPI leaders.
1. North Carolina (L, 1-4)
3. Duke (play Oct. 26)
4. Virginia (L, 1-2)
7. Boston College (W, 3-2)
8. Syracuse (play Nov. 2)
15. Iowa (W, 3-2/OT)
18. Wake Forest (W, 2-0)
19. Stanford (W, 3-0)

CARDS AMONG THE NATION'S BEST STATISTICALLY
Louisville is ranked among the top 25 in eight different statistical categories as a team and three individual categories.
NCAA Top 25 stats
• UofL is fourth with an .867 winning percentage.
•Louisville stands at No. 6 in shutouts per game (.40) and ninth in goals against average (1.11).
• The Cards rank No. 9 with a scoring margin of 1.57, 17th with 7.00 penalty corners per game. Additionally, the Cardinals are No. 18 in scoring average (2.69) and No. 17 in goals per game (2.73) and stand at No. 21 with 7.27 points per game.
• Goalkeeper Hollyn Barr stands fourth with an .867 win percentage and ninth with a goals against average of 1.02.

Cards in NCAA and ACC Team Standings (as of Oct. 22)
Category                       Value        NCAA       ACC

Winning percentage      .833             5             2
Shutouts per game        0.42             8            T1
Goals against average    1.11             9             3
Scoring margin               1.57             9             2
Penalty corners per game 7.00         12            1
Goals per game              2.73            17            2
Scoring average             2.69            18            3
Points per game             7.27            21            3
Cards in NCAA and ACC Team Standings
Hollyn Barr (Win-Loss pct) 0.867       4             2
Hollyn Barr (GAA)          1.02             9             3

AYARS TABBED ACC CO-DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Carter Ayars has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Co-Defensive Player of the Week for the period ended on October 6.
• Ayars earned her first weekly conference honor after keying Louisville's defensive unit as the Cardinals blanked No. 20 Wake Forest and Penn State to match best 11-game start in program history.
• The senior defender was instrumental in the back-to-back shutouts, leading the way as Louisville limited the Demon Deacons and Nittany Lions to a combined six shots on goal. Ayars also dished out an assist in the Cardinals' 3-0 win over Wake Forest to help her team improve to 2-1 in ACC play.

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- current)
Mackenzie Karl - U.S. U17 Team (2015-16)
Margot Lawn - U.S. U19 Team (2019); U17 Team (2017-19)
Mercedes Pastor - Argentina U21 Team (2015-17); U18 Team (2013-14)
Katie Schneider - U.S. U19 Team (2019)
Meghan Schneider - U.S. U21 Team (2018); U19 Team (2017-18), U21 Team (2019)

HOME GROWN TALENT
The Cardinals' roster features six players who chose to play for their hometown school: sophomores Biz Allgeier (Assumption) and Erica Cooper (Assumption), redshirt freshmen Camryn Pichea (Assumption), and Sam Minrath (Christian Academy) and freshmen India Reed (DuPont Manual) and Mattie Tabor (Sacred Heart).

HOME SWEET HOME
•The Cardinals are 8-1 on the season at Trager Stadium, bringing their home record to 54-13 since the 2013 season.
•Louisville owned a 5-3 record at Trager Stadium in 2018.
• 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.

PASTOR EARNS ACC PRESEASON HONORS
Mercedes Pastor was named to the Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team and the Cardinals were picked to finish four in the regular season standings in a vote of the league's seven head coaches.
• Pastor (Buenos Aires, Argentina) earned 2018 NFHCA All-America honors after starting every in her first season at Louisville. The NFHCA all-West Region and all-ACC first team selection tallied five goals, including the game-winner in double overtime at No. 15 Syracuse and the deciding goal in overtime against California. Pastor also dished out three assists to bring her point total to 13 in 2018.

2019 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
1. North Carolina (6) - 48
2. Duke (1) - 43
3. Virginia - 29
4. Louisville - 25
5. Syracuse - 18
6. Boston College - 17
7. Wake Forest – 16
(First-place votes)