No. 5 Louisville Hosts No. 11 Michigan in NCAA First Round Friday at 12 p.m.

Friday, November 15

LOUISVILLE, KY

12:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

MICHIGAN

Tickets

Photo by: Adam Creech | Louisville Athletics

No. 5 Louisville Hosts No. 11 Michigan in NCAA First Round Friday at 12 p.m.

November 14, 2019 | Field Hockey

2019 NCAA Game Notes Live Stats Watch Link Digital Program Tickets

Cards open NCAA play against Michigan Friday at 12 p.m.

By: Lori Harmon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The fifth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will open NCAA tournament play against No. 11 Michigan on Friday at 12 p.m. at Trager Stadium.

The Cardinals earned the overall No. 4 seed in the NCAA Championship and will host the first and second rounds for the first time in program history. Seventh-ranked Boston College and No. 11 Northwestern will face off in the other first round game at 2:30 p.m. Friday. The winners of the first round matches will meet Sunday at 1 p.m.

Sunday's quarterfinal winner will advance to the NCAA semifinals which will take place Nov. 22 at Wake Forest's Kentner Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. The national championship game will be held on Nov. 24.

Tournament Information:
NCAA First and Second Rounds
Louisville, Ky. | Trager Stadium
Friday, November 15
Game 1: Louisville vs. Michigan, 12 p.m.
Game 2: Boston College vs. Northwestern, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 17
Game 3: Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner, 1 p.m.

Ticket Information
Single Session Adult        $10
Single Session Student/Youth/Senior      $5
Single Session Groups    $10

All Session Student/Youth/Senior             $10
All Session Adult               $20
All Session Groups           $20

Purchase all-session tickets here. Single game tickets may be purchased at the gate on the day of the game.

The digital NCAA postseason program may be downloaded here.

FRIDAY GAME INFORMATION
November 15 vs. Michigan
12:00 p.m. | Louisville, Ky., Trager Stadium
Television: GoCards.com
Series Record: Michigan leads 9-3
Last meeting: Oct. 22, 2017 - Michigan won 6-2 in Ann Arbor.
Scouting the Wolverines: Tenth-ranked Michigan received an at-large bid to the tournament after posting a 13-6 record. The Wolverines recently fell to Big Ten tournament runner-up Penn State in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. This marks Michigan's 16th appearance in the NCAA tournament.

CARDS VS. THE REST OF THE FIELD
Boston College
Series Record: UL leads 4-2
Last meeting: Sept. 27 2019 - Louisville won 3-2 in Newton, Mass.
Shots: UL 10 - BC 8
Corners: UL 3 - BC 2
Saves: Barr (UL) 1; Kennedy (BC) 2
Goals: Natale (BC), Russ (UL), Carlin (BC), Lawn (UL), Walsh (UL)
Scouting the Eagles: Ninth-ranked Boston College (13-7) earned an at-large bid following a runner-up showing in the ACC Championship. The Eagles most recently fell 3-1 to top-ranked North Carolina in Sunday's title match. BC is making its 12th NCAA tournament appearance and its first since the 2016 season.

Northwestern
Series Record: UL leads 8-3
Last meeting: Sept.16, 2018 - UL won 1-0 at Trager Stadium.
Scouting the Wildcats: No. 14 Northwestern (14-7) earned an at-large bid after reaching the semifinals of the Big Ten Championship where the Wildcats fell 2-1 to eventual champion Iowa. NU is making its 15th NCAA appearance, and first since 2017 when the Wildcats edged Louisville 3-2 in overtime in the first round at the University of Michigan.

CARDINAL QUICK HITS
• The Cardinals (15-5, 3-3 ACC) advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship where they fell 3-1 to top-ranked North Carolina.
• Alli Bitting and Mercedes Pastor were named to the ACC All-Tournament team.
• Four Louisville players earn All-ACC honor: Mercedes Pastor was selected to the first team while Carter Ayars, Alli Bitting and Bethany Russ were named to the second team.
• The Cards have outscored their opponents 46-24 this season with 12 different players recording at least one goal.
• Bethany Russ leads the team with 10 goals and 25 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 (15-5) has started all 20 games and stands four in the ACC with a 1.10 goals against average. She is also second with 7.5 shutouts.
• Junior Mercedes Pastor stands second on the team with nine goals and 22 points. The junior midfielder and 2018 NFHCA All-American was named to the Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team.
• Junior Madison Walsh stands third on the team with a career-high eight goals, three assists and 19 points.
• Justine Sowry is in her ninth season at the helm. She has guided the Cardinals to 122 wins, five NCAA tournament appearances along with a conference title and a runner-up finish in the ACC Championship.
• This season, 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 (113).
PLAYER NOTES
• Senior all-ACC second team selection Bethany Russ leads the ACC with 89 shots and seventh in goals and eighth in points.
                - For the second straight season, she leads the Cards in goals and points.
                - Russ currently has 10 goals, needing onemore to tie her career 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 five goals and a career-best 12 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 15 wins and 7.5 shutouts.
• Junior all-ACC second team selection Alli Bitting has matched her career-high 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 first team all-ACC selection Mercedes Pastor is having a career-best season in goals and points (9G, 4A, 22PT.) 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 (8), 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.

CARDS AGAINST THE 2019 NCAA FIELD
• Louisville has a 4-4 record against teams in the 2019 NCAA tournament - with two of those losses coming against No. 1 North Carolina. The following is a breakdown of the results against the tournament field.
Boston College: 1-0; Won 3-2 (Sept. 27)
Duke: 1-0; Won 1-0 (Oct. 26)
Iowa: 1-0; Won 3-2 in OT (Oct. 20)
North Carolina: 0-2; Lost 1-4 (Sept. 20); 1-3 (Nov. 8 in ACC semifinals)
Stanford: 1-0; Won 3-0 (Sept. 15)
Syracuse: 1-1; Lost 1-2 in OT (Nov. 2), Won 1-0 (Nov. 7 in ACC quarterfinals)
Virginia: 0-1; Lost 1-2 (Oct. 11)

Cards in the NCAA Tournament
Seven appearances: 0-7 record (three overtimes)
2018 - First round (at Michigan)
                #10 Northwestern 3 - #8 Louisville 2/OT
2016 - First round (at Duke)
                #8 Delaware 1 - #9 Louisville 0
2015 - First round (at Connecticut)
                #3 Connecticut 3 - #9 Louisville 0
2014 - First round (at Connecticut)
                #4 Stanford 2 - #10 Louisville 1/OT
2008 - First round (at Michigan State)
                # 6 Iowa 1 - Louisville 0
2004 - Play-in game (at Pacific)
                Pacific 1 - Louisville 0/OT
2003 - First round (at Michigan State)
                Michigan State 2 - Louisville 0

UP LAST
The Cardinals reached the semifinals of the ACC Championship.
QF: No. 6 Louisville 1 - No. 12 Syracuse 0
Mercedes Pastor scored the lone goal of the game as fifth-seeded Louisville blanked fourth-seeded Syracuse 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship on Thursday.
SF: No. 1 North Carolina 3 - No. 6 Louisville 1
Top-ranked UNC built a 3-0 lead before Bethany Russ connected on an assist from Pastor to put the Cardinals on the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. The Tar Heels outshot Louisville 14-12, but the Cards held a 7-6 edge in penalty corners.
•Pastor and junior Alli Bitting were named to the ACC All-Tournament team.

ACC STRONG
Six ACC teams earned bids to the 2019 NCAA Field Hockey Championship, announced Sunday night by the NCAA Field Hockey Committee.
•The league claimed five of the eight at-large spots in the tournament. Three of next weekend's four first- and second-round host sites were awarded to ACC schools.
•ACC champion North Carolina earned the No. 1 overall seed and will host first- and second-round games. Virginia earned the No. 3 overall seed and was also selected as host site, as was No. 4 seed Louisville. ACC runner-up Boston College, Duke and Syracuse also received at-large bids and will begin tournament play on the road.
• The announcement marks the seventh straight year that at least four ACC teams have earned a postseason bid.
•The six ACC teams in the NCAA Championship were all ranked in the nation's top 12 in the most recent NFHCA Poll. Following No. 1 North Carolina are No. 4 Virginia, No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Louisville, No. 9 Boston College and No. 12 Louisville.
•All six of the ACC teams selected for this year's field also rank among the top eight of the latest RPI. The league combined to go 70-13 against non-conference competition during the regular the season, the best record of any conference.
• The ACC currently has a streak of 30 straight years with at least one team in the NCAA semifinals. Thirty-eight of the last 64 teams to reach the national semifinals have come from the ACC.

ANY DAY, ANY TIME
Thursday's contest at William & Mary completed 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 (1-1) at William & Mary (Oct. 24); vs. Syracuse in ACC Quarterfinals
• Friday (3-3) - 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); vs. North Carolina in ACC Semifinals
• Saturday (2-0): 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)

CARDS PLACE FOUR ON ALL-ACC TEAMS
Four University of Louisville field hockey players have earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors as announced by the league office on Wednesday. Mercedes Pastor was selected to the first team while Carter Ayars, Alli Bitting and Bethany Russ were named to the second team according to a vote by the league's seven head coaches.
• Pastor, a junior midfielder from Buenos Aires, Argentina, takes home her second straight All-ACC first team honor after registering a career-high eight goals and dishing out three assists to stand tied for second on the team with 19 points. The 2018 NFHCA second team All-American was a 2019 preseason All-ACC selection.
• Ayars, a senior defender from Wilmington, Del., has tallied a career-high five goals and 12 points and earned ACC Co-Player of the Week honors on Oct. 8. She has been a valuable part of the Cardinals defense which has produced seven shutouts. The team co-captain will also represent the Cardinals in the NFHCA Senior Game on Nov. 7. Ayars was a 2018 NFHCA All-West Region selection and is a member of USA Field Hockey's Under 21 team and was selected to participate in Development Team Selection Camp.
• Bitting, a junior defender from Hummelstown, Pa., earns her first ACC All-Conference accolade. The 2018 NFHCA All-West Region honoree has registered one goal and four assists while providing steady defense to help the Cardinals to seven shutouts on the season. She was also a member of the 2017 ACC All-Tournament team.
• Russ (Melbourne, Australia) earns all-ACC second team honors for the second straight season. The senior forward also earned NFHCA All-West Region honors in 2018. The team co-captain leads the team in goals (9) and points (23). She will represent the Cardinals in the NFHCA Senior All-Star game on November 7.

SENIOR SALUTE
• The 2019 senior class of Carter Ayars, Hollyn Barr, Isabella Leeker, Whena Munn and Bethany Russ will graduate with many distinctions.
• The group has won 57 games while compiling an impressive 30-9 record at Trager Stadium.
• This class has helped the program reach several milestones while competing in arguably the toughest conference in the NCAA, in doing so, they have helped their team to a three NCAA tournament appearances - including UofL's first overall No. 4 seed and host selection in 2019.
• Their teams have been a mainstay in the national top 20 rankings throughout their careers, while spending 31 weeks among the top 10, reaching as high as No.5 in four ranking periods this season.
•As sophomores, they helped the Cardinals to a program-best 4-2 record in ACC play and finished tied for second in the conference. They each played an integral role in Louisville's historic run to the ACC finals after a dramatic shootout win over Duke in the semifinals.
• The class has also excelled academically, earning the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association Academic team award in each of their seasons here.

WALSH FOR THE WIN
Madison Walsh registered the lone goal of the game as the fifth-ranked Cardinals upset No. 4 Duke on the road Saturday. The goal marked Walsh's team-best fourth game-winner of the season – all four of the game-winners have come against ranked opponents including No. 12 Ohio State, No. 17 Boston College, No. 6 Iowa and No. 4 Duke.
• She now has a career-high eight goals and 19 points on the season and stands tied for second on the team in both categories.

RUSS returns to form
•Senior Bethany Russ Russ picked up where she left off as the Cardinals' leading scorer in 2018. Sheleads the team with 10 goals and 23 points.
• 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 24 goals through 20 games this season with eight shutouts for a 1.16 goals against average which ranks third in the ACC and sixth in the nation.

BALANCED SCORING
Twelve different players have contributed to Louisville's 46 goals on the season with seven players tallying multiple goals.
• Bethany Russ leads the team with 10 goals and Mercedes Pastor is right behind her with nine. Madison Walsh follow closely with eight goals. Carter Ayars stands fourth with a career-high five goals. Margot Lawn leads the freshmen with four goals and Whena Munn has registered a pair of goals. Biz Allgeier has two goals while Alli Bitting, Erica Cooper, Minna Tremonti, Camryn Pichea and Mattie Tabor each have one goal.
•The Cards entered the week at No. 26 in the nation and third in the ACC with a 2.69 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 and Emilia Kaczmarczyk have also had at least two starts and played in every game thus far.

CARDS No. 5 in NFHCA Rankings
The Cardinals moved up one spot to No. 5 in the Penn/Monto/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Coaches poll released on Nov. 12. Last week, the Cardinals slipped to No. 6 after spending UofL spent four straight weeks at No. 5 which marked 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 75th straight week Louisville has appeared among the top 20 in the nation dating back to the 2013 season.
• The Cards have spent the last 10 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.

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. 7 Iowa, No. 17 Stanford, No. 22 Ohio State, and No. 23 William & Mary.

CARDS NO. 4 IN NCAA RPI REPORT
• UofL appears at No. 4 in the most recent NCAA RPI report released on November 12. The Cards moved up one spot after reaching the semifinals of the ACC tournament where they fell 3-1 to eventual champion North Carolina. Louisville appeared as high as No. 4 twice this season.
• 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, 1-3)
3. Virginia (L, 1-2)
6. Boston College (W, 3-2)
7. Duke (W, 1-0)
8. Iowa (W, 3-2/OT)
10. Syracuse (L, 1-2/OT)
16. Stanford (W, 3-0)
19. Wake Forest (W, 2-0)

CARDS AMONG THE NATION'S BEST STATISTICALLY
Louisville is ranked among the top 25 in six different statistical categories as a team and two individual categories.
NCAA Top 25 stats
• Louisville stands at No. 5 in the nation and third in the ACC in winning percentage (.750) and shutouts per game (0.40).
• The Cards are 11th in the nation and third in the conference with a .750 win percentage. They are ranked 12th nationally and fourth in the conference with a 1.16 goals against average.
• UofL ranks No. 20 in the NCAA and third in the ACC with a scoring margin of 1.07.
• Additionally, the Cardinals stand at No. 22 nationally and second in the league in penalty corners per game (6.35)and 25th in the NCAA and third in the ACC in goals per game (2.22).
• Goalkeeper Hollyn Barr stands 10th in the nation and third in the ACC with a .750 win percentage and 12th in the NCAA and fifth in the ACC with a goals against average of 1.10.

Cards in NCAA and ACC Team Standings (as of Nov. 11)
Category              Value    NCAA    ACC
Shutouts per game          0.40        5              2
Winning percentage       .750        11           3
Goals against average    1.16        12           4
Scoring margin 1.07        20           3
Penalty corners per game             6.35        22           2
Scoring average 2.23        25           3
Cards in NCAA and ACC Team Standings
Hollyn Barr (Win-Loss pct)            .750        10           3
Hollyn Barr (GAA)            1.10        12           5

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 were 8-2 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.

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 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.

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.

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