Cardinals Fall to North Carolina in ACC Championship Game

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - The top-seeded University of Louisville field hockey team took an early 2-0 lead, but second-seeded North Carolina scored four unanswered goals to beat the Cardinals 4-2 in the finals of the 2020 ACC Field Hockey Championship Sunday afternoon at North Carolina's Karen Shelton Stadium.

After earning the No. 1 seed in the ACC tournament for the first time in program history, the Cardinals finish the fall season with an 8-2 overall record. UNC (10-1) claimed its fourth consecutive tournament title and the 23rd overall ACC Championship.

"Congratulations to Coach Shelton and Carolina, they have a fantastic team and they know how to win championships," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "I'm really proud of our group right now, they played superb hockey in the first half, but the third quarter hurt us. They came at us and we couldn't get the ball out of the backfield. We went away from our game plan, so that gave an opportunity for the momentum to shift in Carolina's favor. We still had chances and opportunities - they took theirs and we were unable to capitalize on ours."

Redshirt sophomore Katie Schneider accounted for both of Louisville's goals as the Cardinals jumped to a 2-0 lead and senior goalkeeper Hollyn Barr collected two saves. In the game, Louisville outshot North Carolina 16-10 and had an 8-3 penalty corner advantage while the Tar Heels owned an 8-6 edge in shots on goal.

UofL got on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter when freshman Charlie van Oirschot dribbled the ball into the circle and dished to the left side of the cage where Katie Schneider was waiting to deliver a shot past UNC's Amanda Hendry.

The Cardinals extended their lead early in the second quarter after senior Alli Bitting sent a penalty corner shot toward the top right post and Schneider directed it into the cage for her second goal of the game and fourth of the season.

The Tar Heels countered four minutes later with a penalty corner goal from Erin Matson to cut the lead in half.

Louisville entered halftime up 2-1 after outshooting North Carolina 6-3 while each team earned a pair of first-half penalty corners.

North Carolina intensified its offensive pressure in the third quarter and quickly evened the score in the fourth minute with a goal from Bryn Boylan. With 1:40 left in the frame, Madison Orobono put the Tar Heels on top 3-2.

Louisville increased its own attack, earning four penalty corners in the final two minutes of the third quarter, but the North Carolina defense held them at bay.

With 2:49 remaining in the game, Barr was subbed out in favor of an extra field player and the Cardinals surged forward, earning two penalty corners and firing off three shots, but could not capitalize.

The Tar Heels were awarded a penalty corner with just under a minute remaining in regulation and the Cardinals' defense initially stood strong with sophomore Julie Kouijzer picking up her second defensive save of the game, but UNC took advantage of Barr's absence when Matson sent the rebound into the empty cage for the 4-2 final.

Louisville placed three players on the ACC All-Tournament team with Julie Kouijzer, Mercedes Pastor, and Aimee Plumb earning the honors after their performance in the Cardinals' tournament run.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the full season for all Division I teams has been rescheduled for the spring, with NCAA tournament competition slated for early May.

"I'm just really proud of the fight, resilience and toughness that our team has shown this season," said Sowry. "We deserved to be in this final. We've come a long way. We've grown so much as a program and we're not done yet. It's going to be a bright future for us."

University of Louisville Athletics

Cardinals Fall to North Carolina in ACC Championship Game

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Players Mentioned

Hollyn Barr

Alli Bitting

Julie Kouijzer

Mercedes Pastor

Aimee Plumb

Katie Schneider

Charlie van Oirschot

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