Pastor Selected to Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The University of Louisville's Mercedes Pastor was selected to the Preseason All-ACC Team and the Cardinals were picked to finished fifth in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championship in a vote by the league's seven head coaches.

This marks the second straight All-ACC Preseason selection for Pastor. The senior midfielder from Buenos Aires, Argentina is a two-time National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America selection, earning first team honors in 2019 and garnering second team accolades in 2018. As a junior, she posted a career-best nine goals and 22 points and was named to the ACC All-Tournament team. The two-time All-ACC and All-NFHCA All-West Region first team selection has tallied 14 career goals and dished out seven assists. She was one of four finalists for the Class of 2020 Honda Sport Award for Field Hockey

Defending NCAA champion North Carolina was picked to claim its fourth straight ACC title after receiving six first place votes and a total of 48 points. Virginia, a 2019 NCAA semifinalist placed second in the preseason voting with 37 points, while Boston College rounded out the top three picks with 30 points after reaching the 2019 NCAA semifinals. Duke (26 points), Louisville (25 points), Syracuse (23 points) and Wake Forest (7 points) round out the seven-team ACC field.

The 2019 Cardinals posted a 16-6 overall record, tying a program mark for wins and earned the overall No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, serving as a host site for the first time in program history. Louisville also made its first foray into the NCAA quarterfinals after defeating Michigan 2-1 in double-overtime in its first-round matchup.

Louisville returns 15 letterwinners and nine starters from last year's historic team, including Pastor and fellow NFHCA All-American senior defender Alli Bitting. Also back from last season are NFHCA All-West Region selections: seniors Madison Walsh and Meghan Schneider and junior Erica Cooper. Additionally, the Cardinals welcome eight talented newcomers to this year's squad.

UofL will open the 2020 season Saturday, September 26 when Duke visits Trager Stadium at 1 p.m. for the first of two games. The teams will meet again on Sunday, September 27 at 1 p.m. as Louisville

The ACC field hockey fall season begins Friday, Sept. 18 and concludes Sunday, Nov. 1. Each of the ACC's seven teams will play a six-game conference schedule (single round-robin), in addition to several more games against fellow ACC opponents that have been designated as non-conference. Duke is scheduled to play host to the ACC Championship Nov. 5, 6 and 8.

2020 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
1. North Carolina (6) - 48
2. Virginia - 37
3. Boston College - 30
4. Duke - 26
5. Louisville -25
6. Syracuse (1) - 23
7. Wake Forest – 7
(First-place votes)

2020 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team
Margo Carlin, F, So., Boston College
Fusine Govaert, M, Sr., Boston College
Lexi Davidson, B, Sr., Duke
Mercedes Pastor, M, Sr., Louisville
Erin Matson, F, Jr., North Carolina
Eva Smolenaars, M, Sr., North Carolina
Charlotte de Vries, F, So., Syracuse
Laura Graziosi, M, Jr., Syracuse
Rachel Robinson, B, Sr., Virginia
Amber Ezechiels, B, Jr., Virginia
Lauren Hausheer, GK, Jr., Virginia

University of Louisville Athletics

Pastor Selected to Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team

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Players Mentioned

Alli Bitting

Erica Cooper

Mercedes Pastor

Meghan Schneider

Madison Walsh

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