No. 4 Cardinals Wrap Up Road Swing at No. 10 North Carolina and No. 25 James Madison

WEEKEND INFORMATION
Louisville at No. 10 North Carolina
Date: Oct. 22, 2021, 4:00 PM
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Venue: Karen Shelton Stadium
Television: Bally Sports RSN/ACC Network Extra
Game Links: Live Scoring | ACCNX
Bally Sports RSN Affiliates
Louisville at No. 25 James Madison
Date: Oct. 24, 2021, 12:00 PM
Location: Harrisonburg, Va.
Venue: JMU Field Hockey Comples
Television: FloSports
Game Links: Live Scoring | FloSports

Twitter Updates: @ULFieldHockey
Louisville Field Hockey Game Notes

The fourth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will travel to Chapel Hill, N.C. to take on No. 10 North Carolina in an ACC matchup on Friday. The Cardinals will wrap up their five-game road swing on Sunday at No. 25 James Madison in Harrisonburg, Va.

NOTE CARDS
• This weekend's contests will mark the 10th and 11th ranked opponents for the Cardinals so far this season. UofL is 7-2 against top-25 teams with its only losses coming at the hands of then-No. 2 (currently No. 1) Iowa on Sept. 19 and No. 2 Michigan on Oct. 10.
• The Cardinals are coming off of a pair of wins last weekend. On Friday, Louisville improved to 4-0 in ACC play with 3-2 overtime win at Boston College and wrapped up the weekend with a 7-0 victory at Northeastern on Sunday.
• Aimee Plumb is the current ACC Offensive Player of the Week as announced by the league office on Oct. 18. The sophomore led the Cardinals offensively with three goals and one assist last weekend.
• Katie Schneider leads the team with a career-best nine goals and 21 points on the season. She is also second in the ACC in goals and stands third in points.
• Louisville has outscored opponents 40-13 with 11 different players contributing goals.
• UofL is 7-2 against top-25 opponent with its only losses coming at the hands of then-No. 2 (currently No. 1) Iowa on Sept. 19 and No. 2 Michigan on Oct. 10.
• UofL carries 4-0 record in ACC play and is tied with Syracuse at the top of the conference standings. North Carolina stands third in the conference with a 3-1 mark.
• The Cardinals started the season with a 7-0 record for the second straight year, matching a school record start before falling 2-0 to the Hawkeyes.
• The Iowa loss also marked the first time the Cardinals were shut out since March 27, 2021 when Louisville fell 1-0 at then-No. 16 Boston College.
• The Cardinals are 4-0 in overtime games this season – including a 2-0 mark in double OT contests.
• Mattie Tabor has five goals on the season. All five of her scores have been game-winners - she leads the ACC in that category.
• Freshman Mila de Kuijer carries a 0.83 goals against average standing second in the ACC in that category. She also leads the league with six shutouts.
• Alli Bitting and Charlie van Oirschot were named to the Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team.
• Head coach Justine Sowry achieved her 200th career victory on Sept. 10 when the Cardinals defeated Indiana 1-0 at Trager Stadium.

Head Coach Justine Sowry
Justine Sowry is in her 11th season at the helm. During her time at Louisville, she has guided the Cardinals to 150 wins, six NCAA tournament appearances reaching the quarterfinals twice and advancing to the semifinals for the first time in program history in the 2020-21 season. Under Sowry's tutelage, Louisville has tallied a pair of conference titles, including the 2020 ACC Fall Regular Season crown, and a pair of runner-up finishes in the ACC Championships.
• With UofL's 1-0 win against Indiana on Sept. 10, Justine Sowry reached 200 career victories in her 15th season as a head coach.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
North Carolina
Series Record: UNC leads 10-5
Last Meeting: March 5, 2021 - UNC won 2-0 in Chapel Hill.
NOTE: The teams met three times in the 2020-21 season. Louisville opened the fall campaign on Oct. 2, 2020 with a 3-1 win at Trager Stadium, snapping UNC's 47-game win streak. The Tar Heels avenged the loss in the finals of the ACC Championship with a 4-2 decision on November 8, 2020.
Scouting the Tar Heels: UNC enters the weekend with a 9-5 overall record and a 3-1 mark in ACC play. The Tar Heels are coming of off a 1-0 win against No. 15 Wake Forest on October 15.
• Erin Matson leads the nation with 18 goals and 44 points. Abigail Taylor carries a 1.79 goals against average

James Madison
Series Record: UL leads 4-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 24, 2017 - UL won 4-1 at Trager Stadium.
Scouting the Dukes: No. 25 James Madison enters the weekend with a 9-5 overall record prior to a Friday Colonial Athletic Association matchup against Drexel.
• Last weekend, the Dukes picked up a pair of wins, including a 4-0 victory against No. 20 Delaware and a 2-0 decision against Temple.
• James Madison is led offensively by Eveline Zwager and Diede Remijnse who have tallied nine goals apiece. Florien Marcussen carries a 1.54 goals against average with four shutouts on the season.

UP NEXT
Following Sunday's match at JMU, the Cardinals will return to Trager Stadium for their season finale against Syracuse. During that game, UofL will honor seniors: Alli Bitting, Erica Cooper, Mackenzie Karl, Sam Minrath, Camryn Pichea and Katie Schneider.

PLUMB NAMED ACC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Aimee Plumb was named ACC Field Hockey Offensive Player of the week on Oct. 18. This marks Plumb's first weekly conference award and the fourth time this season a Louisville player has earned the honor.
• Plumb led the fourth-ranked Cardinals offensively in a pair of weekend wins, totaling three goals and an assist for seven points.
• The sophomore forward helped Louisville improve to 4-0 in ACC play with a 3-2 overtime win at No. 12 Boston College on Friday. With her team trailing 2-0 in the third quarter, Plumb delivered her second goal of the season to start a Louisville comeback. After the Cardinals tied the game in the fourth quarter and the game moved to overtime, Plumb created a turnover and delivered a feed to teammate Erica Cooper for the game-winning goal.
• On Sunday, Plumb notched a pair of goals to help lead Louisville to a 7-0 win at Northeastern. In that game, she delivered three shots, all of which landed on goal. • The Canterbury, Kent, England native now has four goals and three assists on the season.

CARDS FOURTH IN NFHCA COACHES POLL
UofL stands at No. 4 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Coaches poll released on Oct. 19. This marks the second straight week the Cardinals have appeared at No. 4 following a 3-2 overtime win at then-No. 12 Boston College and a 7-0 victory at Northeastern last weekend.
• Louisville has spent 14 of the last 15 weeks ranked among the top five in the nation. Last season, the Cardinals spent all seven weeks in the top five after debuting at No. 2 – the highest ranking in program history – on March 16, 2021. After two weeks in that slot, UofL remained in the top five throughout the rest of the season, finishing the year at No. 5. The Cardinals also concluded the 2019 campaign at No. 5.
• The Cards have been ranked among the top 10 for the last 27 weeks spanning back to the 2019 season when they appeared at No. 8 on Sept. 10.
• Louisville has now spent 92 consecutive weeks in the top 20 in the nation dating back to the 2013 season.

ACC STRONG
• All seven ACC teams appear in the top 25 with Louisville leading the way at No. 4. In addition to the Cardinals, the ACC holds three of the top 10 spots with Syracuse stepping in at No. 6 and North Carolina at No. 10. Rounding out the other ACC schools are No. 13 Boston College, No. 16 Virginia, No. 17 Wake Forest and No. 24 Duke.

UP LAST
#4 Louisville 7 - Northeastern 0
Sophomores Aimee Plumb and Embry Jane Imorde each scored a pair of goals to lead the fourth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 7-0 win over Northeastern Sunday afternoon at Dedham field.
• Plumb and Imorde paced the Cardinals' offense with two goals apiece and Erica Cooper, Katie Schneider and Alli Bitting also scored as Louisville delivered a season-high seven goals – the most since Sept. 9, 2016 when UofL beat Central Michigan 8-0.
• In the game, Louisville outshot Northeastern 16-14 with an 11-7 edge in shots on goals while the Huskies held an 8-5 advantage in penalty corners. Freshman Mila de Kuijer posted seven saves en route to her ACC-leading sixth shutout of the season.
#4 Louisville 3 - #12 Boston College 2 (OT)
Erica Cooper's goal with 7:37 left in overtime lifted the fourth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 3-2 win at No. 12 Boston College. Cooper's goal capped the Cardinals' comeback effort after being down 2-0 in the third quarter.
• Aimee Plumb tallied a goal and an assist while Charlie van Oirschot and Cooper scored for the Cardinals who fell behind 2-0 early in the third quarter. The game was evenly contested with each team delivering eight shots and earning four penalty corners apiece. Freshman Mila de Kuijer posted four saves and senior Alli Bitting added a defensive save in the contest.

BALANCED OFFENSE
The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 40-13 this season.
• Eleven different players have contributed to the Cardinals' goal tally with Katie Schneider's nine goals leading the way. Julie Kouijzer, Mattie Tabor and Erica Cooper follow with five goals apiece.

STINGY DEFENSE
Louisville has posted six shutouts in 15 games, standing second in the ACC and 10th in the nation with 0.40 shutouts per game.
• The Cardinals have produced a 0.83 goals against average which leads the conference and ranks fifth the country.
• Mila de Kuijer is in the midst of an impressive rookie campaign which started with back-to-back shutouts in the first two games of the season. She stands second in ACC and fifth in the nation with a 0.83 goals against average, and leads the league with six shutouts. de Kuijer also leads the ACC and ranks seventh in the NCAA with an .809 save percentage.

TABOR FINDING HER GROOVE
After her sophomore campaign was cut short in the second game of the season due to injury, Mattie Tabor is back in the Cardinals' lineup and is tied for second on the team with five goals. All five of her goals have been game-winners to lead the conference in that category.
Tabor's game winning goals:
Aug. 27 vs. Ohio (6-0
Sept. 5 at Princeton (3-2/OT)
Sept. 12 vs. Liberty (3-1)
Sept. 17 vs. Virginia (1-0)
Oct. 1 vs. Wake Forest (2OT)

SCHNEIDER SHINES IN 2021
Katie Schneider in the midst of a career-best season. The forward from San Diego leads the team with 21 points (9G, 3A). She tallied three assists in the 6-0 win against Ohio, tying a school record.
• Schneider recently tallied a pair of goals in the 4-1 win against Miami (Ohio) to establish a new career single-season high, surpassing her previous mark of six in the 2020-21 campaign. She now has eight on the season.
• She stands tied for second in the ACC in goals and third in points.

RETURNING PLAYER NOTES
• Alli Bitting (team co-captain); Earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Aug. 31… Returning for fifth season... 2021 Preseason All-ACC selection... Two-time NFHCA All-American and All-ACC selection... Last year led the team with a career-high eight assists and scored the game-winner in the Cardinals' 1-0 NCAA quarterfinal victory against UConn... Earned 2020-21 NFHCA All-West Region and All-ACC honors, helping the Cardinals' defense to eight shutouts on the season and registering one goal and four assists... Named to NCAA All-Tournament Team.
• Erica Cooper - Scored the game-winner in OT at No. 12 Boston College... Tallied two goals in the Cardinals' season opener... Stands tied for second on the team with five goals... 2019 NFHCA All-West Region selection and is a two-year starter.
• Emilia Kaczmarczyk - Two-year starter... finished fifth on the team with 11 points (4G, 3A) in 2020-21.
• Mackenzie Karl- Scored her first career goal in the 3-1 win against No. 11 Liberty (Sept. 12)... Added another goal in the 4-1 win against Miami (Ohio) on Oct. 4.
• Julie Kouijzer- In the midst of a career-best season with five goals, leads team with six asissts... Stands second on the team with 16 points... Two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Week this season (Sept. 7, Sept. 28)... Scored the game-winning goals at No. 18 Duke and in overtime at No. 19 Ohio State... Tied for second on the team with 12 points (4G, 4A)... 2020-21 NFHCA All-West Region second team honoree... Two-time ACC Tournament selection (2019, 2020)... Three-year starter
• Aimee Plumb - Named ACC Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 19)... NFHCA All-West Region second team selection... Named to NCAA All-Tournament Team.
• India Reed – Has started every game in the backfield... Played in every game in the backfield in 2020-21. redshirted in 2019...
• Katie Schneider – In the midst of a career-best year... Leads team with nine goals and 21 points… Tied a school record with three assists in the season-opening win against Ohio… Stood second on the team with six goals in the 2020-21 season.
• Mattie Tabor – All five of her goals have been game-winners... Dished out an assist in the 1-0 win against Indiana... Scored the game-winner in the 3-1 victory over No. 11 Liberty.
• Charlie van Oirschot - 2021 Preseason All-ACC selection... NFHCA All-West Region and All-ACC second team selection... Stood fourth on the team with four goals, including one in the ACC Semifinal win against Virginia... Started every game of her career at UofL.

NEWCOMER NOTES
Freshman Filippa Niebuhr has appeared in all of Louisville's games and has recorded three goals on the season - including the game-winner against Indiana.
• Fellow rookie Mila de Kuijer has played every minute in the cage this season and posted a career-high eight saves in the 2-1 double overtime win against No. 15 Wake Forest.
• She leads the ACC with six shutouts, and an .809 save percentage and has only allowed one goal in three ACC games.

TOUGH SLATE
Twelve of the Cardinals' 18 opponents are ranked among the top 25 in the most recent NFHCA released on Oct. 5. In addition to its six ACC opponents, UofL's slate also includes, No. 1 Iowa, No. 2 Michigan, No. 9 Liberty, No 14 Princeton, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 25 James Madison.
• Louisville is 7-2 against ranked opponents this season with its only losses coming at the hands of No. 1 Iowa a

HOW THE CARDS STACK UP
• As a team, Louisville leads the ACC and stands third in the NCAA with a 0.81 goals against average.
• UofL stands second in the ACC and 10th nationally with 0.40 shutouts per game.
• Louisville leads the ACC and stands fourth in the NCAA with an 0.867 winning percentage.
• The Cardinals' scoring margin of 1.73 is third in the conference and ranks 10th nationally.
• Individually, freshman Mila de Kuijer leads the ACC and stands seventh nationally with an .809 save percentage.
• Louisville's starting goalkeeper stands second in the ACC and fifth in the NCAA with a 0.83 goals against average.
• Katie Schneider is second in the ACC in goals (9) and stands third in the conference in points (21).
• Julie Kouijzer has delivered a career-high six assists which place her tied for fourth in ACC standings.

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 or developmental squads.
Alli Bitting - USWNT U21 Team (2019), Development Team (2020)
Erica Cooper- USWNT U21 Team (2019)
Mackenzie Karl - USWNT U17 Team (2015-16)
Filippa Niebuhr - German U16 Team
Sofia Pendolino - USWNT RISE Team
Aimee Plumb - England U19 Team (2018-19)
Katie Schneider - USWNT U19 Team (2019)
Minna Tremonti - USWNT U19 Team (2019)

HOMEGROWN TALENT
The UofL field hockey team features six players who chose to play for their hometown school: seniors Erica Cooper (Assumption), Sam Minrath (Christian Academy) juniors Camryn Pichea (Assumption) and Mattie Tabor (Sacred Heart), redshirt sophomore India Reed (duPont Manual) and sophomore Embry Jane (EJ) Imorde (Sacred Heart).

HOME SWEET HOME
Louisville started the 2021 season with five wins in the friendly confines of Trager Stadium this season, extending its home win streak to 12 games. On Sunday, Sept. 19, the streak ended with a 2-0 loss to No. 2 Iowa. Prior to that, the Cardinals' last home loss was on November 17, 2019 against Boston College in the quarterfinals of the NCAA championship. They now have a 6-1 record at Trager Stadium this year.
•The Cardinals compiled a 7-0 record in the 2020-21 season. Facing a daunting home slate in the COVID-19-altered season, Louisville defeated Duke twice in its opening weekend. The following weekend, UofL defeated two-time defending national champion North Carolina 3-1, halting the Tar Heels' 47-game win streak. Louisville wrapped up the home season with a 2-1 win against 2019 semifinalist Boston College. The Cards defeated No. 14 Virginia in the 2021 spring home opener.
• Last year, the Cardinals were 8-2 on the season at Trager Stadium, bringing their home record to 63-13 since the 2013 season.
•UofL 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.

TRAGER STADIUM FUN FACTS
• Trager Stadium served the host site for six NCAA Division I Championships (2002, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2017, 2018) as well as the NCAA first and second rounds in 2019. Additionally, the facility has showcased three NCAA Division II Championships (2010, 2014, 2017). In 2002, Trager Stadium became the first University of Louisville facility to host a national championship since the 1969 NCAA men's basketball Final Four was held at Freedom Hall.

No. 4 Cardinals Wrap Up Road Swing at No. 10 North Carolina and No. 25 James Madison

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alli Bitting

Erica Cooper

Mila de Kuijer

Embry Jane Imorde

Emilia Kaczmarczyk

Mackenzie Karl

Julie Kouijzer

Sam Minrath

Filippa Niebuhr

Sofia Pendolino

Camryn Pichea

Aimee Plumb

India Reed

Katie Schneider

Mattie Tabor

Minna Tremonti

Charlie van Oirschot

University of Louisville Athletics