No. 6 Cardinals Top No. 11 Liberty

Sunday, September 12

LOUISVILLE, KY

1:00 P.M.

University of Louisville

(6-0)

LIBERTY

(3-2)

LIBERTY

Louisville

September 12, 2021 | Field Hockey

Box Score Mackenzie Karl Postgame Interview Head Coach Justine Sowry Postgame Interview

By: Lori Harmon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The sixth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team used goals from three different players and a career-high seven saves by freshman goalkeeper Mila de Kuijer in a 3-1 win against No. 11 Liberty Sunday afternoon at Trager Stadium. With the victory, the Cardinals improve to 6-0 on the season.

"Liberty is an amazing opponent and they are very well-coach, we knew this was going to be really great contest today," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "Our first half was some of the best hockey we've played in a very long time, so it was very exciting to watch. We knew going into halftime that they were going to throw something different at us and that it wasn't going to be that easy. In the third quarter, the tides turned and they were definitely on top of us and we made a couple of errors in the fourth quarter. Thankfully, we were able to get a little bit more poise and composure on the ball and we were able to put another goal on the board."

After a scoreless first quarter which featured one shot on goal by each team, the Cardinals got on the scoreboard in the first minute of the second quarter when junior Mattie Tabor intercepted a defender's pass across the circle and deflected the ball into the cage for her third goal of the season.

Senior Mackenzie Karl added to the lead midway through the second quarter. Sophomore Aimee Plumb delivered a shot that glanced off of a defender, but Karl was there for the rebound and fired a shot into the left corner of the cage for her first career goal.

The Cardinals took the 2-0 lead into the break after outshooting the Flames 5-1 and holding a 1-0 edge in corners.

Liberty (3-2) intensified its attack late in the third quarter firing off six shots, three of which landed on goal with Louisville's de Kuijer posting three saves in a three-minute span

The Flames' offense continued into the fourth quarter, resulting in a goal in the opening minute of the frame. Daniella Rhodes took advantage of a Louisville miscue near Liberty's attacking circle and moved past the Cardinals' defense to deliver a shot into the cage, cutting the lead in half.

Louisville answered midway through the fourth quarter after earning a penalty corner. Tabor got the corner started with a feed to Aimee Plumb who directed a shot past Liberty goalkeeper Azul Iritxity Irigoyen. Plumb's first goal of the season gave the Cards a 3-1 lead.

Two minutes later, Liberty earned a corner, but Jodie Conolly's shot was turned back by de Kuijer to keep the Cardinals' two-goal lead.

In the game, Liberty held a 12-11 edge in shots with Louisville registering 10-8 advantage in shots on goal. Each team earned four corners in the contest. Both de Kiujer and Iritxity Irigoyen collected seven saves for their respective teams.

Louisville will wrap up its four-game home stand with a pair top-10 opponents visiting Trager Stadium next weekend. On Friday, the Cardinals welcome No. 10 Virginia for both teams' ACC opener. On Sunday, the Cards will take on No. 2 Iowa.

NOTES:
• Freshman Mila de Kuijer's seven saves are a career high
• The Cardinals now lead the series with Liberty 2-1
• Louisville is 4-0 at Trager Stadium this season and has won its last 11 home games after going 7-0 at Trager Stadium in the 2020-21 campaign.
• This marks the third straight 6-0 start for the Cardinals.
• UofL has outscored its first five opponents by a margin of 19-4.
• Eight different players have contributed to the Cardinals' goal tally this season. Katie Schneider, Mattie Tabor, Filippa Niebuhr and Erica Cooper are tied for the team lead with three goals apiece.
• Head coach Justine Sowry now has a career record of 201-98 (15^th season) and a 143-67 tally at Louisville while in her 11^th year with the Cardinals. During her time at Louisville, she has guided the Cardinals to 141 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.