Fifth-Ranked Cardinals Set to Host No. 11 Virginia in ACC Opener Friday and No. 2 Iowa Sunday

WEEKEND INFORMATION
Louisville vs. No. 11 Virginia
Date: Sept. 17, 3:00 PM
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Trager Stadium
Admission: Free
Television: ACC Network Extra
Announcers: Jody Demling, Suzanne Bush
Game Links: Live Scoring | A CCNX

Louisville vs. No. 2 Iowa
Date: Sept. 19, 2021, 2:00 PM
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Venue: Trager Stadium
Admission: Free
Television: ACC Network
Announcers: Mike Corey, Leah Secondo
Game Links: Live Scoring | ACCN
Twitter Updates: @ULFieldHockey
Louisville Field Hockey Game Notes

Parking: Fans attending games held at the University of Louisville may utilize the Floyd Street Parking Garage located across from the Don Fightmaster Playground for a $5 fee.

UofL C lear Bag Policy

The fifth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will wrap up its four-game home stand with a pair of ranked opponents visiting Trager Stadium this weekend. On Friday at 3 p.m., the Cardinals welcome No. 11 Virginia for both teams' ACC opener. On Sunday, the Cards will take on No. 2 Iowa at 2 p.m. in a matchup of 2020-21 NCAA semifinalists. Admission is free

NOTE CARDS
• The fifth-ranked Cardinals have started the season with a 6-0 record for the third straight year.
• Louisville has outscored its first six opponents by a combined total of 19-4 to start the season.
• Katie Schneider leads the team with nine points (3G, 3A). Erica Cooper, Mattie Tabor and Filippa Niebuhr also have three goals each.
• Freshman goalkeeper Mila de Kuijer carries a 0.66 goals against average and leads the ACC with three shutouts on the season.
• Head coach Justine Sowry achieved her 200th career victory on Sept. 10 when the Cardinals defeated Indiana 1-0 at Trager Stadium.
• Julie Kouijzer was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 7. Louisville has now earned two straight defensive weekly honors this season. Alli Bitting was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week in the league's first weekly honor of 2021.
• Louisville is 4-0 at home this season and has won its last 11 home games after going 7-0 at Trager Stadium in the 2020-21 campaign.
• Head coach Justine Sowry now has 201 all-time wins, needing one more to reach 200 in her career.
• The Cardinals return 18 players including nine starters from last season's NCAA Final Four squad.
• Alli Bitting and Charlie van Oirschot were named to the Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team.
• UofL finished the 2020-21 season with a 14-6 overall record and ranked No. 3 in the NFHCA coaches' poll and reached the program's first NCAA Final Four.

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 142 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, Sowry reached 200 career victories in her 15 seasons as a head coach.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Virginia
Series Record: UVA leads 8-7 - Louisville has won the last four meetings
Last Meeting: March 13, 2021 - UL won 2-1 at Trager Stadium.
• The teams played four times during the 2020-21 season with Louisville winning all four games.
About the Cavaliers: No. 11 Virginia brings a 4-1 overall record into its ACC opener. The Cavaliers have won their last four games after a season-opening 3-2 overtime loss to No. 16 Penn State.
• Peyton Tollaksen leads the team offensively with four goals. Lauren Hausheer (1-1) carries a 1.65 goals against average while Taylor Henriksen (2-0) has a 1-0 goals against average.
• UVA was picked to finish third in the ACC in the league's preseason coaches' poll. Amber Ezechiels was named to the All-ACC preseason team.

Iowa
Series Record: UL leads 8-4 - the Cardinals have won the last five meetings.
Last Meeting: October 20, 2019 - Louisville won 3-2 in OT at Trager Staadium.
About the Hawkeyes: No. 2 Iowa brings a 6-0 record into the week prior to its Big Ten opener at Indiana on Friday.
• The Hawkeyes have outscored their opponent 33-4 in the first six games of the season, most recently beating Saint Louis 10-0 and Ohio 8-0 last weekend. Iowa also took down then-No. 1 North Carolina 3-1 in the first weekend of the season. Other common opponents include New Hampshire, which Iowa beat 3-0. The Hawkeyes opened the season with a 5-3 win against Wake Forest.
• Ellie Holley leads the team with five goals and six assists for 16 points. Grace McGuire carries a 0.67 goals against average with four shutouts in six games.
• Last season, Iowa posted a 12-6 overall record and advanced to the NCAA semifinals before falling 3-0 to eventual national champion North Carolina.

UP NEXT
The Cardinals will continue ACC play with a trip to Durham, N.C. to face No. 17 Duke on Friday. Louisville will then take on No. 24 Ohio State Monday at 4 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio.

CARDS FIFTH IN NFHCA COACHES POLL
The University of Louisville field hockey team stands at No. 5 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Coaches poll released on Sept. 14. The Cards moved up a spot after defeating Indiana and then-No. 11 Liberty last weekend.
• Louisville has spent nine of the last 10 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 22 weeks spanning back to the 2019 season when they appeared at No. 8 on Sept. 10.
• Louisville has now spent 87 straight weeks in the top 20 in the nation dating back to the 2013 season.

ACC STRONG
• All seven ACC teams appear in the top 17 of the NFHCA Coaches Poll with Boston College leading the way at No. 3. In addition to Louisville, the ACC holds three of the top 10 spots with North Carolina stepping in at No. 6. Virginia (No. 11) Wake Forest, Syracuse (No. 14), Wake Forest (No. 15) and Duke (No. 17) round out the ACC schools.

BALANCED OFFENSE
The Cardinals have outscored their opponents 19-4 in the first four games of the season.
• Ten different players have contributed to the Cardinals' goal tally with Katie Schneider, Mattie Tabor, Erica Cooper and Filippa Niebuhr delivering three apiece. Julie Kouijzer has two goals.

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. She stands second on the team with eight points (3G, 2A). All three of her goals have been game-winners.
• Last weekend, the Louisville native scored a goal and delivered an assist in the 3-1 win against then-No. 11 Liberty. She also notched the game-winning goal in the fifth minute of overtime to secure a 3-2 win at No. 13 Princeton.

SCHNEIDER SHINES IN THE EARLY SEASON
Katie Schneider is among the Cardinals' offensive leaders in the early season. The forward from San Diego leads the team with nine points (3G, 3A. She tallied three assists in the 6-0 win against Ohio, tying a school record.

BITTING, VAN OIRSCHOT EARN PRESEASON ALL-ACC HONORS
Alli Bitting and Charlie van Oirschot have been named to the 2021 Preseason All-ACC Field Hockey Team and the Cardinals were picked in a three-way tie to finish fifth in the regular season standings in a vote by the league's seven head coaches.
•Bitting, a midfielder/defender from Hummelstown, Pa., enters her fifth season with the Cardinals. The two-time NFHCA All-America selection turned in a career-best season in 2020-21 with eight assists and two goals, including one in the 1-0 NCAA quarterfinal win against No. 6 UConn. Bitting is also a three-time all-region honoree and a two-time All-ACC selection. Additionally, she was named to the 2020-21 NCAA All-Tournament team after Louisville's first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance.
• Van Oirschot, (Haarlem, the Netherlands) is coming off of an impressive rookie campaign in 2020. She earned NFHCA All-West Region second team honors and was an All-ACC selection. The midfielder tallied four goals and dished out two assists while starting all 20 games.

2021 ACC Field Hockey Predicted Order of Finish
1. North Carolina (6) - 48
2. Boston College - 30
3. Virginia (1) - 25
4. Wake Forest - 24
t-5. Duke - 23
t-5. Louisville - 23
t-5. Syracuse - 23
(First-place votes)

BIG SHOES TO FILL
• The Cardinals return nine starters to the 2021 squad, but said good-bye to a pair of NFHCA All-Americans with the graduation of Mercedes Pastor and Meghan Schneider.
• Pastor was a three-time All-America and All-ACC first team selection. The midfielder/forward led the team with a career-high 32 points (13G, 6A) and was the 2020 NFHCA West Regional Player of the Year. • Schneider helped the Cardinals to 17 shutouts throughout her career– including a 1-0 win against No. 6 UConn in the NCAA quarterfinals to send Louisville to the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history.
• Both Pastor and Schneider were finalists for the NCAA Honda Award in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

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... 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 two goals in the Cardinals' season opener... Stands tied for the team lead with three 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).
• Julie Kouijzer- ACC Defensive Player of the Week (Sept. 7)... Has registered a goal or assist in each of Louisville's last three games... 2020-21 NFHCA All-West Region second team honoree... Two-time ACC Tournament selection (2019, 2020)... Two-year starter
• Sam Minrath - Started every game in the 2020-21 spring season after serving a penalty stroke specialist in 2019. Started every game in the spring 2021 season and registered a 1.00 goals-against average.
• Aimee Plumb - NFHCA All-West Region second team selection... Named to NCAA All-Tournament Team.
• India Reed – Has started all four games in the backfield... Played in every game in the backfield in 2020-21. redshirted in 2019...
• Katie Schneider – Leads the team with nine points… Tied a school record with three assists in the season-opening win against Ohio… Has scored a goal in each game this season… Stood second on the team with six goals in the 2020-21 season.
• Mattie Tabor – Scored the game-winner in OT in the victory at No. 13 Princeton... 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 notched back-to-back shutouts in the Cardinals first two games of the season and recently added a third shutout to her tota.. She recently posted a career-high seven saves in the 3-1 win against No. 11 Liberty.
• de Kuijer leads the ACC with three shutouts.

TOUGH SLATE
Eleven of the Cardinals' 18 opponents are ranked among the top 25 in the NFHCA preseason poll. In addition to its six ACC opponents, UofL will also take on No. 1 Michigan, No. 2 Iowa, No. 12 Liberty, No. 18 Princeton and No 24 Ohio State.

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 is off to a 4-0 start in the friendly confines of Trager Stadium this season, extending its home win streak to 11 games. The Cardinals' last home loss was on November 17, 2019 against Boston College in the quarterfinals of the NCAA championship.
•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.

Fifth-Ranked Cardinals Set to Host No. 11 Virginia in ACC Opener Friday and No. 2 Iowa Sunday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Alli Bitting

Erica Cooper

Mila de Kuijer

Emilia Kaczmarczyk

Mackenzie Karl

Julie Kouijzer

Sam Minrath

Filippa Niebuhr

Mercedes Pastor

Sofia Pendolino

Camryn Pichea

Aimee Plumb

India Reed

Katie Schneider

Meghan Schneider

Mattie Tabor

Minna Tremonti

Charlie van Oirschot

University of Louisville Athletics