No. 5 Cardinals Shut Out No. 11 Virginia 1-0 in ACC Opener

Friday, September 17

LOUISVILLE, KY

3:00 PM

University of Louisville

(7-0, 1-0)

VIRGINIA

(4-2, 0-1)

Virginia

Louisville

Photo by: Karthik Kalvakuri | Louisville Athletics

No. 5 Cardinals Shut Out No. 11 Virginia 1-0 in ACC Opener

September 17, 2021 | Field Hockey

Box Score Justine Sowry Postgame Interview

By: Lori Harmon

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The fifth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team defeated No. 11 Virginia 1-0 in both teams' Atlantic Coast Conference opener Friday afternoon at Trager Stadium. With the win, the Cardinals improve to 7-0, tying a school record for the best start in program history.

Junior Mattie Tabor's goal early in the second quarter stood as the game-winner and freshman Mila de Kuijer posted five saves en route her fourth shutout of the season as the Cardinals opened ACC play with a 1-0 win against the Cavaliers (4-2, 0-1).

"There's definitely a lot to take away from this game," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "Often when you get a win you might not look at the video, but we absolutely need to look at the video and see what went wrong. I think that there were way too many turnovers that were uncharacteristic. That opened a lot of seams for Virginia to attack. I'm disappointed in the way that we played because we are so much better than that. Was that us, or was it their pressure? Probably a combination of both. But as usual, it was a gritty win, and we finished the game strong."

The teams played through a scoreless first quarter with Virginia owning a 4-1 advantage in shots, all of them turned back by de Kuijer.

Louisville broke through in the sixth minute of the second quarter when junior defender Julie Kouijzer sent a pass to sophomore Charlie van Oirschot who maneuvered her way into the circle and fired a shot toward left post where Tabor deflected the ball past Virginia goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy.

The Cardinals took the 1-0 lead into the break despite the Cavaliers owning a 5-4 edge in shots. Each team was awarded one penalty corner.

The teams continued to battle through the final two quarters with Virginia holding a 5-0 advantage in shots and a 3-0 lead in corners. With 1:21 left to play Kennedy was lifted in favor of an extra field player, but the Cardinals held for the win.

Louisville will return to action on Sunday when the Cardinals take on their third straight ranked opponent as No. 2 Iowa visits Trager Stadium.

NOTES:
• The series between Louisville and Virginia is now tied at 8-8 with Louisville winning the last five meetings.
• Louisville is 5-0 at home this season and has won its last 12 home games after going 7-0 at Trager Stadium in the 2020-21 campaign.
• Tabor now leads the team with four goals – all of them game-winners - and 10 points. She has registered a goal or an assist in each of the last four games.
• Louisville is off to a 7-0 start for the second straight season, tying a school record set in the 2020-21 season.
• The Cardinals have outscored opponents 20-4 with four shutouts in seven games.