No. 8 Cards Set to Face No. 13 Syracuse, Appalachian State in Final Home Weekend

The eighth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will wrap up it home slate this weekend when the Cards play host to No. 13 Syracuse in an ACC showdown Friday at 6 p.m. followed by Sunday's 12 p.m. matchup with Appalachian State.

WEEKEND INFORMATION (ACC UNITY WEEK)
Date: Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, 6:00 p.m. (ET)
No. 8 Louisville at No. 13 Syracuse
Location/Venue: Louisville, Ky./Trager Stadium
Television: ACCNX | Game Links: Live Scoring | ACCNX Watch

Date: Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, 12:00 p.m. (ET)
No. 8 Louisville vs. Appalachian State
Location/Venue: Louisville, Ky. / Trager Stadium
Promotion: Senior Game
Television: ACCNX | Game Links: Live Scoring | ACCNX Watch

Home Game Information
Facility: Trager Stadium
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.
Admission: Free | UofL Clear Bag Policy

NOTE CARDS
• Friday's ACC showdown features a matchup between the Orange, who lead the conference in goals per game (3.43) and scoring average (3.26) and the Cardinals who have allowed the fewest goals (12) among all ACC teams with a .782 goals against average.
• Louisville will honor seniors Mia Duchars, Sofia Pendolino and Aimee Plumb upon the conclusion of Sunday's contest.
• UofL stands at No. 8 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA coaches poll released on Oct. 17. This marks the eighth straight week in the top 10 for the Cardinals this season.
• Louisville enters the weekend with a 12-3 record after a pair of losses at then-No. 2 Duke and against No. 6 Iowa at Trager Stadium on Sunday.
• The Cards have scored 26 goals on the season with 11 different players contributing to the total. Aimee Plumb and Emilia Kaczmarczyk lead the way with five goals apiece.
• Merlijn van der Vegt carries a 0.79 goals against average which leads the ACC and stands sixth in the nation.
•Justine Sowry is in her 13th season at the helm. During her time at Louisville, she has guided the Cardinals to a 177-80 record, eight NCAA tournament appearances reaching the quarterfinals twice and advancing to the semifinals for the first time in program history in the 2020-21 season. She earned ACC Coach of the Year honors in 2021.
• Under Sowry's tutelage, Louisville has tallied three conference titles, including back-to-back ACC regular season crowns (2020, 2021) as well as a pair of runner-up finishes in the ACC Championships.

CARDS AGAINST THE FIELD
Syracuse
Series Record: Syracuse leads 13-9
Last Meeting: Oct. 24, 2022 – Syracuse won 3-2 at J.S. Coyne Field.
Scouting the Orange: No. 13 Syracuse enters Friday's matchup with a 9-5 overall record and a 1-3 conference record following a 4-1 loss to North Carolina and a 2-1 double overtime loss against Cornell last week.
• The Orange are led by Eefke van den Nieuwenhof who has tallied 13 goals and four assists for 30 total points.
• Brooke Borzymowski and Abby Neitch have a combined 1.90 goals against average in 14 games played.

Appalachian State
Series Record: Louisville leads 10-5 - The Cards have won the last eight games.
Last Meeting: Sept. 23, 2018 - Louisville won 4-0 at Brandon and Erica M. Adcock Field.
Scouting the Mountaineers: Appalachian State enters Sunday's matchup with a 10-4 overall record and a 4-1 conference record with a 7-0 win against Queens University and a 3-0 win against Longwood University last week.
• The Mountaineers are on a five-game win streak, led by Charlotte Bosma who has scored five goals with four assists for 14 points.
• Addie Clark and Claire Grenis have a 1.66 combined goals against average in 14 games played this season.

UP NEXT
The Cardinals will conclude the regular season next weekend when they travel to Boston College for a Friday matchup.

CARDS EIGHTH IN NFHCA COACHES POLL
UofL stands at No. 8 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA poll released on Oct. 17, dropping three spots following a pair of top-10 losses to Duke and Iowa. The Cardinals have been ranked inside the top 10 throughout the entire season.
• The Cards have been ranked among the top 10 for 47 of the last 49 ranking periods spanning back to 2019 when they appeared at No. 8 on Sept. 10.
• Louisville has now spent 114 consecutive weeks in the top 20 in the nation dating back to the 2013 season.

STINGY DEFENSE
Louisville's defense is among the toughest in the nation, standing first in the ACC and fourth in the nation with a 0.78 goals against average.
• The Cardinals have produced five shutouts in 15 games this season placing seventh nationally in shutouts per game.
• Goalkeeper Merlijn van der Vegt's 0.79 goals against average also leads the ACC and stands seventh in the NCAA.

No. 8 Cards Set to Face No. 13 Syracuse, Appalachian State in Final Home Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Mia Duchars

Emilia Kaczmarczyk

Sofia Pendolino

Aimee Plumb

Merlijn van der Vegt

University of Louisville Athletics