Cards Set to Face Northwestern in NCAA Quarterfinals

Sunday, November 12

Evanston, IL

2:00 PM

University of Louisville

Northwestern

November 11, 2023 | Field Hockey

No. 10 Louisville will take on host No. 2 Northwestern Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET)

By: Lori Harmon

The No. 10-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will take on second-ranked and the overall No. 2 seed Northwestern in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament Sunday at 2 p.m. (ET) at Northwestern's Lakeside Field. The winner of Sunday's matchup will advance to the NCAA semifinals which will be held Nov. 17 Chapel Hill, N.C. with the title game taking place on Nov. 19 at North Carolina's Karen Shelton Stadium.

GAME INFORMATION
No. 10 Louisville vs. No. 2 Northwestern
Date: Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, 1 p.m. (ET)
Location/Venue: Evanston, Ill./Lakeside Field
Television: Big Ten Network Plus | Live Scoring

SETTING THE STAGE
On Friday, the Cardinals staged a comeback win after trailing 1-0 at halftime to No. 8 Iowa. The Cardinals countered in the third quarter with Niamh Gowing's first goal of the season to even the score. The game remained in a stalemate until a second overtime period when Minna Tremonti tipped a penalty corner shot by Aimee Plumb. In the game, Louisville outshot Iowa 10-7 with a 5-1 advantage in shots on goal and a 4-2 edge in penalty corners.

With the win, the Cardinals earned a spot in the quarterfinals where they will meet Northwestern (19-1) in a rematch of the Aug. 27 contest which saw Louisville come away with a 1-0 win over the host Wildcats. In Friday's other first round match, Northwestern cruised to a 3-0 win over Miami (Ohio) to extend their win streak to 19 games and advance to the quarterfinals.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Series Record: Louisville leads 9-3
Last Meeting: Aug. 27, 2023 - Louisville won 1-0 in Evanston. Emilia Kaczmarczyk scored the lone goal of the game and Merlijn van der Vegt had nine saves to help then-No. 7 Louisville stave off an attack by the Wildcats. In the game Northwestern outshot Louisville 21-2 with an 8-2 edge in corners.
Last NCAA Meeting: The teams have met once in the NCAA postseason with the Wildcats prevailing 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 11, 2017 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Scouting the Wildcats: The Wildcats earned the Big Ten's automatic bid after an overtime win against Maryland in the conference title game. Northwestern placed seven on the Big Ten All-Conference team highlighted by Annabel Skubisz's Goalkeeper of the Year honor. Lauren Wadas, Olivia Bent-Cole, Peyton Halsey and Alia Marshall join Skubisz on the first team while Greta Hinke and Ilse Tromp were named to the second team. Additionally, the NU coaching staff, led by head coach Tracy Fuchs, was named the Big Ten Coaching Staff of the Year.
• Halsey leads the team with 12 goals and has delivered 10 assists for 34 points while Marshall has dished out a team-best 21 assists.
• Skubisz leads the nation with a 0.48 goals against average.

CARD NOTES
• Louisville is competing in NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in the last five and the first since the 2020 season when they reached the semifinals.
• UofL stands at No. 10 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA coaches poll released on Nov. 7.
• Mia Duchars was selected to the All-ACC first team while Emilia Kaczmarczyk and Julie Kouijzer were named to the second team.
• Rylie Wollerton and Merlijn van der Vegt were named to the ACC All-Tournament Team after helping lead the Cardinals to a semifinal appearance.
• The Cards have scored 35 goals on the season with 13 different players contributing to the total. Aimee Plumb, Emilia Kaczmarczyk and Rylie Wollerton lead the way with five goals apiece.
• Merlijn van der Vegt carries a 1.00 goals against average which stands second in the ACC and fifth 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 179-81 record, nine 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.
• Fifth-year seniors Julie Kouijzer, Emilia Kaczmarczyk and Minna Tremonti will be making their fifth straight appearance in the tournament - the trio also help Louisville reach the NCAA semifinals in 2020.
• This marks UofL's fifth straight and 12th overall NCAA tournament appearance. In 2020, the Cardinals advanced to the NCAA semifinals for the first time in program history.
• The ACC placed five teams in the NCAA tournament field - the most of any conference. North Carolina earned the overall top seed while Duke is the No. 2 seed. Virginia, Syracuse and Louisville round out the ACC teams earning at-large bids.