No. 4 Cards Open ACC Play at No. 2 North Carolina

The fourth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will open Atlantic Coast Conference play on Friday at 3 p.m. (ET) when the Cardinals hit the road for Chapel Hill, N.C. to face No. 2 North Carolina in a top-five matchup.

WEEKEND INFORMATION
No. 4 Louisville at No. 2 North Carolina
Date: Sept. 15, 2023, 3:00 p.m. (ET)
Location/Venue: Chapel Hill, N.C./Karen Shelton Stadium
Television: ACC Network Extra | Game Links: Live Scoring |ACCNX Watch

NOTE CARDS
• UofL stands at No. 4 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA coaches poll released on Sept. 12, moving up one spot from last week's ranking.
• Louisville enters the weekend with a 6-0 record, marking the fourth consecutive season the Cards have opened with six straight wins.
• The Cardinals have outscored opponents 12-5 through the first four games of the season. Eight different players have tallied goals with Aimee Plumb leading the way with three - two of her goals have stood as game-winners.
• Merlijn van der Vegt carries a 0.83 goals against average and .800 save percentage which stand second in the ACC.
• Julie Kouizjer, Aimee Plumb, Emilia Kaczmarczyk, Izzy Bianco and Lauren Masters represent Louisville on the NFHCA Preseason Watchlist.
• Julie Kouijzer and Aimee Plumb were named to the 2023 Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference team as voted on by the league's head coaches. The Cardinals were also picked to finish fourth in the regular season.

Head Coach Justine Sowry
Justine Sowry is in her 13th season at the helm. During her time at Louisville, she has guided the Cardinals to a 171-79 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
North Carolina
Series Record: UNC leads 11-6
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2022 - North Carolina won 3-0 at Trager Stadium
Scouting the Tar Heels: The defending national champion and preseason favorite to win the ACC title enters Friday's contest with a 4-1 overall record with their only loss coming at the hands of top-ranked Iowa. The Tar Heels currently stand second in the latest NFHCA coaches poll.
• The Tar Heels are led offensively by Charly Bruder and Lisa Slinkert who have tallied three goals and six points apiece. Maddie Kahn and Abigail Taylor have split goalkeeping duties this season and with goals against average of 1.17 and 1.71 respectively.
• Ryleigh Heck and Sietske Bruning earned preseason All-ACC honors.
• The Tar Heels are coached by Erin Matson, the most decorated player in Carolina field hockey history. She follows in the footsteps of longtime coach Karen Shelton who led teh program for 42 years and the most wins in school history.

UP NEXT
Following Friday's game, the Cardinals are idle for a week before playing host to JMU on Sept. 22.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Izzy Bianco

Emilia Kaczmarczyk

Julie Kouijzer

Lauren Masters

Aimee Plumb

Merlijn van der Vegt

University of Louisville Athletics