Fresh off of a Final Four appearance, the University of Louisville field hockey team is off to a scorching-hot start, winning their first six games of the season. The Cardinals are putting that unbeaten streak to the test this weekend as they host #11 Virginia on Friday and #2 Iowa on Sunday at Trager Stadium. The Friday evening contest will begin the conference slate, while the Sunday showdown will feature a NCAA Semifinalist lapel pins giveaway.
To begin the 2021 campaign thus far, Louisville has defeated two top-15 opponents (Princeton and Liberty) along with a handful of other notable foes (Indiana, Pennsylvania, etc). In that timeframe, Head Coach Justine Sowry reached career win no. 200 during the match against the Hoosiers back on September 10th.
https://twitter.com/ULFieldHockey/status/1436480766553337858?s=20
The Cardinals enter the weekend having only given up four total goals; goalkeeper Mila de Kuijer has recorded 21 saves after starting every contest thus far.
On the offensive side of things, Louisville is averaging 3.17 goals per game from a balanced attack. Four players are tied atop the team’s leaderboard for a team-high three goals; Katie Schneider, Mattie Tabor, Filippa Niebuhr, and Erica Cooper each have three goals with Julie Kouijzer right behind the group with two. Overall, 17 of the 19 total goals have been assisted on. Schneider and Camryn Pichea lead the Cardinals with three apiece.
GOAL by Mattie Tabor ‼️
📊: https://t.co/ILrkjTX9D1#GoCards pic.twitter.com/LQ6XoAMfGn
— Louisville Field Hockey (@LouisvilleFH) September 12, 2021
Coming into the weekend, the Cavaliers look to snap a four-game losing streak to the Cardinals (all coming in 2020). Virginia is 4-1 on the season, suffering their only defeat to Penn State in overtime. More information on the program can be found here.
The Hawkeyes are also protecting an unbeaten streak of their own as the team sports a 6-0 record, with one of the wins coming against #1 North Carolina. Like the Cardinals, Iowa’s 2020 season ended in heartbreaking fashion in the Final Four. More information on the program can be found here.
The Friday match is slated to start at 3:00 PM, while the Sunday match is set for 2:00 PM. Both matches will take place at Trager Stadium. They are open to the public and are free to attend. For those that can’t attend, but still want to watch, each game will be available on WatchESPN.
