The University of Louisville field hockey team has secured a spot in the 2023 NCAA tournament as an at-large bid. They will be traveling to Evanston, Illinois, to face off against Iowa in the first round. The match is scheduled to take place on Friday at 3:30 p.m. ET at Northwestern’s Lakeside Field.
Northwestern, the host of the tournament, has earned the overall No. 2 seed. They will be playing against the winner of a play-in game between Miami (Ohio) and California. Their match is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m. ET. The winners of the first-round matches will meet on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
The quarterfinal winner on Sunday will advance to the NCAA semifinals, which will be held on November 17 at North Carolina’s Karen Shelton Stadium. The national championship game is set to take place on November 19 at 1:30 p.m.
This is the fifth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance for the University of Louisville field hockey team. They have previously appeared in the tournament a total of 12 times. In 2020, the Cardinals made history by advancing to the NCAA semifinals for the first time.
The Cardinals, ranked 10th, recently suffered a 1-0 loss to No. 3 Duke in the semifinals of the ACC Championship. However, they earned the No. 3 seed in the tournament due to their 3-3 record against league opponents.
Head Coach Justine Sowry expressed her relief and excitement regarding the NCAA selection. She stated, “From our point of view, we’re very relieved, it took quite some time before our name was called tonight…Very excited and proud of this group.” Sowry also mentioned the team’s motivation and the pride she feels for their accomplishments.
Looking ahead to Friday’s match against Iowa, Sowry described it as a “fantastic rematch” and expressed the team’s eagerness to face a formidable opponent once again.
The schedule for the weekend at Northwestern is as follows (all times Eastern):
– November 10, 2023 | First Round
– 1 p.m. – Northwestern vs. Miami (OH)/California winner
– 3:30 p.m. – Louisville vs. Iowa
– November 12 | Quarterfinals
– 2 p.m. – Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner
In terms of tournament notes, this will be the second meeting between the Cardinals and the eighth-ranked Hawkeyes this season. Iowa emerged victorious in their previous encounter on October 15 with a score of 2-1.
Louisville will also return to Northwestern’s Lakeside Field, where they secured an early season win against the host Wildcats. Northwestern currently holds an impressive 18-game win streak and enters the tournament with an 18-1 overall record, along with the Big Ten title.
The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) has the highest representation in the NCAA tournament with five teams. North Carolina earned the overall top seed, followed by Duke as the No. 2 seed. Virginia, Syracuse, and Louisville round out the ACC teams that have received at-large bids.
Overall, the stage is set for an exciting NCAA tournament, and the University of Louisville field hockey team is prepared to face their tough opponents and make a strong push in the competition.
