EVANSTON, Ill. – In a thrilling quarterfinal matchup at the NCAA Championship, the 10th-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team fell short against No. 2 Northwestern, losing 3-2. This loss marked Louisville’s third NCAA quarterfinal appearance in the past five years, ending their season with a 15-7 record.
The game came down to the wire, with Lauren Wadas’ penalty corner goal with 1:07 remaining in the game securing the win for the Wildcats (20-1). Northwestern managed to score two penalty corner goals in the fourth quarter after Louisville had taken a 2-1 lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter. Despite both teams delivering seven shots on goal, Northwestern dominated in overall shots with an 11-0 advantage. Northwestern also held a 7-5 edge in corners, including four in the final quarter. Merlijn van der Vegt made four saves for Louisville, while Annabel Skubisz had five stops for the Wildcats.
UofL head coach Justine Sowry praised Northwestern’s performance and commended her team’s effort. She said, “This was a championship game… Hats off to Northwestern, a great opponent, great team, well-coached and extremely talented. I thought we prepared our team very well today on both sides of the ball. We definitely had great opportunities. We capitalized on some and at the end of the day, they were able to capitalize on one more than us, but I’m just so really proud of our team right now.”
Louisville started the game strong, taking an early 1-0 lead in the 10th minute when Minna Tremonti tipped in Izzy Bianco’s shot off a penalty corner. However, Northwestern quickly countered with Ilse Tromp converting a penalty corner to even the score at 1-1.
The second quarter saw Louisville dominate possession and outshoot Northwestern 4-1. Despite their efforts, both teams entered halftime tied at 1-1. The third quarter saw Northwestern increase their offensive presence, but it was Louisville who capitalized on their lone corner opportunity, with Tyler Everslage scoring with just 10 seconds left to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead.
In the final quarter, both teams battled hard. Louisville withstood three Northwestern corners before the Wildcats earned their seventh corner of the game with 1:13 remaining. Wadas’ direct shot found the back of the cage, giving Northwestern the go-ahead goal. In the final minute, Louisville pulled their goalkeeper for an extra field player but was unable to generate a shot on goal.
Sowry reflected on her team’s resilience throughout the season and in this game, saying, “We always try to have a really tough schedule to prepare for these moments. When I compare this season to last season, we hit a slump last season and we carried that into postseason, and we did not want that to happen this year… Our leadership learned from the experience of last year, and I’m just really proud of what we did out there on the pitch today.”
Sowry also acknowledged the senior class and their contributions to the program. She said, “It’s going to be tough to move on from, because this group is special… They really have shown tremendous pride in our program.”
Commenting on Northwestern’s ability to score goals shortly after Louisville’s, Sowry credited the Wildcats’ senior leadership and execution. She said, “It just shows you how great Northwestern is with that senior group, with those core players that can turn it on… That’s a championship team right there.”
Ultimately, while Louisville fell short in their quest for a final four appearance, Sowry expressed pride in her team’s performance and resilience throughout the season.
