field hockey

McFerran has been an integral part of the Irish national team for 11 seasons. In a groundbreaking achievement, she became the first player from Louisville to secure a place on an Olympic field hockey roster when she helped Ireland qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Now, she aims to continue her Olympic journey as she competes with Ireland in the upcoming qualifier in Valencia, Spain.

Kouijzer, who hails from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, is receiving her third straight NFHCA All-America honor. She played a pivotal role in leading the Cardinals’ defense to a remarkable 1.08 goals against average and securing six shutouts during the season. Moreover, she made notable contributions to the team’s attack penalty corners, scoring three goals and providing three assists. In addition to being a three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection, Kouijzer was named to the NFHCA All-West Region teams for four consecutive seasons.

Leading the way for Louisville were Mia Duchars, Emilia Kaczmarczyk, and Julie Kouijzer, who were all selected to the first team. Aimee Plumb, India Reed, Minna Tremonti, and Merlijn van der Vegt earned second team honors.

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.

Louisville is coming off an impressive comeback win in the previous round against No. 8 Iowa. Despite trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Cardinals rallied back with a goal from Niamh Gowing in the third quarter to level the score. The game was eventually decided in double overtime when Minna Tremonti converted a penalty corner shot by Aimee Plumb. This victory has earned Louisville a spot in the quarterfinals, where they will face Northwestern.

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 Cardinals dominated the game, outshooting Boston College 13-6 and having a 3-1 advantage in shots on goal. They also held a 10-4 edge in penalty corners. With this win, Louisville improves to 13-5 for the season and finishes with a 3-3 record in ACC play.

Holt, who had been a member of the USA Field Hockey Men’s National Team since 2007 before joining Louisville as an assistant coach, recently completed his first season with the Cardinals