FH Hosts Louisville Friday For Top-5 Battle

Friday, September 15

Chapel Hill

3 PM

North Carolina

Louisville

Jasmina Smolenaars and the Tar Heels host Louisville Friday.

Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati

September 15, 2023 | Field Hockey

Game Notes

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – After two weekends on the road, the North Carolina field hockey team returns home to Karen Shelton Stadium to host Louisville Friday afternoon in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams. Game time is 3 p.m. at Karen Shelton Stadium.

The Tar Heels are ranked second nationally and come into the game at 4-1. The Cardinals are ranked fourth and are undefeated at a perfect 6-0.

Friday is Alumni Day for the Tar Heels. The program will welcome nearly 100 alums to KSS.

The first 250 fans in attendance will receive a free Rameses field hockey sticker.

🗣️ 𝗪𝗘'𝗥𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗛𝗢𝗠𝗘 𝗧𝗢𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗥𝗢𝗪❗️ No. 2 UNC vs. No. 4 Louisville -- 3 PM at KSS 🏑#GoHeels pic.twitter.com/uk88FclMI7 — UNC Field Hockey (@UNCFieldHockey) September 15, 2023

Heels vs. Cards
• Friday's game is the 18th meeting between UNC and Louisville. The teams have split the past two meetings, with each winning on the other's home turf. The Tar Heels lead the overall series 11-6,
• Carolina won last year's meeting 3-0 in Louisville. The Tar Heels held their hosts without a shot in the first half and finished with a 14-9 advantage in shots. Louisville held a 6-1 lead in corners, one of just three times during the season that UNC would be outcornered and the largest margin of the season.
• The teams held the same rankings in last year's game than they do currently, with UNC at No. 2 and Louisville No. 4.
• Louisville won the last meeting in Chapel Hill, 3-2 in overtime on Oct. 22, 2021. It was UNC's second home loss in a row and just the second-ever loss at Karen Shelton Stadium. Louisville is one of three opponents to have beaten the Tar Heels at KSS, along with Liberty and Iowa. Carolina is 50-3 overall in its current home.
• Louisville is the last ACC team to have beaten UNC. Since falling to the Cardinals on 10/22/21, Carolina has won 12 games in a row against conference opponents (four to close out 2021, eight in 2022).

Next up: The Tar Heels hit the road again to face Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C., on Sept. 22 then take a step out of conference play to host Appalachian State on Sept. 24.