No. 11 Virginia Opens ACC Play on Friday at No. 5 Louisville

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 11 Virginia field hockey team (4-1, 0-0 ACC) plays two road games this weekend. The Cavaliers begin the trip with their first ACC contest of the year at No. 5 Louisville (6-0, 0-0 ACC) on Friday, Sept. 17 at 3 p.m. Virginia closes out the trip on Sunday, Sept. 19 with a noon contest at No. 24 Ohio State (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

BROADCAST INFORMATION

• Friday’s game will stream online on ACCNX through the ESPN app and is available through participating TV providers that carry ACCN
• Sunday’s game will stream online through BTN+
• Live stats be available for both games
• Links for both are posted on VirginiaSports.com

NOTING THE CAVALIERS

• Virginia begins a string of seven straight games against ranked opponents by playing at No. 5 Louisville and No. 24 Ohio State this weekend
• Friday’s contest at Louisville is the ACC opener for both teams
• Virginia is coming off three-straight shutout victories and has not allowed a goal in the month of September
• UVA’s defense has gone 221 minutes since it last allowed a goal
• Freshman goalkeeper Tyler Kennedy has appeared in four games and has yet to allow a goal in her collegiate career. She leads the goalkeeping trio with seven saves this season
• Peyton Tollaksen leads the team in both goals (4) and points (8). She is ranked fourth in the ACC in goals per game and fifth in points per game
• Amber Ezechiels leads the team in assists (3) and is second in points (7), ranking third in the conference in points per game
• Taryn Tkachuk leads the team’s rookies in scoring with two goals and an assist. Both of her goals have come on penalty stroke conversions. She is 2-of-3 on strokes this season
• Noa Boterman is second among the first years with four points on two goals
• Freshman back Jans Croon has started every game this season for the Cavaliers and has been a fixture in the backfield
• Lifted by 22 penalty corners against Towson, the Cavaliers are ranked second in the nation in corner per game (9.60)
• Virginia is second in the ACC in goals-against average (0.79) and ninth in the nation
• The Cavaliers are ranked No. 11 in this week’s NFHCA Coaches Poll. The squad was ranked No. 8 in the preseason poll before falling to Penn State in overtime in the season opener, UVA’s lone loss of the season

NOTING No. 5 LOUISVILLE (6-0, 0-0 ACC)

• Louisville is one of two undefeated teams in the conference, coming into the match with a 6-0 record
• The Cardinals are ranked No. 5 in this week’s NFHCA Coaches Poll
• The Cardinals return 18 players including nine starters from last season’s NCAA Final Four squad
• Julie Kouijzer and Alli Biting have both earned ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors this year. Bitting is a fifth-year senior who is a two-time NFHCA All-American
• Katie Schneider leads the team in points with nine on three goals and three assists
• Virginia leads the all-time series 8-7, but Louisville has won the last four meetings, all of which happened last season
• UVA’s last win was a 2-1 contest at Louisville in 2019

NOTING No. 24 OHIO STATE (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten)

• Ohio State (5-1) has won four straight and moved into this week’s NFHCA Coaches Poll at No. 24 after topping Wake Forest 2-1 last weekend
• Goalkeeper Aaliyah Hernandez is the reigning NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week after making 13 saves in last weekend’s games with a .965 save percentage and allowing just one goal
• Virginia is 11-2 all-time against the Buckeyes
• Virginia won the last meeting 2-1 in 2019
• Ohio State opens conference play on Friday when it faces Michigan State

 ON THE HORIZON

• Virginia plays at Wake Forest next Friday (Sept. 24) before coming home to host Old Dominion on Sunday, Sept. 26