By Matt Bradshaw —

No. 8 field hockey (6-2) grabbed three consecutive victories at home last week, including their first ACC win. They join men’s soccer as one of Louisville’s two sports ranked in the top-10 nationally.

U of L beats Cal 2-1 in OT

In their first match of the week, Louisville bounced back from a loss against North Carolina and defeated California.

The Golden Bears had a 1-0 lead at halftime despite the Cards holding an advantage in shots (4-3) and corners (4-1).

Twenty minutes into the second half, junior Whena Munn tied the game 1-1. Freshman Taylor Orsi directed the cross that led to the score.

“We started to generate a few more opportunities,” head coach Justine Sowry said. “That was an outstanding tying goal from Munn today. I thought her work on the pitch was fantastic.”

With the match forced into overtime, Louisville earned back-to-back penalty corners. Sophomore Mercedes Pastor took advantage of the second chance and scored the game-winning golden goal.

“We played as good as we wanted to, but you need to finish the game,” Pastor  said. “It doesn’t matter which way, you have to get it done. I can contribute however I can and I’ll be happy.”

BC falls 1-0 in top-10 matchup

The Cardinals improved to 1-1 in ACC play after defeating No. 9 Boston College. Sophomore Bethany Russ converted the game-winning goal for the 1-0 victory.

“We were unable to really earn a lot in the circle,” Sowry said. “Boston College defended really well. We had to try to work the ball around a little bit and change the point of attack.”

In the second half, U of L controlled the attack with four shots and two corners early on. Boston College gained momentum and senior goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran saved four shots on goal.

The Cardinals earned a penalty corner in the closing seconds of the match that was played with no time remaining on the clock. Russ converted the chance for her second goal of the season and the 1-0 win.

“It came down to my teammates who continued to earn the corners,” Russ said. “We had great fight and there’s not much more you can ask for once time expires.”

Sowry reaches 100 wins as coach

Louisville won their third consecutive match and second-straight against a ranked opponent with a 1-0 victory over No. 11 Northwestern. The win marked Sowry’s 100th victory leading the Cardinals, cementing the coach in field hockey history.

Field hockey travels to face Wake Forest on Friday, Sept. 21 at 7 p.m.

You can follow the Louisville Cardinal on Twitter @thecardsports.

Photos by Taris Smith / The Louisville Cardinal