PHILADELPHIA – The University of Pennsylvania field hockey team opens the season this weekend in Chapel Hill for the annual Ivy League/ACC Crossover, taking on No. 9 Louisville on Friday and No. 2 North Carolina on Sunday.
 
GAME DAY 1: Penn vs. #9 Louisville
Friday, Sept. 2 | 2:30 p.m.
Video Stream (ACCNX) | Live Stats
 
GAME DAY 2: Penn at #2 North Carolina
Sunday, Sept. 4 | 1:30 p.m.
Video Stream (ACCNX) | Live Stats
 
Ivy League on ESPN
A reminder that the Ivy League is paired with ESPN and you will be able to find all Penn home games, as well as road Ivy matches and select non-conference road games, on ESPN+ this fall with the same high broadcast quality you've come to expect. ESPN+ is a subscription-based service that offers monthly and yearly packages. Click here to subscribe to ESPN+!
 
The Series with Louisville
Last year in the Crossover hosted by Princeton was the first time the Quakers and Cardinals clashed on the turf. Louisville earned the 3-1 victory, but it didn't come without a battle. In the second quarter, the Quakers trimmed a two-goal deficit with the first finish of the season when Sydney Huang found Allison Kuzyk for her first collegiate goal. The Quakers had seven saves in the game, and four penalty corner opportunities.
 
About Louisville
The Cardinals opened the season with a pair of 2-1 victories last weekend over Bucknell and No. 11 Penn State. Julie Kouijzer leads the team with two goals, while Aimee Plumb has a goal and two assists. Grad transfer Sasha Elliott has earned two wins in the goal with a 1.00 goals-against average and .875 save percentage. Louisville returns four of its top scorers from last year (Katie Schneider, Plumb, Kouijzer, and Mattie Tabor), combining for 27 of the Cards' 47 goals in 2021.
 
The Series with North Carolina
The Quakers are meeting the Tar Heels for the sixth time in program history, looking for their first victory against one of the top teams in the country. The two squads faced off at Princeton last season with then-No. 1 UNC taking the 9-1 decision. Huang scored the Penn goal in the 32nd minute, deflecting a pass from Gracyn Banks.
 
About North Carolina
The Tar Heels opened their year with a pair of top-five victories at the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The season began with a 5-1 throttling of No. 3 Michigan before battling past No. 5 Iowa in overtime, 3-2. Erin Matson, who now sits with 25 goals in her career, scored a goal in both games including the overtime winner against the Hawkeyes. Her two outings not only earned her ACC Offensive Player of the Week, but also National Offensive Player of the Week.
 
Quaker Notemeal
*The Quakers are coming off their first full season back in 2021 due to the pandemic, posting a 9-7 record and finishing third in the Ivy League.
 
*Penn was selected third in the Ivy preseason poll this season, only behind nationally ranked Harvard and Princeton.
 
*Seniors Banks, Meghan Ward and Elita Van Staden will lead the Red and Blue this season as team captains. It is Banks' second-straight year as a captain.
 
*The Quakers returns its top six scorers from 2021 (Ward, Banks, Kuzyk, Julia Russo, Huang, and Olivia Kenny), combining for 51 of the team's 78 points.
 
*Head coach Colleen Fink heads the program for her 13th season, totaling 95 victories entering the 2022 campaign.