University of Louisville
North Carolina
Field Hockey Edges North Carolina 3-2 in overtime
September 07, 2002 | Field Hockey
Sept. 7, 2002
PHILADELPHIA - In its season opener, the University of Louisville field hockey team rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat North Carolina 3-2 in overtime Saturday at the Temple Field Hockey Tournament in Philadelphia.
North Carolina's Kerry Falgowski put the Tarheels on the scoreboard midway through the first half on an assist from Laura Douglas. Falgowski added an unassisted goal with 3:25 remaining in the half to give North Carolina a 2-0 lead.
Louisville junior Olivia Netzler connected on a feed from sophomore Kim Hughes to pull the Cardinals with one with 13:07 remaining in the game. Sophomore Suzanne Irwin tied the game at 2-2 on another Hughes assist with 20 seconds remaining in the game to send the teams into overtime.
Hughes netted an unassisted goal less than two minutes into the extra period to give the Cardinals the 3-2 win. She finished the game with two assists and the game-winning goal.
Louisville goalkeeper Christy Hershey had nine saves. The Cardinals outshot the Tarheels 14-10 and held a 14-8 penalty corner advantage
"I am so proud of this team," said U of L head coach Pam Bustin. "In just the fifth year of building the program, they were able to beat a field hockey dynasty like North Carolina. It says a great deal about the team that they knew they could compete with the best teams in the nation and win."
North Carolina finished the 2001 season ranked No. 4 in the NCAA and National Field Hockey Coaches Association polls. Louisville was No. 14 in the NCAA ranking and No. 15 in the NFHCA.
The Cardinals (1-0) will face Iowa Sunday at 1:30 p.m. The Hawkeyes finished the 2001 season ranked No. 18 in the NCAA and No. 12 in the NFHCA rankings. Iowa defeated host Temple 2-1 in the first game of the tournament.
