Justine Sowry just completed her ninth season as head coach of the University of Louisville field hockey team. During her time at Louisville, Sowry has guided the Cardinals to 123 wins, five NCAA tournament appearances including one quarterfinal showing. Additionally, Sowry’s Cardinals have produced and a conference title and a runner-up finish in the ACC Championship. In the nine seasons that Sowry has been at the helm, UofL has produced 15 NFHCA All-America selections, including three straight years with a trio of All-Americans, and 39 All-Region team members.
 
Sowry’s Cardinals achieved numerous milestones in the 2019 campaign. The squad produced a 16-6 overall record, tying a program mark for wins and earned the overall No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, serving as a host site for the first time in program history. Louisville also made its first foray into the NCAA quarterfinals after defeating Michigan 2-1 in double-overtime in its first-round matchup.
• UofL finished the season at No. 5 in the NFHCA Coaches poll – the best final ranking in program history. The Cardinals spent 10 weeks of the season among the top 10 in the nation reaching as high as No. 5.
• The 2019 NCAA berth marked Louisville’s eighth NCAA tournament appearance and its fifth at-large bid in the last six years - it was also the first time the Cardinals earned a national seed.
• The Cardinals advanced to the semifinals of the ACC Championship where they fell 3-1 to top- ranked, and eventual champion North Carolina.
• Mercedes Pastor was named a finalist for the Class of 2020 Honda Sport Award for Field Hockey.
• For the third straight year, three UofL players earned NFHCA All-America honors: Pastor was named to the first team, Alli Bitting was a second team selection and Carter Ayars garnered third team honors.
• Louisville placed a program-record seven players on the NFHCA All-West Region teams. Seniors Carter Ayars and Bethany Russ and juniors Bitting and Pastor earned first team honors while juniors Meghan Schneider and Madison Walsh and sophomore Erica Cooper were named to the second team.
 
The 2019 season followed a solid 2018 campaign that saw a 13-6 overall record and a 3-3 mark in ACC play, finished in third place in the regular season. Louisville spent seven weeks in the NFHCA top 10, reaching as high as No. 8 and finished the year at No. 14. The Cards tied a program high with six All-Region selections and three All-Americans.
• Three players, Ayeisha McFerran (first team), Mercedes Pastor (second team) and Taylor Stone earned Longstreth/NFHCA All-America honors, marking the second straight season the Cardinals placed three on the All-America squads. McFerran finished her career as the program's first four-time All-American.
• The Cards finished the 2017 season with a 14-8 overall record after earning their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance and posting a runner-up finish in the ACC championship. UofL also registered a 4-2 record in ACC play - the most wins since joining the conference in 2014 - and finished tied for second in the regular season standings. Louisville was ranked No. 8 in the final coaches poll after being ranked in the top 10 for six weeks.
• The Cards finished the 2017 season with a 14-8 overall record after earning their fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance and posting a runner-up finish in the ACC championship. UofL also registered a 4-2 record in ACC play - the most wins since joining the conference in 2014 - and finished tied for second in the regular season standings. Louisville was ranked No. 8 in the final coaches poll after being ranked in the top 10 for six weeks.
• The Cardinals achieved several program firsts in 2017 including placing three players on the Longstreth/NFHCA All-America teams - including two with first-team honors when Nicole Woods (first team), Ayeisha McFerran (first team) and Taylor Stone (third team) earned the accolades. Woods became Louisville’s first NFHCA West Region Player of the Year, she was joined on the All-West Region first team by McFerran, Stone and Minout Mink while Carter Ayars earned second team honors. In the spring of 2017, Erin McCrudden was the first Cardinal to earn a spot on USA Field Hockey’s national team with Woods following quickly, achieving her first USWNT cap over the summer. 
• In 2016, Sowry was named Front Rush/NFHCA West Region Coach of the Year after directing the Cardinals to a 15-6 overall record and their third-straight NCAA appearance. UofL also posted 3-3 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) to finish in a four-way tie for third. The Cardinals were ranked ninth in the final NFHCA Coaches’ poll after spending 10 weeks in the top 10, reaching as high as No. 6. Louisville opened the season on a six-game win streak and went on to post a 10-2 record at Trager Stadium including a pair of shutout victories against top 10 teams (No. 3 North Carolina and No. 6 Northwestern).
• Along with the 2016 season’s team accomplishments, a program-best six players earned NFHCA All-West Region honors while a school-record five were named to the All-ACC teams. Additionally, for the second straight season, two Cardinals were named NFHCA All-Americans.
• The 2015 Cardinals posted a 13-7 overall record and earned the program’s second-straight NCAA appearance. The Cards spent seven weeks ranked among the top 10 teams in the nation. Senior Victoria Stratton and freshman Ayeisha McFerran earned NFHCA All-America honors while sophomore Nicole Woods was selected to USA Field Hockey’s Under 21 team.
• Under Sowry’s guidance, the 2014 team achieved several milestones en route to an impressive 15-6 overall record. In their inaugural season as members of the perennially strong Atlantic Coast Conference, the Cardinals posted a 3-3 record and finished the regular season tied for third in league standings. Their victories included upsets of No. 4 Duke and No. 1 North Carolina – marking the first win over a top-ranked team in program history. Louisville spent six weeks ranked in the top 10 in the NFHCA rankings, reaching as high as No. 5. Behind their impressive strength of schedule, the 2014 Cardinals earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
• Senior Alyssa Voelmle went on to earn first team 2014 NFHCA All-America honors, become the eighth All-American in school history and only the second first team selection. Voelmle joined teammates Elisa Garcia, Paige Monsen, Sydney King and Mallory Mason on the NFHCA All-West Region team.
• In 2013 the Cardinals posted a 15-5 record - the most wins since 2001 - and earned a share of the BIG EAST Regular season title with a 6-1 record in league play. Additionally, Louisville registered a perfect 10-0 record at Trager Stadium for the first time in program history. The Cardinals finished the season ranked No. 15 and were a mainstay in the 2013 NFHCA top 20 rankings, appearing as high as No. 14 where they spent four weeks.
       
The 2012 Cardinals posted a 12-8 overall record and made their eighth straight appearance in the BIG EAST semifinals. Three players earned all-conference honors while Amber Thomas was selected to the NFHCA All-Region team.
In her first season at the helm, Sowry’s 2011 squad featured six underclassmen in the starting lineup and posted 10 wins while earning the Cards’ seventh straight appearance in the BIG EAST semifinals. Five players earned league honors and Hayley Turner was named BIG EAST Co-Offensive Player of the Year. Additionally, Turner and Collins were NFHCA All-West Region selections. Turner went on to become the seventh player in program history to earn All-American status.
 
Sowry’s teams have also been successful in the classroom and recently achieved a perfect mark in the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate report. In each of her seasons at Louisville, the Cardinals have earned NFHCA All-Academic team honors for achieving a team GPA of 3.0 or higher. Additionally, five different players have been named NFHCA Scholars of distinction with Lotta Kahlert earning the honor four times. Sixteen of her players were selected to the ACC All-Academic Squads with 32 student-athletes were named All-Big East Academic teams.
 
The UofL field hockey team has also been a leader in community service through Louisville’s CardsCare program, winning the 2016 Spring Helper Helper Community Service Bracket Challenge and being recognized as the No. 1 program across all sports and divisions in community service hours per student-athlete. Sowry’s teams garnered the most community service hours of any Louisville team in 2015.         
 
She joined the Cardinals on December 16, 2010 when Vice President for Athletics Tom Jurich announced that she would become the program’s eighth head field hockey coach. Sowry returned to where her collegiate coaching career started when she was an assistant under head coach Pam Bustin from 1998 through 2002.
 
She came to UofL after four seasons as the head coach at UMass. During her time there, she compiled a 58-31 overall record, including a mark of 22-4 in Atlantic 10 play.  Under her guidance, the Minutewomen earned powerhouse status in the Atlantic 10 and on the national level, claiming three A-10 championships and NCAA appearances (2007, 2008 and 2010). She was a three-time A-10 Coach of the Year and was twice named the NFHCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of Year.
       
During her four-year tenure at UMass, she coached 19 A-10 All-Conference selections, 17 All-Region selections, and five All-Americans. Sowry led the team to three conference titles and three NCAA tournament appearances. The Minutewomen posted 17 wins in the 2008 season and reached as high as No. 9 in the NFHCA rankings. Sowry’s teams also produced solid defensive efforts, being consistently ranked among the nation’s top 10 in shutouts and goals-against average.
       
Prior to her time at UMass, Sowry served as a USA High Performance Coach with the U.S. Field Hockey Association (USFHA) from 2003-07. During her stint there, she was the director of all goalkeeping programs. Sowry coached Amy Tran, who was named the Goalkeeper of the Tournament at the 2006 World Cup in Madrid, Spain in addition to being named to the FIH World Team of the Year.
       
While Sowry was an assistant coach with the U.S. National team in 2006, the team placed sixth in the world at the games in Madrid. She also assisted with the 2005 Junior National Team which placed seventh in the Junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile.
       
Before joining the USFHA, Sowry spent a year as an assistant coach for the Stanford University field hockey program (2003).

Sowry began her coaching career at the University of Louisville, where she spent five years (1998-2002) as an assistant coach to Pam Bustin. She aided Bustin in orchestrating one of the most remarkable program-building efforts in the nation. In their first season, the Cardinals snapped a 34-game losing streak and went on to produce winning records in each season from 2000-03 including the MAC conference championship in 2002.
       
The Adelaide, Australia-native was a member of the Australian National Hockey Team from 1991-2001. She tallied 128 international appearances, and was a member of the country’s 1996 and 2000 Olympic squads. She earned gold medals while playing on World Cup teams in 1994 and 1998.
 
The former goalkeeper has coached players who have collected eight NFHCA All-America honors, including four-time All-American Ayeisha McFerran who was also named the Best Goalkeeper of the 2018 World Cup while playing for the Irish National Team. Sowry’s goalkeepers have also garnered 10 NFHCA All-Region honors. 

Sowry earned a Bachelor’s degree in physical education and mathematics from the University of South Australia in 1991.
 
The Sowry File
• 2019 – Produced a 16-6 overall record - tying a school record; reached as high as No. 5 in rankings; Earned the overall No. 4 seed in the NCAA tournament, hosted first and second rounds; advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time in program history.
• 2018    2018 - Posted a 13-6 overall record, reached as high as No. 7 in rankings.
• 2017 - NCAA first round; Tied for second in ACC regular season; Finished runner-up in ACC Championship
• 2016 - NCAA first round
• 2016 Front Rush/NFHCA West Region Coach of the Year
• 2015 - NCAA first round
• 2014 - NCAA first round
• 2013 - Louisville won a share of the BIG EAST Regular Season title
• 2010 - Dita/NFHCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year
• 2010 - Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
    • UMass won 2010 A-10 championship and earned an NCAA tournament at-large bid
• 2009 - Led UMass to 2009 A-10 title and an NCAA tournament bid
• 2008 - Dita/NFHCA Division I Northeast Region Coach of the Year
• 2008 - Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
• 2007 - WomensFieldHockey.com National  Coach of the Year
• 2007 - Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year
    • Led the Minutewomen to 2007 A-10 title and an NCAA tournament appearance
• USA Level III Accreditation
As an assistant coach
• USA Field Hockey Goalkeeping Coach (2003-07)
• USA Junior World Cup (2005, 2009)
• USA Junior Pan American Games (2005)
• Stanford (2003)
• Louisville (1998-2002)
Playing Career
• Australian National Team (1991-2001)
    - Two-time World Cup Gold Medalist (1994, 1998)
    - Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist (1998)
    - Two-time Champions Trophy Gold Medalist (1993, 1995)
    - 128 International caps