University of Louisville
IOWA
Iowa Downs No. 11 Field Hockey 2-1
October 29, 2006 | Field Hockey
Oct. 29, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - The 11th ranked University of Louisville field hockey team fell to visiting Iowa 2-1 Sunday in the final game of the regular season. The Cards close the regular season with a 12-7 record, while Iowa finishes 9-8.
The Hawkeyes dominated the first half of play, rattling off seven shots in the first 25 minutes. Louisville goalkeeper Marie-Claire Heller came up big with five saves during that stretch of time to preserve the first half shutout.
The Cards had some scoring opportunities in the first half, but came up short. Louisville mounted a small attack to close the first half, firing off three shots and drawing a corner, but Iowa goalkeeper Lissa Munley collected two saves to send the teams into the break with a 0-0 tie. The Hawkeyes held a 7-3 shot advantage and 2-1 edge in penalty corners.
The Cards dominated the second half, outshooting Iowa 15-3 and holding a 9-2 penalty corner advantage, but the Hawkeyes made the most of their shots, scoring two goals to win the game.
Iowa got on the scoreboard early in the second half when Kelly Hondros gained possession of the ball around the 25 yardline and got past a Cardinal defender to find herself one on one with Heller. Hondros maneuvered around Heller and drilled the ball into the cage to give Iowa a 1-0 lead at the 38:43 mark.
Ten minutes later, Lauren Pfeiffer connected on a penalty corner cross from Kadi Sickel to make it a 2-0 game at the 48:28 mark.
The Cards pulled within a goal with less than ten minutes remaining in the game when senior forward Carrie Jackson pushed the ball past Iowa's Munley with and assist from junior forward Allison Maffitt to make the score 2-1.
U of L drew three corners and registered three shots while Munley posted two saves in the final minutes of the game - but the Cards could not capitalize in the 2-1 loss.
Louisville finished the game outshooting Iowa 18-10 and with a 10-4 advantage in penalty corners.
Heller (12-7) posted five saves in the cage for the Cards, while Munley (9-8) had seven stops for the Hawkeyes.
The Cardinals will now prepare to host the 2006 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship Nov. 4-5 at Trager Stadium. U of L will face fourth-seeded UConn (17-3, 4-2) in the semifinals Saturday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m.
Louisville (12-7, 5-1) and Providence (17-3, 5-1) share the BIG EAST regular season title. The Cards earn the No. 1 seed in the tournament having beaten the Friars 4-1 in the regular season.
Providence, the No. 2 seed will play third-seeded Villanova (13-7, 4-2) in the first semifinal game Saturday, Nov. 4 at 11 a.m.
As of this week, all four teams in the tournament are ranked in the NFHCA top 20. UConn leads the way at No. 9, Louisville follows at No. 11. Providence stands in at No. 13 and Villanova rounds out the four teams at No. 18.
