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University of Louisville
VILLANOVA
No. 15 Cards Edged by No. 16 Villanova Friday
October 06, 2006 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 6, 2006
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 15th-ranked University of Louisville women's soccer team outshot 16th-ranked Villanova 17-5, but the Wildcats capitalized on an early opportunity to steal a 1-0 victory from the Cardinals Friday night at Frazier Cardinal Park.
"We leave this game with our heads held high, because we battled one of the top teams in the country," said Head Coach Karen Ferguson.
"At times we dominated possession, but good teams capitalize on mistakes and that's what Villanova did tonight."
The Cardinals put pressure on the Wildcats early, placing three shots on goal in the first five minutes of the first half.
Junior Monique Gjini wasted no time, putting a shot on net that Jillian Loyden turned away just seven seconds into the match. Lindsay Boling and Heather Engel were also stopped by Loyden early.
Villanova scored the only goal of the match at 9:22 when Nikki Mabrey found Erin Byrnes who netted her third goal of the season.
"The difference in the game tonight was Villanova's keeper," Ferguson added.
Loyden made an astounding eight saves in the first half alone, as the Cards held a 13-4 edge in shots through the first 45 minutes.
The tempo slowed in the second half as the Wildcats protected their 1-0 lead.
Junior Jen Avila had the best scoring opportunity of the second half when she rang a laser off the crossbar in the 64th minute.
The Wildcats have yet to lose this season, improving their record to 12-0-2 on the year and 4-0-2 in the BIG EAST.
Louisville, who was ranked 11th in Friday's NCAA RPI Rankings, is now 9-2-1 overall and 4-2-0 in league play. The only two losses for the Cards have been to ranked opponents this season after falling at #1 Notre Dame earlier this season.
On Sunday the Cardinals will wrap up the home portion of the regular season schedule when they host Georgetown in Cardinal Park at 1:00 p.m. ET. Seniors Jamie Craft, Heather Engel, Lauren Podvin and Amy Seng will be honored in a pregame ceremony.
