Craft Honored By BIG EAST

Aug. 12, 2006

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - University of Louisville senior forward Jamie Craft has been named to the 2006 BIG EAST preseason All-Conference first team. League coaches tabbed the Cardinals to finish fourth in the BIG EAST National Division, and Soccer Buzz Magazine's preseason regional rankings placed the Cards eighth in the Great Lakes Region, the highest such ranking in school history.

Craft, who earned first team All-BIG EAST and All-Region honors in 2005, paced the team with 11 goals, tying for the fifth-best single season total in school history. Her 25 points also lead U of L, as she played in all 19 matches-starting 17 in 2005.

She ranks second on the U of L career list in goals (33) and points (75), trailing Jennifer Coe in both columns (50 and 113). Eight of Craft's goals came in conference matches.

Craft was a third-team All-C-USA selection and Freshman of the Year in 2003, and a first team All-C-USA selection in 2004. Combined with her postseason honor in 2005, she is the only Cardinal in school history to earn All-Conference honors three times.

Louisville was 11-8-0 overall and 6-5-0 in the first season in the BIG EAST, finishing third in Division B. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the BIG EAST Championship.

Head Coach Karen Ferguson, in her seventh season at the helm of the Cards, is the winningest coach in school history.

The Cards open the 2006 season at West Virginia in an exhibition match on Wednesday, August 16 at 7:00 p.m. ET. U of L will then host Nebraska in the third annual Jenna Cooper Memorial Match at Cardinal Park on Saturday, August 19 at 3:00 p.m.

The regular season begins Friday, August 25 against Ohio at 5:00 p.m. ET at Cadinal Park.

Season tickets to U of L soccer games are available by calling the athletic ticket office at 502.852.5151.

The BIG EAST is the largest Division I women's soccer conference in the nation. Its 16 members compete in a round robin rotational 11-game schedule within two divisions of eight utilizing travel partners for crossover play, and Friday-Sunday scheduling. Each team plays seven opponents within its division and four opponents from the other division.

The 2006 BIG EAST Women's Soccer Championship is a 10-team single-elimination tournament. The top five teams in each division, seeded by Conference point total, qualify for the Conference Championship. The top three teams in each division earn a first-round bye to the quarterfinals

2006 BIG EAST PRESEASON WOMEN'S SOCCER POLL
     2005    2005    BIG EAST FinishAmerican(Points)    Overall BIG EAST    Regular SeasonConnecticut (12)    110 15-5-2  10-1-0  1stWest Virginia (3)   98  12-6-3  7-2-1   3rdMarquette (1)   89  19-4-1  9-2-0   2ndSyracuse        68  4-12-4  3-5-3   4thSt. John's  46  6-10-3  2-7-2   7thUSF     37  7-7-3   2-6-3   6thPittsburgh  35  4-11-3  3-6-2   5thProvidence  29  5-11-2  1-8-2   8th
     2005    2005    BIG EAST FinishNational(Points)    Overall BIG EAST    Regular SeasonNotre Dame (15) 113 22-3-0  10-1-0  1stRutgers (1) 87  10-9-2  5-6-0   4thVillanova       86  10-5-4  6-1-3   2ndLouisville  78  11-8-0  6-5-0   3rdGeorgetown  61  12-8-1  4-6-1   5thDePaul      31  5-8-4   3-5-3   6thSeton Hall  31  7-7-4   3-6-2   7thCincinnati  25  3-11-4  1-8-2   8th
2006 BIG EAST PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS
Preseason Offensive Player of the YearKeri Hanks, So., F, Notre Dame
Preseason Defensive Player of the YearChristie Shaner, Sr., D, Notre Dame
Preseason Goalkeeper of the YearJillian Loyden, Jr., GK, Villanova
2006 PRESEASON ALL-BIG EAST TEAMAshley Banks, Jr., F/M, West VirginiaBrittany Bock, So., M/F, Notre DameJen Buczkowski, Sr., M, Notre DameAmanda Cicchini, So., M, West VirginiaAmanda Cinalli, Jr., F, Notre DameJamie Craft, Sr., F, Louisville*Kerri Hanks, So., F, Notre DameJillian Loyden, Jr., GK, VillanovaMeghan Schnur, Jr., M, ConnecticutChristie Shaner, Sr., D, Notre Dame*Brittany Taylor, So., M, Connecticut
* - Unanimous Selection

University of Louisville Athletics

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