No. 14 Field Hockey Set for 2007 Season Opener
August 23, 2007 | Field Hockey
Aug. 23, 2007
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville field hockey team will open the 2007 season at Michigan State's Champions Invitational Sept. 25-26. The Cardinals will face host Michigan State Saturday, Aug. 25 at 11:30 a.m. and Duke Sunday at 2 p.m.
U of L is ranked No. 14 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association preseason poll. The Spartans are No. 19 and the Blue Devils are No. 4.
About Louisville: The Cardinals are coming off of a 12-8 2006 campaign in which they won a share of the BIG EAST regular season title. Louisville returns 12 letterwinners from last year, including eight upperclassmen.
Senior midfielder Janelle Avila, the 2007 BIG EAST Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year was busy over the summer as a member of the USA Field Hockey Under 21 Team. The two-time All-BIG EAST and All-West Region team member notched 27 points (7G, 13A) last season and is currently tied for second on the school career points list with 91.
Fellow preseason BIG EAST team member goalkeeper Marie-Claire Heller was a 2006 league second team selection after posting a 1.96 goals-against average, 116 saves and an .857 save percentage.
Cards vs. #19 Michigan State, Aug. 25, 11:30 a.m. Michigan State (2006): 12-8 overall, 2-4 Big Ten (6th), Final ranking - 18
Series record: MSU leads 6-1
Last meeting: Aug. 27, 2006 - U of L won 4-1 in the Champions Challenge at Duke
Cards vs. #4 Duke, Aug. 26, 2 p.m.
Duke (2006): 16-6 overall, 3-2 Atlantic Coast Conference (3rd), Final ranking - 4th; 2006 NCAA semifinalist
Series record: Duke leads 4-1
Last meeting: Aug. 26, 2006, Duke won 2-1 at the Champions Challenge in Durham, N.C.
Cards Complete Successful Preseason ,br> U of L is coming off of a 4-1 win over host Miami (Ohio) on Saturday, Aug. 18 and a 2-1 victory against the Cardinal Alums on Friday, Aug. 19.
Against Miami, senior forward Allison Maffitt scored two goals and added an assist. Freshman Julie Barton and senior Casey Diener also tallied goals in the win. Against the alumnae, Maffitt and fellow senior Missy Briery tallied goals in the 2-1 decision.
Cards Picked to Finish Second in BIG EAST
• Avila Tabbed Co-Offensive Player of the Year
• Heller on Preseason Team
Senior Janelle Avila was tabbed 2007 BIG EAST Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year while the University of Louisville field hockey team was selected to finish second along with Providence College in the 2007 BIG EAST coaches preseason poll.
Avila, a senior midfielder/forward from North Kingstown, R.I., was a unanimous selection to the preseason team. The 2007 U of L team captain is a two-time BIG EAST and All-West Region first team member. As a junior, she was second on the team with 27 points, leading the team with 13 assists and notching seven goals. One of the Cardinals' most prolific scorers, Avila is currently tied for second on the career points with 91 and stands at third on the all-time goals scored list with 33.
Joining Avila on the preseason team is Marie-Claire Heller, a senior goalkeeper from Chapel Hill, N.C. Heller, a three-year starter, was named to the All-BIG EAST second team in 2006 after finishing second in the conference in saves (116, 5.8/gm) and third in goals against average (1.96). She earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week on August 28.
U of L was picked to finish tied for second in the poll with 28 points and one first place vote. The Cards completed the 2006 season with a 12-8 record and went 5-1 in league play to claim a share of the BIG EAST regular season title along with Providence College. U of L was also ranked No. 15 in the final National Field Hockey Coaches Association poll.
Preseason favorite Connecticut received five of seven first-place votes in the preseason poll. The Huskies won the 2006 league tournament and earned the automatic bid to the NCAA championship where they advanced to the national semifinals before losing to eventual national champion Maryland 2-1 on penalty strokes. UConn senior Lizzy Peijs shares 2007 Preseason Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors with Avila.
Providence (18-4, 5-1 BIG EAST) tied with Louisville for last season's regular season title is alongside the Cardinals in the preseason poll in 2007. The Friars received one first-place vote and 28 points
2007 BIG EAST PRESEASON POLL
Team BE Overall Finish
1 - Connecticut (5) 4-2 21-4 t3rd
T2 - Louisville (1) 5-1 12-8 t1st
T2 - Providence 5-1 18-4 t1st
4 - Syracuse 2-4 10-9 5th
5 - Rutgers 1-5 6-13 6th
6 - Villanova 4-2 13-8 t3rd
7 - Georgetown 0-6 5-12 7th
(-) - indicates first-place votes
