University of Louisville
DePaul
Smyth Lifts Cards to 1-0 Win at DePaul
September 30, 2007 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2007
CHICAGO, Ill. - Shannon Smyth hammered home her third consecutive game winning goal to give the University of Louisville women's soccer team a 1-0 win over DePaul Sunday afternoon.
Cardinal keeper Joanna Haig made four saves to notch her sixth shutout of the season and 14th of her career.
The Cardinals put pressure on early with an corner kick just seconds in, and later a shot on goal by senior Erica Robinson that was stopped by DePaul (4-6-1, 1-2-0 BIG EAST) keeper Kelsey Hoinkes. Monique Gjini tested Hoinkes in the 20th minute, and Jen Avila had a shot on goal in the 28th minute, as the Cardinals (7-2-1, 2-1-0 BIG EAST) outshot the Demons 8-2 in the first half.
DePaul made a late surge in the second half with a pair of shots on goal in the final eight minutes of the half, but Haig stopped them both to send the game into the break scoreless.
Haig made a stop on Jennifer Dyer in the 54th minute and the Cards countered with a shot by Gjini that sailed high. A minute later Smyth was stopped by Hoinkes, but after a foul on the Demons, senior Laura Walker made a penetrating pass to Smyth who drilled a shot from 30 yards out to the lower left corner for the difference maker.
Smyth, a junior forward from Milwaukee now leads the team in goals (4) and points(9) this season.
U of L continued with relentless offensive pressure on their way to an 8-3 edge in shots in the second half. Hoinkes made eight saves on the afternoon.
The Demons made one last run to get the equalizer when Tara Strickland put a shot on net in the 88th minute, but Haig made the stop.
Gjini had five shots to pace the Cards, while Avila added four. Katie Owen added three shots, as nine of the 16 Cardinal shots were on goal.
Louisville faces a stern test on the road this weekend, travelling to Morgantown to face 22nd ranked West Virginia Friday at 7:00 p.m. ET before a road match against Pittsburgh Sunday. Three of the next four matches for the Cardinals will come against BIG EAST opponents that are currently ranked.
