University of Louisville
#23 GEORGETOWN
No. 23 Georgetown Edges Cardinals 1-0
October 24, 2008 | Women's Soccer
Oct. 24, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 23rd-ranked Georgetown Hoyas scored the only goal of the night in the 77th minute of action to earn a 1-0 BIG EAST victory over the Louisville Cardinals on Friday night at Cardinal Park.
Georgetown freshman midfielder Samantha Baker scored from 22 yards out on a loose ball to break a scoreless tie and clinch a bid into next week's BIG EAST Championship for the Hoyas (11-3-2, 6-3-0 BIG EAST). Baker created problems for the Cards for much of the second half with her strong throw-ins, which eventually led to the game-winning goal.
"Unfortunately, tonight's game is emblematic of our season," said Cards' head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes. "We created a number of quality chances and, at times, played some great soccer, but in the end, we found ourselves on the losing end. Take nothing away from Georgetown, but we did enough to win tonight and if we continue to play the way we did, then things will eventually have to fall our way."
Despite the loss, the Cards (7-6-3, 5-3-2 BIG EAST) also clinched a bid into the 2008 BIG EAST Championship on Friday night with Cincinnati's 2-0 win over Villanova, ending the Wildcats' chances of advancing to the 10-team tournament.
Following the Baker goal, the Cards had several chances to even things up over the final 10 minutes of play, culminating with a Katie Owen (Avon, Ind./Avon HS) shot from inside the six-yard box that soared over the net in the 89th minute.
The Cards opened the game very aggressively, controlling the tempo of the game in the first half with ball-control, but they were unable to convert on any scoring chances. Despite some halftime adjustments by the Hoyas, Louisville was still able to control the tempo and set up several scoring chances during the final 45 minutes, only to miss out on those opportunities.
Overall, the Cards had 12 shots, including six on goal, led by Giselle Mangal (Mississauga, Ont./St. Joan of Arc) with three total shots, including two on goal. Caitlin Rehder (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West), Owen and Shannon Smyth (Milwaukee, Wisc./Divine Saviour HS) had two shots each for the Cards, while Katie Zoeller turned away three Georgetown shots while playing all 90 minutes in goal for Louisville.
The Cards will close the regular-season on Sunday at Noon ET against Villanova on Senior Day at Cardinal Park. UofL will honor seniors Shannon Smyth, Mallory Lampson (Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson HS) and Jessica Mello (Cincinnati, Ohio/Walnut Hills HS) prior to kickoff.
