No. 11 Field Hockey Set for Fourth-Ranked Connecticut
September 25, 2008 | Field Hockey
Sept. 25, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - - The eleventh-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will face a pair of top 10 opponents this weekend when fourth-ranked Connecticut (9-0, 1-0) visits Trager Stadium for a BIG EAST Conference showdown Saturday at 1 p.m. and No. 6 Iowa (6-2) will arrive for a 1 p.m. Sunday matchup.
Prior to Saturday's game against UConn, will be the dedication ceremony for the Marshall Center and Waldman Field Hockey Complex which will begin at noon.
U of L (4-3, 0-1) is already in the midst of a tough schedule with six games against opponents ranked in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association top 20, including a BIG EAST Conference loss to third ranked Syracuse last week. The Cards are coming off of a 4-3 overtime win over New Hampshire on Saturday.
Sophomore Nicole Youman leads the Cardinals offensively with 11 points (4G, 3A). Junior Kayla May and sophomore Tuli Lim follow with 10 points (5G) each.
UConn is off to a 9-0 start and is 1-0 league play after a 2-1 overtime win against Providence last week. Three of their last four games have been decided in overtime. In addition to the Providence win, the Huskies defeated No. 16 Michigan and No. 17 Princeton in overtime. The four-time defending conference champion Huskies have outscored their opponents 28-9 and are led offensively by Lauren Aird's 20 points (8G, 4A). Lindsey Leck follows with 15 points (5G, 5A).
Connecticut leads the series 7-0 with three of those games being decided in overtime. Last season, the Huskies defeated the Cards 6-0 in Storrs.
Iowa brings a 4-2 overall record into the weekend. Prior to visiting Trager Stadium on Sunday, the Hawkeyes will open Big Ten Conference play at Indiana on Friday. Iowa is currently on a four-game winning streak with its most recent loss coming at the hands of then-sixth-ranked Duke on Sept. 7. The Hawkeyes only other setback was a season-opening loss to No. 3 Wake Forest. They followed that with a win over top-ranked North Carolina. Caitlin McCurdy leads the team with 22 points (9G, 4A) and Caroline Blaum follows closely with 21 points (7G, 7A).
Louisville holds a 3-2 edge in the series with Iowa winning the last two matchups. In 2007, the Hawkeyes defeated the Cards 4-3 in Iowa City.
