Field Hockey Set for BIG EAST Semifinals
November 05, 2009 | Field Hockey
Nov. 5, 2009
2009 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship Central
Complete Game Notes in PDF Format 
The 13th ranked University of Louisville field hockey team earned the No. 3 seed in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament and will face second-seeded Connecticut in the semifinals Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Providence College. Top-seeded Syracuse and the host Friars will meet in the first semifinal game at 11 a.m. The two semifinal winners will face each other Nov. 8 at 1:00 p.m., vying for the championship title and the BIG EAST's automatic bid to the 2009 NCAA Championship.
The Cardinals (12-7, 4-2 BIG EAST) are led offensively by sophomore Hayley Turner's 41 points (15G 11A). Junior Nicole Youman follows closely with 38 points (12G, 14A). Senior goalkeeper Heather Bustanoby (12-7) carries a 1.54 goals against average.
U of L has won its last four games and five of its past six. The Cards wrapped up the regular season with a 5-1 win over BIG EAST opponent Georgetown on Saturday and a 4-1 victory over No. 12 Stanford on Sunday. Sophomore Hayley Turner led Louisville offensively on the weekend with four goals and an assist and is the current BIG EAST Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
Cards Against the Huskies
#13 Louisville (12-7, 4-2) vs. #7 Connecticut (17-2, 5-1)
Nov. 7, BIG EAST Semifinals
Series Record: Connecticut leads 9-1
Last Meeting:Sept. 26, 2009 - Then-fifth-ranked UCONN edged the Cardinals 3-2 in double overtime. In that game, the Huskies took a 2-0 lead with goals from Allison Angulo and Melissa Gonzalez. U of L's Nikki Auker and Karah Nall knotted the score with second half goals and sent the game into overtime. Yellow cards forced Louisville to play with only six players throughout most of the two extra periods before Cara Silverman's goal with 3:35 remaining gave the Huskies the 3-2 win.
Scouting the Huskies:Connecticut brings a 17-2 overall record into the weekend and finished second in conference standings with a 5-1 record. The Huskies are led offensively by Loren Sherer's 73 points (28G, 17A). Ali Blankmeyer and Jestine Angelini follow with 24 points (10G, 4A) each. Goalkeeper Andrea Mainiero (17-2) holds a 1.06 goals-against average.
Notes:This will be the fourth time Louisville and Connecticut have met in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Conference tournament. since the Cardinals joined the league. Connecticut prevailed in overtime in the first two meetings and won 4-1 in 2008.
Cards Against the Other Semifinal Opponents
Louisville vs. Syracuse
Series Record: Syracuse leads 4-3
Last Meeting: Sept. 19, 2009 at Trager Stadium - Then-seventh-ranked Syracuse used three second half goals - including Martina Loncarica's goal with just under four minutes remaining in the game. Louisville's Haley Jurich gave the Cards a 1-0 first half lead. Amy Kee evened the score early in the second half and Heather Susek gave the Orange a 2-1 advantage. Nicole Youman tied the game three minutes later.
Scouting the Orange: The BIG EAST regular season champion Syracuse enters the tournament with a 16-2 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in league play. Lindsey Conrad leads the Orange with 38 points (15G, 8A). Amy Kee follows with 28 points (9G, 10A). Goalkeepers Leann Stiver (12-2) and Ashleigh McGowan (4-0) have combined for a 1.22 team goals against average and four shutouts. Notes: Louisville and Syracuse have never met in the BIG EAST Conference tournament.
• Louisville redshirt freshman goalkeeper Erin Conrad and Syracuse's Lindsey Conrad are sisters.
Louisville vs. providence college
Series Record: Louisville leads 5-1
Last Meeting: Oct. 17, 2009 at Trager Stadium - Then-14th-ranked Louisville used goals from Hayley Turner and Julie Anne Smith to take a 2-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. Providence fought back with goals from Ashlyn Hudson and Kelly Grogan to force a 2-2 halftime tie. Smith tallied the game-winner with a feed from Turner with about 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Scouting the Orange: The BIG EAST regular season champion Syracuse enters the tournament with a 16-2 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in league play. Lindsey Conrad leads the Orange with 38 points (15G, 8A). Amy Kee follows with 28 points (9G, 10A). Goalkeepers Leann Stiver (12-2) and Ashleigh McGowan (4-0) have combined for a 1.22 team goals against average and four shutouts. Notes: Louisville's only loss to Providence came in the 2007 BIG EAST Conference tournament semifinals when the Frairs picked up a 2-0 win.
Louisville in BIG EAST Conference Championship
The Cardinals have earned the No. 2 seed in the 2008 BIG EAST Championship and will play host Connecticut in the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 8 at 1:30 p.m.
U of L (14-5, 5-1) earned its fourth-straight bid to the tournament since joining the league in 2005 and captured a share of its third straight title with an 11-0 win over Georgetown.
Although the Cards have reached the tournament, they have yet to get past the semifinals. In their first two seasons, Louisville lost overtime thrillers to Connecticut and in 2007, Providence handed the Cards a 2-0 loss. Year by Year Results in BIG EAST Championship
Nov. 4, 2005 - Connecticut 1, Louisville 0/OT (at Rutgers)
Nov. 4, 2006 - Connecticut 3, Louisville 2/OT (at Louisville)
Nov. 3, 2007 - Providence 2, Louisville 0 (at Syracuse)
Nov. 8, 2008 - Connecticut 4, Louisville 1 (at UConn)
Turner Named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week
The University of Louisville's Hayley Turner was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week on Nov. 2. She earns the the honor after a nine-point performance last week. The sophomore led the Cardinals' offensive output in a 2-0 week. She tallied two goals in Louisville's BIG EAST regular season finale, a 5-1 win at Georgetown on Oct. 31 and led UofL to its first win over a ranked opponent this season when she notched two goals and an assist in a 4-1 win over No. 12 Stanford.
Turner leads the Cardinals with 15 goals and 41 points and stands in second in both categories in the BIG EAST.
Cardinal Corner
• All but one of Louisville's seven losses have been at the hands of teams in the top 20, including: No. 6 Wake Forest, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 7 Connecticut, No. 6 Syracuse and No. 15 Duke and No. 19 Ohio State.
• The Cards have only been shutout once this season, in their first game, a 3-0 setback to then-10th ranked Duke.
• Eleven players have contributed to Louisville's 68 goals on the season with all of them having more than one goal on the season.
From `Down Under' to the Top of the List
U of L's two Aussies, sophomore Hayley Turner and junior Nicole Youman sit atop the Cardinals' offensive leaders. Turner has registered 15 goals and 11 assists for 41 points, while Youman has 12 goals and a team-best 14 assists for 38 points. Together, they account for 79 of the team's 175 points.
Close Calls
Of the Cardinals' seven losses, six have come by a margin of one goal and three have been the result of overtime games. The only time U of L has been beaten by more than one goal was in the first game of the season when Duke came away with a 3-0 win. Overtime losses have come against No. 6 Connecticut, No. 8 Michigan State and No. 19 Ohio State.
Spreading the Offense
The Cardinals have outscored opponents 68-28, but have managed a balanced offensive attack with eleven players accounting for the scoring output. All eleven players have recorded multiple goals on the season.
Youman Moving On Up
Junior forward Nicole Youman is now third on the school's career assists list with 32. She needs three more to move to second. Jessica Javelet holds the record for career assists with 38.
Youman is also fourth on the career points list with 84 and needs seven more to move to third. Javelet holds the all-time mark with 176 points.
U of L on the National Scene
The Cards opened the 2009 season at No. 13 in the National Field Hockey Coaches Association coaches' poll, marking the eighth straight season they have appeared in the top 20.
Louisville has spent the entire season in the top 20 and are currently back to 13th while in the midst of a challenging schedule. The Cardinals have lost to No. 7 Connecticut (3-2/2OT) No. 6 Syracuse (3-2), No. 14 Duke (3-0) and No. 8 Michigan State (2-1/OT), with several top 20 teams ahead including No. 5 Wake Forest, No. 13 Stanford and No. 19 Ohio State
