No. 8 Field Hockey Travels to Rutgers and Princeton
October 08, 2010 | Field Hockey
Oct. 8, 2010
The eighth-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team will resume BIG EAST Conference play when it travels to Rutgers on Oct. 9. The Cardinals will stay in the Garden State to face third-ranked Princeton on Sunday Oct. 9.
Team Cardinal (8-4, 2-1 BIG EAST) is led on offense by senior captain Nicole Youman's 35 points (12G, 11A). She also leads the league in goals points and assists. Sophomore Amber Thomas follows with 16 points (7G, 2A). Sophomore goalkeeper Erin Conrad (8-4) carries a 1.54 goals-against average and has 31 saves and three shutouts on the season.
Following the weekend, Louisville will wrap up the home season Oct. 16-17. The Cardinals will play host to BIG EAST foe Villanova on Saturday Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. and will celebrate senior day on Oct. 17 against Iowa at 1 p.m. The Iowa game will be televised live on WHAS11.
#8 Louisville vs. Rutgers
Oct. 9, 2010 - Piscataway, N.J.
Series Record: Louisville leads 5-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 2, 2009 - Louisville won 6-1 at Trager Stadium
Scouting the Scarlet Knights: Rutgers enters the weekend with a 4-8 overall record and a 1-2 mark in BIG EAST Conference play which places them fifth in the league. The Scarlet Knights have won three of their last four games, most recently, a 201 overtime decision against Lafayette.
Nicole Gentile leads the team with seven goals and 14 points. Goalkeeper Vickie Lavell (3-5) carries a 3.50 goals against average with 21 saves.
#8 Louisville vs. #3 Princeton
Oct. 10, 2010 - Piscataway, N.J.
Series Record: First meeting
Scouting the Tigers: Third-ranked Princeton Princeton climbed to third in the latest NFHCA Coaches Poll. The Tigers received five first-place votes in the poll.
Princeton (8-1) suffered its first loss of the season in a 3-2 decision against American University on Oct. 3. The Cardinals face a tough test against the Tigers who lead the nation in scoring with an average of 5.11 goals per game. They also boast the fourth-best goals-against average in the country, surrendering only a goal per game.
Kathleen Sharkey leads the nation with 4.78 points per game and 2.11 goals per game. Goalkeeper Christina Maida ranks second in goals-against average (0.60) and seventh in save percentage (0.810).
Last up...
The Cardinals are coming off of a 3-2 overtime loss at Indiana on Tuesday. After trailing 1-0 at halftime, the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead behind goals from sophomore Amber Thomas. Louisville maintained the lead throughout much of the half, but Indiana took advantage of a penalty corner as time expired to send the game into overtime. IU's Corey Brautigam notched the game-winner at the 81:19 mark.
Prior to that, Louisville went 2-0 on the weekend, upsetting No. 5 Connecticut 3-2 in overtime and following with a 7-0 win over Saint Louis.
Cardinal Quick Hits
• U of L is 8-4 on the season with all four losses coming in overtime. Most recently, the Cardinals fell 3-2 in overtime at Indiana. Prior to that, No. 9 Syracuse edged Louisville 4-3 in OT. The Cards opened the season with a 3-2 loss to then-No. 10 Duke and went on two win three straight games before falling to 4-3 No. 12 Ohio State in double OT.
• Louisville has outscored opponents 48-20 with 14 different players registering goals. Senior Nicole Youman leads the way with 12 goals, 11 assists and 35 points. She has already equaled her career best season total for goals and points.
• The Cardinals debut at No. 13 in the 2010 NFHCA Preseason Coaches' poll, marking their ninth season among the nation's top 20.
Good Things Come in Threes
Senior Nicole Youman leads the team with three hat tricks on the season. The senior has only scored in three games this season, each time she tallied three or more goals (five against California, four against Georgetown and three against Radford).
Cards Move to Eighth in the Nation
Team Cardinal moved up two spots to No. 8 in the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association poll released on Oct. 4. The Cards (8-3) are coming off of a 2-0 performance on the weekend, upsetting No. 5 Connecticut 3-2 in overtime and following with a 7-0 win over Saint Louis.
The Cards entered the top 10 on Sept. 21 for the first time since Sept. 5, 2006 when they were were also No. 10. The Cards earned the highest ranking in school history at No. 4 on Sept. 10, 2002.
Cards Among Nation's Leaders
The Cardinals are also among the nations team leaders, appearing at No. 4 in goals per game (4.18), and No. 5 in scoring average (3.89), and scoring margin (2.45). Senior Nicole Youman is fourth in the nation in points per game (3.18) seventh in assists per game (1.0) and tenth in goals per game (1.09). Sophomore goalkeeper Erin Conrad is 20th in the nation in goals against average.
Nall and Turner Named BIG EAST Players of the Week
No. 10 Louisville swept the BIG EAST weekly field hockey awards for the week ending Oct. 3 as Hayley Turner was named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and Karah Nall was named the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week. This is the third offensive honor and first defensive honor for the Cardinals this season.
Turner, a junior from Sydney, Australia, scored two goals and dished out two assists for six points to lead the Cards to a 2-0 record on the weekend. Turner's goal with 1:15 remaining in regulation sent the game into overtime against No. 5 Connecticut. She then connected the game winner with four minutes remaining in OT. Turner dished out two assists in the Cards' 7-0 win over Saint Louis.
Senior Karah Nall (Louisville, Ky./Assumption HS) led the Cardinal defense in a 2-0 performance on the weekend. The defender was solid in the win over No. 5 UConn and did not allow a shot in the 7-0 win over Saint Louis.
Going the Extra Mile
Five of Louisville's 12 games (and three of the last four) have been decided in overtime. The Cardinals have a 1-4 record in those games, but their win came against No. 5 Connecticut on Oct. 2 at Trager Stadium.
