Women's Lacrosse Faces Rutgers, Villanova in Weekend Contests
April 14, 2011 | Women's Lacrosse
April 14, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville women's lacrosse team will play host to a pair of conference foes this weekend, facing Rutgers on Friday, April 15, at 5 p.m., and then Villanova on Sunday, April 17, at noon. Both contests will be held at the U of L Lacrosse Stadium.
Louisville (8-4, 1-2 BIG EAST) experienced two tough conference losses last weekend, falling to No. 5 Loyola (Md.) and then to 18th-ranked Georgetown. In the two games, Bergan Foley had a total of 10 goals, five ground balls and five draw controls. Emily Dashiell also had a strong week offensively, notching four goals, an assist and seven draw controls. Defensively, Meghan Ryan had team-best totals of five caused turnovers and nine ground balls. All three goalkeepers saw time in the cage, with Ashley Herbst accumulating nearly 107 minutes in goal and stopping 14 shots.
Rutgers enters Friday's match, with a 7-4 overall mark, going 1-2 in conference play. The Scarlet Knights are coming off a 19-9 victory over Monmouth on April 5. Marlena Welsh paced the Rutgers' offense with five goals. Lindsey Watts and Katherine Marino each scored four times, and Danielle Mascera came off the bench to earn four assists. Lily Kalata and Aimee Chotikul split time in goal, playing 30 minutes apiece and combining for nine saves. Collectively, Rutgers held the advantage in shots (34-22), ground balls (18-11), draw controls (16-14) and was nearly perfect in clears, going 12-for-13.
Under the guidance of Laura Brand-Sias, the Scarlet Knights have gone 76-64 in eight seasons of action. On the year, Welsh leads the team in goals (25) and points (32). Kristen Anderson and Watts each have 20 goals, and Marino ranks first on the team in assists with 10. Kalata has spent a majority of time in goal and owns a 6-4 record, boasting a goals-against average of 8.13.
Villanova, which faces BIG EAST opponent Cincinnati on Friday, enters the weekend on a four-match losing streak, holding a 4-6 overall record, including a 0-3 league mark. Last time out, the Wildcats dropped a 16-6 decision to No. 5 Loyola (Md.) on April 10. Justine Donodeo was the lone Villanova player to finish with two goals. Four other players each tallied a goal in the loss. Amy Jackson had a team-best five ground balls, and Jacqueline Peloquin had two caused turnovers. Julia Todd played 18 minutes in goal and was credited with the loss.
The Wildcats are under the direction of Jebb Chagan, who's in his sixth season with the program. He has led Villanova to 34-58 overall record. This year, Donodeo leads the team in goals (28) and points (37). Jackson ranks first in ground balls (23), and Christine O'Reilly is first in draw controls (21). In goal, Todd has played nearly 370 minutes, owning a 3-4 record and a 9.64 GAA.
