Women's Lacrosse Faces Syracuse, Connecticut This Weekend
April 11, 2013 | Women's Lacrosse
April 11, 2013
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville women's lacrosse team makes its final regular-season road trip of the year, traveling to conference foes Syracuse and Connecticut this week.
The Cardinals face the Orange on Friday, April 12, at 6 p.m. in Syracuse, N.Y., and then travel southeast to Storrs, Conn., for a Sunday matchup against the Huskies at 5 p.m.
Louisville (8-4, 0-3 BIG EAST) took a break from conference play over the weekend, defeating Marquette 21-2. The Cardinals outscored the Golden Eagles 14-1 in the first period, with nine different Cardinals tallying goals. Louisville finished with a 37-4 advantage in shots and won the ground ball (16-10) and draw control (18-6) battles.
Katie Oliverio totaled a game-high four goals and was credited with five assists for a career-best nine points. Nikki Boltja, Kaylin Morissette, and Cortnee Daley each posted hat tricks in the victory. Monica Negron won nine draw controls for the second-straight game, while also forcing a game-high three caused turnovers. Marquette's two goals came from reserves Hayley Baas and Jacqueline Dubois.
Through April 7, Louisville ranks fifth in draw controls per game, seventh in scoring offense, eighth in scoring margin, No. 12 in caused turnovers, and 15th in scoring defense.
Syracuse heads into Friday's match with a 7-3 overall record, including a 3-0 mark in league play, and a No. 5 ranking in the latest IWLCA poll. The Orange have won five of their last six matches, including their last two.
Last time out, Syracuse pushed past Rutgers 10-8 in Piscataway, N.J. over the weekend. Kayla Treanor led the Orange with three goals, and seven other players tallied one goal in the victory. Syracuse handily won the draw control battle, 17-3, but turned the ball over 19 times. Rutgers had three players finish with two goals, including Amanda Trendell, who also registered an assist, two ground balls and two caused turnovers.
Through 10 games this season, Alyssa Murray leads the team in goals (29) and points (43). Becca Block is anchoring the defense, with a team-best 21 caused turnovers while also ranking first on the team in draw controls (41). Kelsey Richardson has started six games in the net and boasts an 8.47 goals-against average.
Connecticut has compiled a strong season through 10 games, sporting a 9-1 record, with a 2-1 record in league play. The Huskies' lone loss of the year came against Syracuse on March 22, but the team has rebounded to win three straight.
Against Villanova on Sunday, Connecticut posted a 12-11 overtime victory. Catherine Gross scored the game-winning goal with just 30 seconds remaining in the first extra session, giving her four goals. Morgan O'Reilly and Carly Palmucci scored three goals each, and Shannon Nee made nine saves in the win.
Connecticut's Lauren Kahn leads the team in six categories: goals (22), assists (22), points (44), groundballs (28), draw controls (39) and caused turnovers (19). Nee boasts a 7-1 mark in goal, and she has owns a 9.55 GAA with 58 saves in 458 minutes of action.
