Women's Lacrosse Faces Consecutive Weekend Road Games
February 20, 2014 | Women's Lacrosse
Feb. 20, 2014
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The University of Louisville women's lacrosse team hits the road for its first of consecutive road games this season, taking on Old Dominion on Friday, Feb. 21, and then William & Mary on Sunday.
First draw against the Monarchs at L.R. Hill Sports Complex is scheduled for 6 p.m., while the Feb. 23 contest, which marks the first meeting between Louisville and William & Mary, is set for noon at Martin-Family Stadium.
The Cardinals defeated Old Dominion last year 21-3 at home on Feb. 23, with six UofL players finishing with multiple goals. Kaylin Morissette recorded a game-high five goals in addition to four draw controls, while Nikki Boltja added four scores. Defensively, Hillary Bushway led the way with four of the team's 14 caused turnovers and the Monarchs managed just 15 shots.
Louisville (1-1) is coming off an 18-1 victory in its home opener on Sunday against Detroit. The Cardinals raced out to a 10-0 lead before the Titans registered their lone goal. Louisville finished with an 18-3 advantage on the draw and held Detroit to just four shots for the game.
Morissette, who was named to the league's weekly honor roll, had career highs of six goals and nine draw controls, tied for the second most draw controls in a game in school history. Boltja, the reigning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week, scored three goals in the victory after totaling five in the season opener against Duke. Cortnee Daley registered three goals, three ground balls, and three caused turnovers.
For the year, Boltja has a team-best 10 points on eight goals and two assists, while Morissette's six goals rank second on the team. She is first on the team with 16 draw controls. Daley currently has a team-leading six ground balls and four caused turnovers.
Old Dominion is playing in its first game of the year after going 4-13 last season. The group returns eight of its top-10 goal scorers, including Ashmore Standing, who had team highs in goals (32) and points (37). The team also regained its lone goalkeeper from a season ago, Karen Hyde. She had a 13.94 goals-against average, while tallying 141 saves.
Collectively, ODU ranked eighth in ground balls per game (18.59) in 2013.
The Cardinals' Sunday opponent, William & Mary, is just one of three schools on Louisville's schedule it has never faced previously (Duke and Temple).
In their lone game of the year, the Tribe dropped an 11-8 decision at home to No. 5 Duke. The Blue Devils used two-goal games from four different players and forced 10 turnovers in the victory. Jenna Dougherty and Taelor Salmon each netted a pair of goals for William & Mary, which held a 12-9 advantage on the draw.
William & Mary, which posted a 5-11 record in 2013, was picked to finish last in the preseason Colonial Athletic Association Coaches' Poll. Salmon, who was selected to the preseason all-conference team, ranked second on the team last year with 38 points.
For the latest information on Louisville women's lacrosse, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team's Twitter account at www.twitter.com/LouisvilleLax or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLLacrosse.
