Oct. 29, 2004

Final Stats

VILLANOVA, Pa.-In the last regular season game of her Main Line career, senior back Vanessa Pizzulli (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) tied the school record for career assists (32) as the Villanova Wildcats dealt the Cornell Big Red a 2-0 loss Friday afternoon at Villanova Stadium. With the win, the Wildcats end their regular season with an 11-7 record, while Cornell falls to 2-12.

For most of the first half, Villanova and Cornell battled midfield for an offensive edge. The Wildcats spent a majority of their time in or near the scoring circle, but were unable to get a shot in the goal until junior Sarah Francis (Hummelstown, Pa./Hershey) cashed in on a penalty corner at 25:35. Her goal was assisted by sophomore forward Lauren Campanelli (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) and Pizzulli and gave Villanova a 1-0 lead.

Cornell managed just one shot in the entire first have due to the excellent defensive work of Pizzulli, senior back Simone Schunk (Kutztown, Pa./Kutztown Area) and junior back Natalie Balthrop (Chicago, Ill./Lake Forest). The Wildcat defense was always one step ahead of Cornell's offense, intercepting balls before the Big Red had a chance to shoot them.

Villanova's insurance goal came at 46:54 when Francis set up a shot from the baseline into junior forward Rory Rogers's (Rosemont, Pa./Sacred Heart) path. Rogers knocked in the goal for a 2-0 Villanova lead.

Cornell midfielder Sarah Miller registered the team's only shot on goal, but was stopped at the net by sophomore goalie Erin Scott (Malvern, Pa./West Chester East). The shut out victory mark's Scott's fourth of the season.

The BIG EAST Conference will announce the seeds for the field hockey championship on October 31st. The BIG EAST Championship is set to take place November 5-7 at J.S. Coyne Field in Syracuse, N.Y. For more tournament information and directions, log on to www.bigeast.org.