Wildcats Stun Louisville in 3-2 Overtime Victory
Oct. 9, 2005
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Sophomore forward Nikki Mabery (Phoenix, Ariz.) slid the ball into the bottom right corner of the net to tie the game with just four seconds left in regulation and senior forward Lindsey Finnegan (Blackwood, N.J.) converted a penalty kick in overtime to lift Villanova (8-3-4, 4-0-3 Big East) to a stunning 3-2 victory over Louisville (9-5-0, 4-3-0) on Sunday afternoon at the Villanova Soccer Stadium.
The Wildcats had trailed 2-1 since the 60th minute of the contest but launched a furious attack in Cardinal territory in the closing minutes. Villanova was in the attacking third with less than 30 seconds remaining and had a throw-in from the left side with 17 seconds on the clock. A frenzy ensued in front of the goal as the final seconds ticked off until Mabery's fourth goal of the season tied the score. Junior forward Megan Farmer (Middle Island, N.Y.) sent the ball into the box and sophomore defender Kayce Blandford (Columbia, Md.) touched it to Mabery in front of the net to set up the goal. After an initial attempt to score was turned away with six seconds left, Mabery's second try moments later sent the game into overtime.
With 2:07 gone by in the first overtime period, Finnegan was taken down in the box on a Louisville foul and awarded a penalty kick. She directed her kick towards the left side of the net and notched her fourth game-winning goal of the season to end the game. Finnegan's penalty kick was the only shot for either team in the extra period.
"We beat a great team that is very-well coached and was extremely well prepared for us today," Villanova head coach Ann Clifton said. "Our ability to continue attacking in the closing minutes and score late in games is possible because the players believe in each other and care for each other. They play hard until the game is over and simply do not accept being down even in the final seconds of a game. They are able to keep a positive mindset and go after the other team."
The Wildcats outshot the Cardinals 15-13 for the game, but Louisville held an 11-6 advantage in that category in the second half of regulation. Junior goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) made five of her six saves during the period, but the Cardinals took a 2-1 lead on an unassisted goal by Jen Avila in the 60th minute. Avila had a shot that was saved by Loyden on the left side of the net but got her own rebound and scored her second goal of the season at the 59:26 mark.
In the first half, Louisville opened the scoring on a goal by Jamie Craft at the 20:37 mark. The Cardinals had momentum on a fastbreak as they entered the attacking third. Laura Walker sent a pass through the Villanova defense, where Craft picked up the ball and beat Loyden one-on-one from five yards out.
The Wildcats tied the score with 5:35 to play in the opening frame and the game was tied 1-1 heading into the intermission. Villanova was awarded a corner kick with just under six minutes remaining. Blandford, who has become the squad's corner kick specialist this season, fired an arching shot from the corner that bounded into the top left corner.
Deana Waintraub had five saves in goal for Louisville, who fell victim to the Wildcats dangerous late-game offensive prowess. Mabery's game-tying goal marked the third time this season that Villanova has scored in the final minute of regulation and the second time that a last-minute goal tied the score.
The victory enabled the Wildcats to extend their current unbeaten streak to eight games (5-0-3) and remain undefeated in conference play. Villanova also remained in second place in Division B with the win. The Wildcats (4-0-3) have 15 points in conference games and are ahead of Georgetown (13 points) and Louisville (12). The Hoyas defeated Cincinnati 4-0 on Sunday afternoon, while first-place Notre Dame (5-1-0, 15 points) was set to take on Seton Hall at 5 p.m. Sunday.
"We got a big conference win today," Clifton said. "The new conference members have come in and made a lot of noise so far, and at this point in the season every team is scrambling for position in the conference standings."
Villanova is back in action with its final two home games of the regular season this Friday and Sunday. On Friday at 4 p.m. the Wildcats will host No. 21 West Virginia. On Sunday, Villanova will host Pittsburgh at 1 p.m. on Senior Day.
NOTES: The other two last-minute goals the Wildcats scored this season came against St. Joseph's on August 28 and Georgetown on August 31 ... Farmer scored a goal with 25 seconds left against the Hoyas that tied the game at 1-1 and eventually helped Villanova settle for a tie ... Overall, the Wildcats have scored 17 of their 23 goals this season (73.9 percent) after halftime ... Villanova has scored eight goals in the 70th minute or later of games ... The Wildcats have scored just six first-half goals on the season, but have netted a goal before halftime in each of the past two games ... Villanova has been outscored 7-6 in the first half but has turned the tables on the opposition to the tune of a 17-5 scoring margin after halftime ... The Wildcats eight-game unbeaten streak is the longest since a 14-game stretch (9-0-5) that spanned the end of the 2003 and beginning of the 2004 seasons ... Finnegan's penalty kick was the first game-winning goal in overtime for Villanova since a victory over Penn on Sept. 12, 2004 ... The Wildcats won that game 2-1 on a goal in the 104th minute ... Villanova also won a game in which the opposition scored more than one goal for the first time since the 2004 season opener against College of Charleston, a 4-2 triumph on August 27 ... The Wildcats had not won a game in which its opponent scored first since a 3-2 victory over Syracuse on September 11, 2003 ... Finnegan scored the game-winner in that game as well ... She has 10 game-winning goals in her career ... Villanova had been 0-14-3 when the opposition scored first since the win over Syracuse.
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