Nov. 2, 2003

Final Stats

STORRS, CONN. - In the quarterfinals of the Big East Conference Championships on Sunday, Nov. 2nd at Marrone Field in Storrs, Conn., the Villanova women's soccer team upset the 13th ranked University of Connecticut Huskies, 1-0, to advance to the tournament semifinals. The Wildcats improved to 14-5-1 overall on the season, tying the school record for victories in a season. The Huskies fell to 10-5-3.

The Huskies had several good offensive chances early in the first half with their best opportunity coming at the 35:00 mark when a shot by forward Jessica Gjertsen hit the crossbar and deflected out.

From there, the Wildcats took control and maintained possession for the majority of the half. The game remained scoreless until the 38:59 mark when Villanova found the net for the game's first goal. A shot attempt by sophomore defender Laura Koch was blocked by a Connecticut defender and deflected towards the center of the box. Junior defender Patricia Misciagna controlled the ball for the `Cats and sent a hard, low liner towards the UConn net. Husky keeper Erin Rice tried to make the save, but Misciagna's shot got through Rice and found the back of the net to give Villanova the 1-0 lead.

The Wildcats took that 1-0 lead into intermission, as Villanova goalkeeper Chrissy Dolan made four saves to hold UConn scoreless. The Huskies took a slim eight to five shot advantage into the half, but the `Cats held the one-goal advantage.

The Wildcats carried that momentum into the second half, where a strong effort by seniors Candice MacDonald, Elizabeth Dauble and the midfield helped Villanova maintain control.

The Villanova offense kept the pressure on the UConn defense, recording six shots in the first 20 minutes of the second half.

The `Cats nearly added to their lead at the 65 minute mark when freshman Jamie Weist blasted a shot towards the Husky net only to have it saved by Rice.

At the 73:53 mark, a dangerous shot by UConn forward Brittany Barakat went just high to keep the score at 1-0 in favor of the Wildcats.

The Huskies tried to rally down the stretch but found their efforts stifled by a dominant Villanova defensive effort led by Misciagna, Koch, sophomore Kristin Anderson and junior All-American and Hermann Award Candidate Michelle Biehl. The Wildcat defense held strong in the final minutes, as Villanova completed the 1-0 upset victory.

Getting the shutout win in net was Dolan, who saved five shots to earn her 13th shutout. Misciagna's goal was her third of the season to lead the `Cats.

Villanova (the #4 seed in the Big East Mid-Atlantic Division) will now take on West Virginia (the #2 seed in the Big East Mid-Atlantic Division) in the Big East Championship Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 7, at 7:00 p.m., in Piscataway, N.J.