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Season Finale on Tap for Sunday at Louisville
Oct. 26, 2008
LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- Sunday's season finale for Villanova will have a different kind of feel than any game in recent memory for the Wildcats. For the first time in eight years Villanova will not be headed to the BIG EAST Championship and instead will close its season on the road against Louisville. The Wildcats loss at Cincinnati on Friday night sealed their fate and Villanova will finish in sixth place in the BIG EAST National Division, one spot out of a playoff berth.
With that said, it would be untrue to suggest that there is no significance to Sunday afternoon's game against the Cardinals. Despite its ending, the 2008 season will still be one with more ups than downs and a year whose highest peaks trumped any low valleys. To go out on a high note with a solid performance against Louisville would seem to be a fitting end for these Wildcats.
Villanova guaranteed itself a 10th straight season with a winning record and at least 10 victories several weeks ago and will post its 12th consecutive non-losing season. A win on Sunday, however, would allow the Wildcats to eclipse their win total from last season, when Villanova's 11 victories included a first round playoff win against University of South Florida.
Three of the five former Conference USA teams that joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005 play in the Wildcats division, including Louisville, Cincinnati and DePaul. Friday night's loss to the Bearcats was the first loss against one of those three teams for Villanova, which as gone 10-1 (.909) against the trio. All seven of the games against Cincinnati and the Cardinals have been decided by a single goal.
This was the season in which the Wildcats added to their usual defensive stinginess with a burgeoning young offense that surged out of the gate and never looked back. Villanova has scored 39 goals for the season, including multiple tallies in 11 of the first 18 games. Three times the offensive prowess has allowed the Wildcats to recover from a 2-0 deficit to tie a game. The first two occasions led to 3-2 victories over La Salle and Penn.
Among the individual highlights, senior Erin Hardiman (Galloway, N.J.) has 14 assists for the year and has set a single-season team record. Junior Grace Hawkins (Northport, N.Y.) and freshman Kaitlin Ryan (Wayne, N.J.) are tied for the team lead with eight goals each. Taking into account that Hawkins missed all of last season and can apply for an additional year of eligibility, 30 of the 39 goals this season for Villanova have come from players in their first or second year of eligibility.
On the defensive side, junior Molly Williams (Hinsdale, Ill.) was thrust into a starting role in goal just days before the season opener against UMBC. After starting just two games over the past two seasons, Williams has started 17 of 18 contests this season and in BIG EAST regular season games is tied for the league lead with five solo shutouts. She made a career-high 12 saves against top-ranked Notre Dame earlier in the season, representing the second-highest single-game total by a BIG EAST goalkeeper in any game this season.
In his first season as head coach, John Byford has continued the legacy of success that the women's soccer program has established. He is the first of the program's five head coaches to win his debut and the team hasn't looked back since.
Each of the last two games Villanova has played against Louisville have ended with a 1-0 score. The Wildcats won last season at home in double overtime on a golden goal by Erin Byrnes, who also scored the game-winner early on in a 1-0 victory here in Louisville in 2006. The first-ever meeting between the teams was a rally effort by Villanova for a 3-2 win in 2005. The Wildcats tied that contest at 2-2 with just four seconds left in regulation and then won the game on a penalty kick just over two minutes into the first overtime period.
About Louisville: The Cardinals enter Sunday's game with coming off a 1-0 loss to Georgetown on Friday evening. Louisville sits in fifth place in the National Division currently and can finish anywhere from third to fifth based on the results of Sunday's games.
Despite the loss of goalkeeper Joanna Haig to graduation, the Cardinals remain a strong defensive squad. Louisville has scored 24 goals on the season while surrendering just 18 to the opposition. The defense is allowing just 5.5 shots on goal per game while Katie Zoeller and Chloe Kiefer have each played well while splitting time in goal.
Offensively, Lindsay Boling leads the team with six goals scored and Giselle Mangal has four tallies. Caitlin Rehder has four assists to lead the squad. Mangal and Kelsey Hunyadi each have two game-winning goals for the year.
This Date in Villanova History: The Wildcats have played seven times and won six times on this date. Villanova defeated Scranton by a 2-1 score in 1985 and then did not play a game on October 26 again until falling to Princeton, 1-0, in 1990. That game was also a season finale for the Wildcats, who have not ended a season as early since an Oct. 25 finale in 2000.
Villanova defeated Providence, 5-0, on this date in 1996 and posted a narrower 1-0 win over Boston College in 1997. During its run to a conference title and eventual Sweet 16 berth in 2003, the Wildcats blanked Pittsburgh, 2-0, on this date.
Last season's double-overtime victory over the Cardinals was exactly one year ago to the day.
Around the League: The five playoff teams from the National Division for the BIG EAST Championship will be Notre Dame, Georgetown, Rutgers, Cincinnati and Louisville. Only Notre Dame has set its seed, as the unbeaten Fighting Irish have clinched the division crown. Cincinnati will make its first-ever appearance in the conference tournament.
In the American Division, the five participants will be West Virginia, Marquette, Connecticut, St. John's and Pittsburgh. West Virginia is the No. 1 seed and Marquette will be the No. 2 seed. Connecticut and St. John's play each other on Sunday with the No. 3 and No. 4 spots up for grabs. Pittsburgh is the No. 5 seed.
Sunday's Basics
Kickoff: Noon
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