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Villanova and USF Square off Thursday in First Round of BIG EAST Championship
Oct. 31, 2007
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Fresh off a pair of 1-0 victories in the final two games of the regular season, Villanova (10-3-6, #4 seed National Division) is set to host a BIG EAST Championship first round game. The Wildcats meet University of South Florida (4-9-3, #5 seed American Division) on Thursday at 1 p.m. at the West Campus Soccer Complex. The winner of Thursday's game advances to the quarterfinals and will travel to play West Virginia (13-4-1, #1 seed American Division) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Villanova and USF will be meeting for both the second time this season and just the second time ever on Thursday. The teams played to a scoreless draw earlier this month in Tampa in a game that featured plenty of scoring chances on both sides. The Bulls joined the BIG EAST Conference before the 2005 season.
The Wildcats are led by All-American goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.), who owns 11 solo shutouts and 0.52 goals-against average for the season. Loyden has set school records this season for career victories, shutouts and minutes played and is part of a senior class that already owns 50 victories in their collegiate careers.
The back line of defense in front of Loyden is just as imposing and includes seniors Kayce Blandford (Columbia, Md.) and Jenna Gordon (White Plains, N.Y.) on the right side and left side, respectively. Junior Laura Sylvester (Broomall, Pa.) and sophomore Kelly Eagan (White Plains, N.Y.) each start as central defenders. Villanova has posted 13 shutouts in 19 games this season and ranks second in the nation in shutout percentage. The team is allowing the opposition an average of only five shots on goal per game.
Offensively, the Wildcats are led by the trio of seniors Nikki Mabery (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Stacia Hartung (Rochester, N.Y.) and sophomore Erin Byrnes (Sayville, N.Y.). Mabery and Byrnes are tied for the team lead with 13 points, while she and Hartung each have a team-best five goals. Mabery ranks fifth in school history with 29 career goals and is sixth with 71 career points.
The Villanova attackers will be directing their shots at USF sophomore Mallori Lofton-Malachi, who has played all but 17 minutes in the net for the Bulls this season and owns five shutouts. In 16 games, Lofton-Malachi has allowed 22 goals while making 74 saves, owning marks of a 1.34 goals-against average and .771 save percentage.
Although USF has been shutout in 12 of its 16 games this season, that number is deceiving for a squad that has pumped in three and four goals, respectively, against strong defensive teams Miami (Fla.) and St. John's. Lindsay Brauer has produced four goals and two assists for the season, as she and Autumn Browning are tied for the team lead with 10 points. Browning has contributed three goals and four assists.
The Wildcats will be hosting a conference tournament game for the first time since a quarterfinal game was played here on October 30, 2005. Thursday's game marks the first time that Villanova will be playing in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship since the tournament expanded to 10 teams in 2005. Villanova has lost in the quarterfinals in each of the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, USF is playing in its first-ever BIG EAST Championship game after finishing sixth in the American Division in 2005 and seventh in 2006. The Bulls will be playing their first conference tournament game since a 2-0 loss to Saint Louis on November 5, 2003 in the Conference USA Tournament.
Fans can follow all of the action on Thursday afternoon live on the Villanova website at www.villanova.com. A live broadcast of the game featuring streaming audio and video is available as part of the Villanova All-Access package. In addition, statistics via Gametracker can be accessed at no charge by visiting the website.
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