March 7, 2005

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Villanova's valiant efforts fell short on Sunday afternoon at the University of California, Santa Barbara mini-tournament. The `Cats fell to the No. 8 Gauchos, 11-2, and then dropped a 5-4 decision to Cal State University, San Bernardino. The two losses drop Villanova to 1-5 on the season.

"We played pretty well against Santa Barbara," head coach Paige Cull said. "But we were obviously outgunned by a strong top 10 team. We did our best to defend and breakdown their counterattack, but were held up mostly by lack of shooting opportunities."

Junior Kim Pare (Grand Rapids, Mich.) scored one goal in the third quarter, while sophomore Taylor Schrang (Bellvue, Wash.) came up with the other score in the fourth. Goalie Jess Wells (Newport Beach, Calif.) saved seven shots on goal during the contest.

The Wildcats then faced CSU-San Bernardino, losing a close game, 5-4.

"This was a disappointing loss to a team we were well matched with on paper. "We were unlucky in our shots in the first two quarters. Three out of our four goals came off penalty shots. Jess Wells had an amazing game in goal for us, stopping 14 out of 19 shots."

Pare scored twice during the game, as did senior Ellen Howe (San Diego, Calif.). Senior Sarah Oberhauser (Saratoga, Calif.) added an assist for the offense. The Wildcats were held scoreless in the third quarter, which is when San Bernardino scored the eventual game-winning goal.

Villanova returns to action on Thursday when it faces Cal Baptist at 3:30 p.m. (PST).