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Syracuse University
Connecticut
Field Hockey Loses BIG EAST Semifinal in Overtime to Connecticut, 1-0
11/8/2002 10:57:55 PM | Field Hockey
Connecticut and Villanova, the top two field hockey teams in the BIG EAST Conference this season, will play for the tournament championship at noon on Sunday, Nov. 10, at Syracuse University's Coyne Field. The No. 1-seeded Huskies defeated No. 4 Syracuse, 1-0, in the first BIG EAST semifinal game Friday night. No. 2 Villanova edged No. 3 Boston College, 5-4, in the second contest. Both semifinal games were decided in overtime.
UConn's Lauren Henderson (Avondale Harare, Zimbabwe), the leading scorer in the BIG EAST (46 points), helped knock off Syracuse with a direct penalty corner shot at the very end of the first overtime period. She was assisted by Kelly Cochrane (Scarsdale, N.Y.) and Laura Thibodeau (Southbury, Conn.). For Henderson, it marked her 21st goal of the season. Syracuse goalie Audrey Latsko (Emmaus, Pa.), the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, had seven saves to finish her four-year career ranked second on the school's all-time saves list with 492 career stops.
The second semifinal game between Villanova and Boston College was an up-and-down shoot-out. In the end, Villanova senior Sarah Burdette (Washington Crossing, Pa.) got credit for the game-winning goal just 3:04 into overtime.
The Wildcats led 2-1 at halftime, but Boston College quickly tied the game at 2-2 within the first two minutes of the second period. Villanova freshman Rory Rogers (Rosemont, Pa.) tallied three goals, including two on reverse-stick shots in the second half to push the Wildcats out to a 4-2 lead with 20 minutes remaining in regulation. About a minute after Rogers' third goal, Danielle Incropera (Chelmsford, Mass.) scored for BC. At 58:39, teammate Christy Zider (Barre, Vt.) tied the game at 4-4. Kim French (Shrewsbury, Mass.), the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, finished with a goal and an assist for the Eagles.
This will mark the first time that Connecticut and Villanova have played for the BIG EAST field hockey title. The Huskies are 14-7 on the season, while the Wildcats are 11-8. The two teams met this season on Sept. 22, in Villanova, Pa. Connecticut posted a 2-1 victory.
Syracuse finished its 2002 campaign with a 10-11 record. Boston College is 15-6.
2002 BIG EAST Field Hockey Championship
Coyne Field, Syracuse, N.Y.
Friday, Nov. 8
#1 Connecticut 1, #4 Syracuse 0 (overtime)
First-Half Scoring: none
Second-Half Scoring: none
Overtime:
UC - 85:00 - Lauren Henderson (Kelly Cochrane/Laura Thibodeau)
Shots: UC 15, SU 2
Saves: Audrey Latsko (SU) 7, Maureen Butler (UC) 1
Penalty Corners: UC 12, SU 2
#2 Villanova 5, #3 Boston College 4 (overtime)
First-Half Scoring:
VU - 6:56 - Rory Rogers (unassisted)
BC - 22:41 - Kim French (unassisted)
VU - 24:49 - Leah Lisausky (Vanessa Pizzulli/Christina Lugones)
Second-Half Scoring:
BC - 36:03 - Sabrina Lazzari (Kim French)
VU - 40:27 - Rogers (unassisted)
VU - 49:59 - Rogers (unassisted)
BC - 50:30 - Danielle Incropera (unassisted)
BC - 58:39 - Christy Zider (unassisted)
Overtime:
VU - 73:04 - Sarah Burdette (unassisted)
Shots: VU 19, BC 12
Saves: Meghan Helwig (VU) 3, Lauren Hill (BC) 8
Penalty Corners: VU 9, BC 4
Defensive Saves: VU 1 (Kristen Strocen), BC 2 (Kristen Madden, Maria LoRusso)
Attendance for the Semifinals: 330
