BIG EAST Field Hockey Tournament Hopes Depend on Upcoming Game
10/24/2003 7:58:18 PM | Field Hockey
Syracuse vs. Connecticut
Sunday, Oct. 26, 2003
1 p.m.
J.S. Coyne Stadium, Syracuse, N.Y.
The Orangewomen are coming off their second-highest offensive outing, a 5-1 victory at Colgate on Oct. 22. With the win, SU improved its season record to 6-9.
SU is 1-3 in the BIG EAST Conference. A win against Connecticut will improve its chances for a berth in the BIG EAST Championship Nov. 7-9, at Boston College. The Orangewomen would then find themselves rooting for Providence to beat Connecticut on Nov. 1. Syracuse is the only team in the league to qualify for every BIG EAST Tournament.
This will be the 24th meeting between Syracuse and Connecticut. The Huskies own a 17-5-1 lead in the all-time series and won last year's two meetings, each by a single goal. SU posted a 4-1 victory in 2001.
Fourteen different Orangewomen have scored goals for Syracuse this season. Sophomore back Joanne Lombard leads the team in scoring with a career-high 19 points and a team-best nine goals. Junior forward Meredith Gettel is second with 18 points (six goals, six assists). Michelle Sola and Ann-Marie Guglieri each have 14 points on the year.
Senior forward Ann-Marie Guglieri is three assists shy of cracking SU’s top five for career assists. The team co-leader this season with six assists, Guglieri now owns 20 for her career. Denine Groff (1989-1992) is in fifth place on the SU all-time assist chart with 23 career helpers. Shelley Magee (1990-93) is the school’s all-time leader with 35. Guglieri owns 46 career points, the most of any current Orangewoman.
The Huskies come into this contest with a 12-4 overall record and a 2-1 mark in the BIG EAST Conference. They have won their last four games, including their most recent outing on Wednesday night against Boston University, 3-1.
In addition to the victory against BU, UConn has posted wins this season against Lafayette (3-0), Lehigh (2-0), Quinnipiac (3-0), Stanford (4-0), Villanova (4-0), Massachusetts (7-0), Yale (5-2), New Hampshire (1-0), Princeton (2-1), Northeastern (2-0) and Rutgers (5-1).
UConn’s losses were against Penn State (2-1), Old Dominion (4-2), Harvard (3-2) and Boston College (2-1). The setback to the Eagles on Oct. 8 was Connecticut’s last loss.
Connecticut boasts the top two scorers in the BIG EAST Conference in Lauren Henderson and Mary Jo Malone. Henderson is UConn's leading scorer this season with 32 points (15 goals). She also leads the BIG EAST Conference in total points, while Malone, who is second on the team in scoring with 29 points and 13 goals, ranks second in the league.
Goalkeeper Maureen Butler leads the BIG EAST Conference in goals against average (1.05 goals per game). She has played in 15 of 16 games and owns an .803 save percentage and six shutouts on the season.
Kelly Stolle leads the Huskies with 11 assists.
The Huskies have attempted more than twice as many shots as their opponents this year (272-128). Penalty corners have been about equal, with Connecticut holding a 93-92 advantage.
