Syracuse University
Louisville
No. 13 Louisville Defeats Field Hockey, 6-0
9/25/2005 5:03:01 PM | Field Hockey
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Junior Jessica Javelet scored three goals to help lift the No. 13-ranked University of Louisville field hockey team to a 6-0 win against Syracuse in the Cards' BIG EAST Conference opener.
"We have been preparing for our first Big East Conference game for a very long time and it feels great to start things off with a win," said U of L head coach Pam Bustin.
The teams played mostly in the midfield until the 16:03 mark in the first half when Javelet tipped senior Rachel Overton's penalty corner shot to give the Cards a 1-0 lead.
Louisville sophomore Casey Diener sent a long pass to sophomore Janelle Avila who got past Syracuse goalkeeper Heather Hess to increase the lead to 2-0 going into halftime. The Cards outshot the Orange 13-0 and held an 11-0 advantage in penalty corners at the break.
U of L opened the scoring in the second half when Javelet dribbled across the middle of the circle and fired off a reverse stick shot to make it a 3-0 game at the 42:39 mark. Two minutes later, Javelet connected on a pass from junior Jen Kastelic to complete her second hat trick in as many games.
Senior April White's pass from outside the circle found Diener in front of the cage to increase the lead to 5-0 at the 59:13 mark.
With less than two minutes remaining in the game, Overton converted on a penalty stroke to cap the scoring at 6-0.
Sophomore Marie-Claire Heller picked up the win in the cage for the Cardinals. Louisville outshot Syracuse 24-1 and held a 15-0 lead in penalty corners in the game. Javelet, who leads the nation in scoring with 18 goals and 46 points, also set a new school record for career goals with 39.
The Orange's Hess posted 13 saves in the game. Syracuse's record is now 4-5, 1-1 BIG EAST.
"Today was the result of amazing team effort that allowed us to keep the ball moving for the entire game," said Bustin. "Syracuse is a good team and our first taste of what we already know is a strong league."
The Cardinals (9-2, 1-0) will continue BIG EAST play when they travel to face No. 15 Connecticut Friday, Sept. 30 and Providence on Sunday, Oct. 2.
The 'Cuse plays another nationally-ranked opponent on Wed., Sept. 28, when it travels to Penn State for a 4 p.m. match. SU beat the Nittany Lions last year at home, 3-2, in overtime.
