Home for a BIG EAST Showdown
9/22/2010 10:00:02 AM | Field Hockey
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SYRACUSE, N.Y. - The ninth-ranked Syracuse University field hockey team (5-3, 1-0) returns to J.S. Coyne Stadium after a six-game road trip for a battle with BIG EAST Conference foe tenth-ranked Louisville on Saturday, September 25 at noon. Syracuse defeated Rutgers, 5-1, in BIG EAST opener on September 18 in Piscataway. The Orange boasts a 2-0 record at J.S. Coyne Stadium this season and has won 11 consecutive at home dating back to last year.
Louisville Series Notes
Syracuse and Louisville matchup for the eighth time. The Orange holds a 4-3 all-time series lead. SU has won its last two meetings with the Cardinals, including last season's 3-2 victory in Louisville. The Orange is 1-1 all-time against the Cardinals in Syracuse.
Last Meeting with the Cardinals
Syracuse scored all three of its goals in the second half, defeating the Cardinals 3-2 in its BIG EAST Conference opener at Trager Stadium in Louisville on September 18. All-American Martina Loncarica scored the game-winning goal for the Orange with 3:43 left in the game. Current junior forward and team leading scorer Heather Susek and current sophomore back Amy Kee each added one goal. Current manager Ashleigh McGowan recorded six saves for the Orange in the cage. Current BIG EAST Conference leading scorer Nicole Youman and current sophomore forward Haley Jurich netted goals for Louisville. Syracuse outshot Louisville 11-7 and held a 7-4 advantage in corners.
Orange Players Against Louisville
Five current members of the Orange have registered at least one point against the Cardinals. All-American Martina Loncarica has tallied 5 points off one goal and three assists. Senior back Maggie Befort has recorded three assists against the Cardinals. Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad, current junior forward and team leading scorer Heather Susek, and current sophomore back Amy Kee each have one goal.
Scouting the Orange
Syracuse is led by junior forward Heather Susek's team-best 11 points on at team-high tying four goals and three assists. ll-American Martina Loncarica has recorded three goals and three assists for nine points. Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad has scored a team-best tying four goals for a total of eight points. Senior back Maggie Befort has also tallied eight points off three goals and two assists. Freshman midfielder Leonie Geyer also had eight points off a team-high four assists and two goals. Sophomore back Amy Kee has netted two goals and tallied two assists for a total of six points. She also has one defensive save. Senior forward Kristin Girouard has notched three points off one goal and one assist. Senior forward Shelby Schraden, sophomore forward Kelsey Millman and sophomore back Iona Holloway have each scored once. Junior midfield Liz McInerney rounds out the scoring with one assist. Sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver has played all but eight minutes for the Orange. She ranks second in the BIG EAST with a 1.23 goal-against-average. Befort has scored a school record 113 points in her four-year career. Befort is also second on SU's all-time assist chart with 47 and tied for eighth in goals scored with 33. Conrad is now tied with Yvonne Milionis (1988-91) for first on SU's all-time goals scored list with 42. She is also second on SU's all-time points list with 102. Loncarica ranks first on SU's all-time assists list with 51. She is also third on the all-time points list with 97.Stiver ranks first among active players in career saves percentage at .837 and seventh in career goals-against-average at 1.27. Conrad ranks second among active players in career points with 146 and third in career goals with 61. Befort is fourth among active players in career assists with 47 and ninth in points with 111. Loncarica is second among active players in career assists with 51. Head coach Ange Bradley's winning percentage (.714) ranks seventh among active coaches. Syracuse has been ranked in the top 10 for 25 consecutive weeks. SU was ranked 17th on August 28, 2008, but moved up to number seven a week later and has not dropped out of the top 10 since. Syracuse's 2-1 overtime loss to Kent State on September 4 was its first loss to a non-ranked team since October 25, 2007 (52 games ago).
Scouting the Cardinals
The No. 12 Cardinals opened BIG EAST Conference play with a 6-1 win against Georgetown. UofL also defeated Radford, 7-1, last week. Nicole Youman (current BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week) accounted for more than half of the scoring with seven goals. Six others contributed one goal apiece. Louisville has outscored opponents 33-11 with 12 different players registering goals. Youman leads the way with 12 goals, six assists and 30 points, already her career-best season goal total. Youman now owns the school record 39 career assists. She has vaulted to second on the list for career goals (40) and points (119). Two-time All-American Lindsey Conrad's sister Erin Conrad has played every minute in cage for the Cardinals recording a 1.29 goals-against-average and a .607 saves percentage. UofL is 6-2 on the season with both losses coming in double overtime against top-15 teams.
Befort Named to BIG EAST Honor Roll
Senior back Maggie Befort was named to the BIG EAST Field Hockey Weekly Honor Roll after helping the Orange to a 1-1 record last weekend. Befort recorded three points off one goal and one assist as Syracuse opened BIG EAST play with a 5-1 victory at Rutgers on September 18. The senior also helped keep Princeton, which entered the game leading the nation in goals per game, off the board for 68:50. Against the Scarlet Knights Befort pushed SU ahead, 2-0, off a penalty corner. The senior also provided the assist on Syracuse's first goal of the day. On the defensive end, the Mechanicsburg, Pa. native led an Orange defense that allowed only two shots for the entire 70 minutes. Against No. 4 Princeton Befort and the Syracuse defense kept the Tigers off the board for 68:50. Princeton entered the game leading the nation in goals per game.
Orange Scholar-Athlete
Senior forward Kristin Girouard was the Syracuse University Scholar-Athlete of the Week for the week of Sept. 20, 2010.Girouard has played a key role at forward for the Orange since her freshman year. This season she has started every game for Syracuse and netted one goal and dished out an assist against Northeastern. Following the 2009 season, she was named to the BIG EAST All-Academic Team. She also earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll for the spring 2010 semester.Girouard is a dual major in global political economy and international relations.
Last Weekend in Review
Syracuse went 1-1 this past week, winning its first BIG EAST contest of the season 5-1 against Rutgers on September 18. No. 4 Princeton edged passed SU 1-0 on September 19. Five different players scored goals as the Orange punished the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, 5-1, at the Bauer Track & Field Complex. The Orange registered 16 shots on the afternoon while the Scarlet Knights only managed two attempts. All-American Martina Loncarica scored the first goal on an assist from senior back Maggie Befort. Befort pushed the score to 2-0 off a pass from Loncarica and junior midfield Liz McInerney. Sophomore forward Kelsey Millman first goal of the year to made the score, 3-1. Junior forward Heather Susek was credited with the assist. Two-Time All-American Lindsey Conrad and Susek added goals to put the final score at 5-1. Sophomore goalkeeper Leann Stiver recorded the win for the Orange.
