Nov. 6, 2004
Final Stats
STORRS, Conn. - Midfielder Jennifer Sullivan drilled the decisive penalty kick into the bottom left corner of the net on the Huskies' final attempt, and tournament host Connecticut (15-6-1) advanced to Sunday's final of the BIG EAST Championship with a 3-1 advantage in the penalty kick session. Villanova (13-5-2) battled the Huskies for 90 minutes of regulation and two 10-minute overtime periods before settling for a 1-1 draw. The teams were playing in Friday night's second semifinal game at Morrone Stadium. Earlier in the evening, top seed Notre Dame defeated fourth-seeded Boston College 2-0.
Connecticut took a 1-0 advantage in the penalty kick session by putting its first attempt into the right side of the net. The Wildcats missed their first two kicks, and the Huskies extended their advantage to 2-0 with a shot to the bottom left corner on the third kick. Villanova scored on its fourth try when freshman midfielder Stacia Hartung (Rochester, N.Y.) put a ball in the bottom left corner, but Sullivan's kick then provided the winning margin. Connecticut had a chance to end the game with its fourth kick, but Wildcat sophomore goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) punched the ball left of the net to give Villanova another chance.
"Our team showed so much character and courage tonight," Wildcat head coach Ann Clifton said. "To come back and tie the game in the second half on the other team's home field and then put pressure on them to maybe win the game, that shows what Villanova is all about. We pride ourselves on putting the best players on the field and our players emulated that tonight."
In regulation, the Wildcats gave up a first-half goal but tied the score in the 61st minute when freshman midfielder Melissa Murowski (Warren, N.J.) scored her first collegiate goal. The goal materialized after senior forward Regina Villari (Woodbury Heights, N.J.) had a shot blocked by a Connecticut defender. Villanova's own defender, senior Michelle Biehl (Southampton, Pa.) was the first to get control of the carom, and she passed to Murowski, who kicked the ball past the Connecticut goalkeeper and into the right side of the net.
"It was great to have a freshman score our only goal tonight," Clifton said. "It shows that we have a bright future."
In the first half, Connecticut opened the scoring in the 37th minute when senior midfielder Kristen Graczyk scored on a free kick. After a Wildcat foul, Graczyk's kick from 20 yards went over a wall of defenders and into the right side of the net.
The penalty kicks were made necessary only after the two teams withstood a wild conclusion to the second overtime period. In the eighth minute, senior forward Laura Johnson (Ambler, Pa.) broke away from the pack 35 yards from the goal, and dribbled in for a 1-on-1 encounter with Huskies goalkeeper Megan Jessee. Johnson fired a hard shot toward the right side, but Jessee came up with one of her eight saves. With exactly one minute remaining, Connecticut forward Jessica Gjertsen received a pass on the left side and blasted a ball into the box, but Loyden stopped the ball and returned possession to the Wildcats. Villanova had one final chance with 10 seconds left but an open shot from just outside the box went inches over the right side of the crossbar.
The Huskies outshout Villanova 18-14 for the evening, including a 10-7 margin in the second half of regulation. However, Loyden tallied seven of her eight saves after halftime to prevent Connecticut from taking the lead.
"Jillian played an absolutely tremendous game tonight," Clifton said. "She showed why she is one of the top goalkeepers in the country. Our back defenders also played a terrific game tonight."
Connecticut advances to play Notre Dame on Sunday at noon in the championship game. Meanwhile, Villanova will await its NCAA Tournament status. The brackets for the 64-team field will be announced this coming Monday. ESPNEWS will carry the announcement live at approximately 4:30 p.m. EST. Immediately following that coverage, tbe brackets will also be available online at www.ncaasports.com and at www.villanova.com.
"We feel very confident about our chances to get an at-large NCAA bid," Clifton said. "That decision is in the hands of the committee now. We think that our body of work this season will warrant a bid, and if that happens, we will make as much noise as we can in the NCAA Tournament."
