Louisville Stifles, Upsets No. 13 Vanderbilt
from press release
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Just days ago, head coach
Kellie Young was overwhelmed - and not in a good way - on the heels
of her team's first conference victory of the year after what she
believed to be an uninspiring performance.
At the conclusion of Wednesday's game, Young had the same reaction.
This time, however, she was overwhelmed with elation when the final
seconds ticked away and the No. 20-ranked University of Louisville
women's lacrosse team had upset its highest ranked opponent in
school history in 13th-ranked Vanderbilt, 12-6, at the U of L
Lacrosse Stadium.
"Not even beating a ranked team, but beating Vanderbilt - a
powerhouse program - is great," Young said. "For us to show the
discipline we did and follow the game plan from top to bottom - I
couldn't be prouder."
The Cardinals' offense, which has been the team's motor for nearly
the entire season, came on strong toward the end of the game, but
it was the defense that had the Commodores (6-5) in disarray. The
backline not only held Vanderbilt to a mere six goals, which is
tied for the lowest total this season, but the unit also only
allowed Vanderbilt to rack up 13 shots, the lowest amount in 2011.
Of the 13, a total of 10 were goal and four were stopped by
goalkeeper Ashley Herbst.
Despite Vanderbilt scoring the game's first goal at the 24:07 mark,
Louisville (8-1) responded with five-straight scores. Lianne Bobal
tied the game at one apiece, and the Cardinals then received goals
from Emily Dashiell, Liz Lovejoy, Katie Oliverio, and Sammy Allen,
who found the back of the net with seven seconds remaining, to put
Louisville ahead, 5-1, at the end of the first half.
The second period featured more offense, as Vanderbilt tried to
sneak back into the contest, scoring three of the first four goals.
Ally Carey's two goals, which sandwiched a Katherine Denkler score,
brought Vanderbilt to within two, 6-4, with 21:36 remaining in the
contest.
"We knew they were going to score goals, so we weren't rattled when
they cut it down to 6-4," Young comments. "We just had to be
focused on the attacking - when we were shooting and where were we
shooting. We did. There's nothing else a coaching staff can do from
the sideline but give the team the information and have them absorb
it and execute it."
That was the closest the Commodores would get, as the Cardinals put
together one of its many runs this season, notching four-straight
goals. Lovejoy started the spurt on a goal at the 16:27 mark on a
pass from Oliverio. Bergan Foley then showed why she was the
nation's leading scorer in 2010, registering two unassisted scores
with ease. Dashiell capped the run at the 12:16 mark to put
Louisville up, 10-4.
Vanderbilt and Louisville traded two goals apiece, and the
Cardinals held the Commodores scoreless for the final 8:44 of the
game for the win.
"We had a game plan coming in and that was to take time off the
clock, and make sure that we had more possession minutes than they
did by the end of the game," Young says. "We knew that when they
had the ball, they are a powerful offense and they can score. I
think it rattled their attack a little bit, so when it got down to
their end, they were forcing things a little bit, and our defense
played solid.
"Even of their six goals, two of them were off free-position shots
and you're going to have those. It was our team truly believing in
the game plan and following it."
Lovejoy finished with game highs in goals (four) and points, while
Allen had a strong all-around performance, finishing with one goal,
one ground ball, three draw controls and a caused turnover. Meghan
Ryan had a team-best four draw controls, tying a career high, and
two caused turnovers.
For the game, Louisville finished with the advantage in ground
balls (21-14) and draw controls (11-9) and forced Vanderbilt into
17 turnovers.
Herbst earned the win and improved to 8-1, while collecting a
season-high four ground balls.
The Cardinals return to action on Sunday, April 3, against Ohio
State, which is receiving votes in the coaches' poll. First draw at
the U of L Lacrosse Stadium is set for 1 p.m. The contest has been
tabbed as the `Friends of Jaclyn' game, and fans can donate to the
foundation, which strives to improve the quality of life for
children who have pediatric brain tumors.
Notes
With the Cardinals 12-6 victory, No. 13 Vanderbilt became the highest ranked opponent the Cardinals have beaten in program history. Previously, then-No. 16 Loyola (Md.) held the mark when the Cardinals took a 13-12 decision to advance to the BIG EAST Tournament in 2009.
Louisville expanded its double-digit scoring streak to 19-straight games. The Cardinals last failed to score at least 10 goals in a game at Notre Dame on March 27, 2010. The squad is 15-4 during that span.
Junior Meghan Ryan tied her career high with four draw controls. Previously, Ryan notched four against Georgetown during the 2010 season.
Freshman Ashley Herbst tied her season high with four ground balls, a mark also recorded against Oregon on March 4. Herbst went on to set the school record for fewest games to win eight decisions, needing just nine contests. Former goalies Jen Heup needed 12 games in 2008, while Danielle Pawliw needed 13 last season.
