April 14, 2007

VILLANOVA, Pa. - In its four conference matches last week, Villanova (11-9, 3-3 MAAC) defeated Siena and St. Francis (N.Y.) to gain a split of the weekend and remain in good position in the league standings. The weekend matches marked the coming and going of the midpoint of the conference schedule and the Wildcats currently stand in fourth place in the conference with a 3-3 mark against MAAC teams. The top four teams in the conference qualify for the postseason MAAC Championship.

On Saturday in matches played at Marist - site of the conference tournament - Villanova rallied in the fourth quarter to post a 12-11 victory over Siena. The Wildcats gave up three unanswered goals in the third period and trailed 10-8 before netting four goals of their own in the final frame to register the narrow margin of victory.

Junior driver Carla Martinez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) was a dominant force running the offense and distributed a career-high six assists in the winning effort. Senior Brynn Rooney (Downers Grove, Ill.) and junior Christina Dopp (Stockton, Calif.) tallied three goals apiece while seniors Nicole Sherry (Poway, Calif.) and Taylor Schrang (Bellevue, Wash.) each scored twice.

Strong defensive play by the Wildcats played an important factor in the match, as Villanova turned the ball over just four times while getting 12 steals.

The other match played on Saturday was against Iona and the Wildcats were defeated 9-6. The Gaels scored four times in the second period to take a lead they would not relinquish and held on for the victory in the second half. Rooney and Dopp each scored twice in the loss while senior Danielle Hanson (Winter Springs, Fla.) added two assists.

On Sunday in matches played at Siena, Villanova posted a win over St. Francis (12-7) and fell to Marist (8-6). In the win over the Terriers, the Wildcats scored four times in both the second and third periods to build a comfortable 10-5 lead going into the final quarter. Martinez led all players with five goals and three assists and Schrang chipped in two goals in the game. Junior goalie Erin Foley (Chicago, Ill.) had four saves in the win and totaled 16 stops on the weekend.

Marist is currently in first place in the league with a 6-0 conference mark, but the Red Foxes still needed a come-from-behind effort in the second half to post the 8-6 win over Villanova. The Wildcats led 5-4 at halftime but were outscored 4-1 in the second half. Junior Meredith Klipa (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Rooney each netted two goals.

Coming up this weekend is the conclusion of regular season play for Villanova, which has qualified for the conference tournament in each of the past three seasons. The Wildcats play Marist and Wagner on Saturday (at Iona) and then take on St. Francis and Iona on Sunday (at St. Francis).

NOTES: The two teams to defeat Villanova last weekend (Iona and Marist) are a combined 11-1 in the league this season and claim the top two spots in the league standings ... The MAAC Championship is scheduled for April 28-29 at Marist ... The Wildcats won a consolation game in the tournament last season after advancing to the title game in 2005.