Spring Break
Road to Big East Championship starts against Louisville
John Shevchuk
Issue date: 11/6/09 Section: Sports
After one week of rest the Huskies head to nearby Providence College for the Big East tournament for the 20th time in school history. Ranked second in the Big East, UConn will take on third ranked Louisville who is 4-2 in the Big East in a semifinal game. The other two teams competing for a spot in the championship game are Syracuse and the tournament's host Providence. These teams have made up the top four teams for the past three years.
Earlier this year UConn defeated Louisville in a double overtime thriller that showed Louisville to be one of UConn's toughest competitors of the year. Despite only winning by one goal, the Huskies were clearly the stronger offensive team, outshooting their opponents 33-16. Cardinal goalkeeper Heather Bustanoby made 19 saves in the game. A repeat performance by the goalkeeper could be the deciding factor between two competitive teams. Cara Silverman went on to score in the 96th minute of play to seal the win.
Louisville's seven losses do not accurately reflect the ability of the team. Louisville has arguably had the toughest schedule of the four teams in the tournament. The Cardinals played and lost to notable teams Indiana, Duke, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wake Forest.
Being a conference tournament, all teams have played each other in the regular season. Therefore, coach Stevens and the team are faced with the challenge of other teams' familiarity with the Huskies.
"We fine-tuned a few new looks on both offense and defense, as our conference opponents know us quite well by now," said Stevens.
As a result of this, this week's practices have picked up the intensity.
"We now have a good feel of what will work in the tournament," said Stevens.
The first-seeded Syracuse and fourth-seeded Providence will face-off two hours prior to the UConn-Louisville game. Syracuse is undefeated against all Big East teams which gives them a sheer advantage in the tournament. Providence meanwhile is only 3-3 losing to every other team in the tournament. However, playing on their home turf could give them an advantage.
Should the top-two seeds, UConn and Syracuse, advance to the championship it will be the second year in a row in which these two teams meet in the championship game. Beyond Louisvile, Syracuse once again poses to be a threat to UConn's hopes of being crowned Big East champion. Syracuse was the only team other than Princeton to beat the Huskies this season. Last year UConn lost a heartbreaker to Syracuse 1-0. The Huskies outplayed and outshot the Orange 18-6 but gave up a shattering goal with no time left on the clock to lose the championship.
All semifinal games and the championship game will be played at the Friar Field Hockey/Lacrosse Complex at Providence College in Rhode Island. The first semifinal game between Syracuse and Providence begins on Saturday at 11 a.m. The UConn-Louisville match will follow soon after and start no earlier than 1 p.m. The championship game will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Earlier this year UConn defeated Louisville in a double overtime thriller that showed Louisville to be one of UConn's toughest competitors of the year. Despite only winning by one goal, the Huskies were clearly the stronger offensive team, outshooting their opponents 33-16. Cardinal goalkeeper Heather Bustanoby made 19 saves in the game. A repeat performance by the goalkeeper could be the deciding factor between two competitive teams. Cara Silverman went on to score in the 96th minute of play to seal the win.
Louisville's seven losses do not accurately reflect the ability of the team. Louisville has arguably had the toughest schedule of the four teams in the tournament. The Cardinals played and lost to notable teams Indiana, Duke, Michigan State, Ohio State and Wake Forest.
Being a conference tournament, all teams have played each other in the regular season. Therefore, coach Stevens and the team are faced with the challenge of other teams' familiarity with the Huskies.
"We fine-tuned a few new looks on both offense and defense, as our conference opponents know us quite well by now," said Stevens.
As a result of this, this week's practices have picked up the intensity.
"We now have a good feel of what will work in the tournament," said Stevens.
The first-seeded Syracuse and fourth-seeded Providence will face-off two hours prior to the UConn-Louisville game. Syracuse is undefeated against all Big East teams which gives them a sheer advantage in the tournament. Providence meanwhile is only 3-3 losing to every other team in the tournament. However, playing on their home turf could give them an advantage.
Should the top-two seeds, UConn and Syracuse, advance to the championship it will be the second year in a row in which these two teams meet in the championship game. Beyond Louisvile, Syracuse once again poses to be a threat to UConn's hopes of being crowned Big East champion. Syracuse was the only team other than Princeton to beat the Huskies this season. Last year UConn lost a heartbreaker to Syracuse 1-0. The Huskies outplayed and outshot the Orange 18-6 but gave up a shattering goal with no time left on the clock to lose the championship.
All semifinal games and the championship game will be played at the Friar Field Hockey/Lacrosse Complex at Providence College in Rhode Island. The first semifinal game between Syracuse and Providence begins on Saturday at 11 a.m. The UConn-Louisville match will follow soon after and start no earlier than 1 p.m. The championship game will be held at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Be the first to comment on this story