Marquette University Athletics
Women's Soccer Battles for Conference Tournament Title
11/6/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Nov. 6, 2001
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Marquette hosts the Conference USA Women's Soccer Tournament, beginning Nov. 7 at noon. The second-seeded Golden Eagles kick off at 7:30 p.m. against seventh-seeded Houston as MU seeks its third straight C-USA Tournament title.
Marquette has advanced to the Conference USA Championship match each of the last five seasons, going 2-2-1 in its five finals.
Cincinnati earned the top seed in the tournament and will play Saint Louis at noon on Nov. 7. no. 4 Tulane meets no. 5 UAB at 2:30 that day. Third-seeded Charlotte takes on East Carolina at 5 p.m. The semifinals are Nov. 8 at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The championship match is Nov. 10 at 2 p.m.
Scouting Houston
Houston made a strong run late in the regular season to not only qualify for the C-USA Tournament but to earn the seventh seed. The Cougars have won six in a row, dating back to an Oct. 14 victory over South Florida. In that span, UH has outscored its opponents 12-3.
Overall, Houston sits at .500 at 8-8-1. The Cougars are led offensively by Laura Rapp with five goals on the season. Defensively, Cougar keeper Robin Cate holds a 1.43 goals against average with 102 saves on the year.
The C-USA Tournament
In its seventh rendition, the Conference USA Tournament comes to Milwaukee for the first time. Marquette has won the last two tournaments. Cincinnati posted tournament wins in 1997 and 1996. Charlotte posted victories in 1998 and 1995.
The C-USA Tournament schedule is as follows:
Wednesday, Nov. 7 (Quarterfinals): (1) Cincinnati vs. (8) Saint Louis, noon (4) Tulane vs. (5) UAB, 2:30 p.m (3) Charlotte vs. (6) East Carolina, 5 p.m. (2) Marquette vs. (7) Houston, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 8 (Semifinals): 5 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 10 (Championship): 2 p.m.
In The Polls
Marquette remains out of the NSCAA Top 25 for the third straight week after being ranked for five other weeks during the season. MU is also unranked in the Soccer Buzz Top 25. North Carolina maintains the top spot in both polls.
In the NSCAA Great Lakes Regional poll, Marquette improved to seventh with its key regional win over Wis.-Milwaukee. Notre Dame continues to lead the regional ranking. The Irish are followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Kentucky, and Illinois.
Koenig in National Rankings
Sophomore goal keeper Ashleigh Koenig (Naperville, Ill.) is among the the national leaders in goals against average. Koenig has played 1,387 minutes and has allowed just 10 goals for a 0.65 goals against average. That mark puts Koenig second in the Conference USA rankings. Koenig is 12th nationally among keepers with 1,000 minutes of playing time or more. Cincinnati's Christy Hoffman leads the league and nation with a 0.35 GAA.
Gordon Rising in MU Career Categories
Despite being held scoreless in the first two matches of the season, junior Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa) has found the scoring touch in 2001 and has risen in the Marquette record book. With eight goals and four assists on the year, Gordon has 80 points and has moved into second all time in career points at Marquette. Kelly Roethe, the career leader, is at a distant 123 points. With the six goals this season, Gordon also has upped her career total to 34, moving her into second. Roethe is the career leader at 49 goals.
Vendetti Scores Big With Game Winners
Senior forward Jill Vendetti (Franklin, Mass.) has been very productive when it comes to scoring game winning goals. Of her five scores, three have been the match winner. Vendetti scored to beat Houston, 2-1 on Sept. 30. She scored the lone goal of the match on Sept. 21 to down UAB, 1-0. Vendetti also netted MU's first score in a 2-0 win over DePaul in the season finale.
In the Record Books
Marquette set an NCAA record in fastest time to retaliate to an opponent's goal. Against Illinois, Hollie Schurr scored for the Fighting Illini at 85:14. Six seconds later at 85:20, junior forward Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa) scored off the kickoff from sophomore midfielder Laura Culhane (Brookfield, Wis.). The previous record was 10 seconds each by Ida Hakansson of Eastern Illinois and Holly Toth of Dayton, both in 1999.
Two MU Players Earn Year-Ending C-USA Honors
Junior forward Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa) and junior defender Anne Dalecky (Wauwatosa, Wis.) have been honored by Conference USA. Gordon was named C-USA Player-of-the-Year. Dalecky was tabbed as C-USA Co-Defender of the Year.
Gordon leads the team in scoring with eight goals and four assists. It is the second straight year that Gordon has earned a major postseason honor. She was a second-team All-American last season.
Dalecky shares her award with Cincinnati goalkeeper Christy Hoffman. Dalecky is a key contributor to Marquette's defensive success. The Golden Eagles have allowed just 12 goals in 16 matches this season.
Seven Marquette Players Earn All C-USA Honors
Seven Golden Eagles were named to the Conference USA postseason honors teams. Four MU players were selected to the first team, one to the second team and three to the third team.
Junior forward Kate Gordon (Sioux City, Iowa) and sophomore midfielder Kristen Jensen (Shorewood, Ill.) were each named first-team all conference for the second straight year. Junior defender Anne Dalecky (Wauwatosa, Wis.) was also a first team selection.
Sophomore midfielder Anne Ioder (Hartland, Wis.) was named the second team. Senior forward Jill Vendetti (Franklin, Mass.), sophomore midfielder Lindsay Smale (Cedarburg, Wis.) and junior defender Diana Detrie (Green Bay, Wis.) were named to the third team.
