‘Nova earns No. 4 seed

Juli Walsh

It was a big week for the field hockey team. The Wildcats ended the regular season with a 2-0 victory over Cornell and travel to Syracuse, N.Y., to compete in the Big East Tournament.

Another milestone was reached this week when senior back Vanessa Pizzulli tied the school record for career assists. Pizzulli, who is the team’s captain, currently has 32 assists.

She also assisted junior Sarah Francis in the first goal in Friday’s match against Cornell. Francis then assisted the second goal to junior Rory Rogers to secure the win.

Villanova only allowed Cornell one shot on goal. Erin Scott saved the shot, which led to her fourth shutout of the season. Defenders Simone Schunk and Natalie Balthrop also contributed to the shutout.

The victory marked the end of the regular season for Villanova, but the team has been busy getting ready for the Big East tournament in which they are seeded fourth. The tournament will take place on Nov. 5 and 7. The Syracuse Orangemen will host the 2004 tournament.

“We have very high expectations. We are going into this completely prepared and ready to play to win,” freshman Catherine Sommit said. “We just have to maintain our intensity and desire, and we will have all the tools to win it.”

On Friday Villanova will face Connecticut at 5 p.m. This will be the first semifinal game.

UConn is seated first in the tournament and were undefeated in conference play (5-0). However, during the regular season, UConn barely secured a 1-0 win against the Wildcats.

“During regular season, we lost to UConn e1-0, so Friday’s match up is going to be a battle. Both of our teams are composed of strong, solid competitors,” Pizzulli said. “The win is going to go to the team that capitalizes on opportunities and plays with the most desire.”

Pizzulli and the rest of the Wildcats remain optimistic about their chances.

“We have been working really hard all season and a win against UConn is very attainable,” sophomore Sara Way said.

The other semifinal face-off is between Syracuse and the defending tournament champion Boston College, the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds in the tournament, respectfully. Last year BC claimed the title by defeating UConn, 4-3 in overtime. The Eagles reached the finals after defeating ”Nova in the semifinal game.

The winners of these two semifinals games will compete against each other on Nov. 7 at 12 p.m. The winner of the competition receives an automatic NCAA tournament bid