HAWKS STUN VILLANOVA IN OVERTIME, 1-0
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (10/06/02) - Senior Kelly Butler tapped in a crossing pass from fellow senior Kathy Sokalski 1:03 into overtime to lift Saint Joseph's (5-4) to a 1-0 victory over Villanova (6-6) on Finnesey Field. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak by SJU to its Main Line rivals and was the first over the Wildcats since 1996.
Butler's goal may have been the easiest of her career. Sokalski had stolen the ball in the midfield and began a 2-on-1 break. After getting Villanova goalkeeper Meghan Helwig to charge off her line and commit to the ball, she carried the ball past her. Sokalski then chopped a pass across the open goal mouth which Butler simply tapped into the open cage.
The victory was the second straight by SJU in overtime. The Hawks also defeated Fairfield last week on the FInnesey turf in double OT.
Although Villanova had several quality scoring chances, neither team controlled play through the game's first 50 minutes, as the ball was bogged down in the midfield. A sense of urgency developed for both team during the final 20 minutes of regulation.
Both squads looked to push the ball quickly and the transition created brought a frantic pace to the match, as well as offensive opportunities at both ends of the field. Both goaltenders played well as, Hawk netminder Courtney Huff turned aside nine shots in refulation and her counterpart Helwig made seven stops.
VU held statistical edges in shots (16-11) and corners (10-8). Huff registered her second straight shutout, third overall, and extended her string of scoreless minutes to 158:44.
The Hawks open a three-game road swing next weekend with a pair of Atlantic 10 matches at La Salle on Saturday and West Chester on Sunday.
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