Team: No. 4 Connecticut 

Record: 16-1 overall, 6-0 Big East

Coach: Nancy Stevens

Best win: Oct. 23 vs. No. 5 Syracuse, 3-2 (2 OT)

Worst loss: Sept. 18 vs. No. 14 Boston College, 3-1

Outlook: The top-seeded Huskies, ranked fourth nationally, come into the Big East tournament with a 10-game winning streak. With a 5-0 win over Rutgers in its last contest, Connecticut took the regular-season title, finishing undefeated in conference play. Forward Chloe Hunnable leads the team with 13 goals scored, including a three-goal performance against Providence. In late October, forward Anne Jeute was named the Big East offensive player of the week after contributing two goals and an assist in a 2-0 week for the Huskies. Forward-midfielder Marie Elena Bolles leads the team with four game-winning goals and is tied with Jestine Angelini for the team lead in points (32). Angelini has dished out 13 assists, which ties her for first in the conference. Goalkeeper Sarah Mansfield’s seven shutouts, .87 goals against average and .795 save percentage all rank best in the conference. In this season’s only matchup against Louisville, UConn’s first-round opponent, the Huskies prevailed 4-2. Having won the regular-season championship without a blemish, UConn is the favorite to capture the tournament title as well.

Team: No. 5 Syracuse

Record: 16-3, 5-1

Coach: Ange Bradley

Best Win: Oct. 21 vs. No. 14 Boston College, 3-2 (OT)

Worst Loss: None — SU lost to the Nos. 1, 2 and 4 teams in the country.

Outlook: Hosting this year’s Big East tournament will undoubtedly boost the spirits of Ange Bradley’s squad. The Orange, the defending Big East tournament champion, is 11-0 at home and has outscored its opposition 59-7 in those games. SU heads into the tournament in fine form after consecutive wins over Bucknell and first-round opponent Villanova. The tournament will most likely come down to Syracuse and Connecticut, as it has in the championship each of the last three years. Despite the odds favoring that matchup, Bradley’s team will certainly be cautious of a young Villanova squad that was a mere four minutes away from taking the Orange to overtime last week before SU’s Heather Susek scored the game-winner. If Susek, Syracuse all-time points leader Martina Loncarica and leading scorer Kelsey Millman can keep the Orange attack rolling, Syracuse should find itself in the final. After losing to the Huskies in double overtime on the road and defeating UConn in two of the last three Big East championships, it would be no surprise to see Syracuse holding the Big East trophy on Sunday.

Team: Villanova

Record: 8-10, 3-3

Coach: Joanie Milhous

Best Win: Oct. 15 vs. Louisville, 2-1

Worst Loss: Oct. 12 at St. Joseph’s, 3-2 (OT)

Outlook: Villanova’s goal for the season focused on three key words: ‘prove them wrong.’ The Wildcats’ presence alone at the tournament has done just that. Predicted to finish sixth in the Big East preseason coaches’ poll, Milhous’ 17th year at the helm has seen her team rely heavily on youth. The Wildcats start four freshmen, two of whom are her leading scorers in Jessica Swoboda and Leah High. Seniors Jordan Lynn and Megan Goelz lead a back line that has given up nearly 2.5 goals per game this season. With the Wildcats only a week removed from a gut-wrenching defeat against Syracuse in the final minutes, revenge will be on Villanova’s mind. The team boasts what Milhous considers to be one of her all-time best freshmen classes. It will need to control the pace of the game if it is to have any chance of handing Syracuse its first loss at home since 2009. This young Villanova team is certainly a huge underdog with both the Orange and Connecticut in the mix, but if the Wildcats can avoid a shootout, they just might be the surprise team.

Team: Louisville

Record: 10-8, 3-3

Coach: Justine Sowry

Best win: Oct. 23 at Indiana, 1-0

Worst loss: Oct. 15 at Villanova, 2-1

Outlook: The Cardinals have lost five of their last eight games, but clinched the fourth seed of the tournament with a 6-0 win over Providence on Oct. 21. The victory over Rutgers (2-4 Big East), who would finish in fifth place, also made the difference in qualifying for the tournament. The loss at the hands of Villanova cost Louisville the tournament’s third seed. Senior midfielder Hayley Turner is the focal point of the offense, leading the team in points (28), goals (10) and assists (8). Second in the categories of points and goals is sophomore forward Elizabeth Vance. Turner and Heather Stevens, two of the team’s three seniors, each scored twice in the victory over Providence. Erin Conrad’s six shutouts and .768 save percentage are both good for second among Big East goalkeepers. Conrad tied a career-high with 11 saves against Drexel on Oct. 16, but the 2-1 loss resulted in Louisville’s drop from No. 20 to out of the Top 25. A win over Connecticut would be a colossal upset for Louisville. The Huskies have knocked out the Cardinals in each of the last three Big East tournaments.

—Compiled by Phil D’Abbraccio and Jacob Klinger, contributing writers, pmdabbra@syr.edu, jmklinge@syr.edu

Published on November 2, 2011 at 12:00 pm