March 14, 2012
Box Score | Joe Howell’s Photos 
NASHVILLE – Sophomore Katie Mastropieri scored five goals to lead the eighth-ranked Vanderbilt women’s lacrosse team to a 14-12 win over Louisville Wednesday at the VU Lacrosse Complex.
The Commodore scored the first three goals in less than three minutes and would lead for the entirety of the game, though Louisville never let the game get out of hand. The Dores led by between two and four goals for the majority of the game, with the Cardinals getting with one at 8-7 early in the second half.
“We knew Louisville would come in well-prepared, and we knew they were going to be extremely aggressive,” VU Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. “We have to continue to work on getting the draw controls, but with the number of legs we were playing I think we had a good game plan coming in. Even though I would have liked to see our defense play a little better, I thought our attack produced above what they have the last few games.”
The Dores held an 8-4 lead at the 10:30 mark of the first half before two goals from Louisville’s Nikki Boltja brought the Cardinals within two at halftime. Boltja finished the game with six goals, including three in the second half. But Mastropieri tallied four times in the final 26 minutes to keep the Commodores on top.
“That’s a great game for Katie,” Swezey added. “I’m really pleased for her to have that kind of scoring production. She’s a fabulous shooter, so I’m not too surprised.”
Four Commodores scored multiple goals in the game, including a hat-trick for senior Kendall Pittinger. Seniors Kacie Connors and All-American Ally Carey had two goals apiece. Carey also led the Commodores with four draw controls and had two caused turnovers shortly after lost draws. Senior Natalie Wills made five saves to earn her fourth win of the season.
The Commodores open American Lacrosse Conference play this weekend when No. 11 Penn State visits the VU Lacrosse Complex for a 1 p.m. CT match.
