Women

IN SOCCER, the objective is to put the ball into an 8-by-24-foot goal. Yet sometimes, a goal has nothing to do with the fixtures on the end lines of the pitch. Sometimes, a goal takes patience. Just ask Carli Lloyd. On May 11, while playing for the Western New York Flash, Lloyd waited 64 minutes before making her National Women's Soccer League debut against FC Kansas City. Yet, getting to that point took a lot longer. Lloyd had been out of commission with a broken bone in her left shoulder since March 6. She suffered the injury in the United States national team's win over Iceland in the Algarve Cup in Portugal.

A few minutes before North Carolina entered Villanova Stadium for the first time late Thursday afternoon to go through an abbreviated walk-through, the skies that had been threatening for most of the day finally let go. By the time the Tar Heels had hustled the length of the field to their locker room, their equipment bags were thoroughly soaked. It was a miserable start to a weekend that ended so perfectly, with another mad dash across the Villanova Stadium turf late Sunday night.

INDIANAPOLIS - Katherine Legge didn't know she'd have a shot at the Indianapolis 500 until it was time to qualify, when Schmidt Peterson Motorsports decided to put her in its second car at the last second. Pippa Mann chatted with tire makers, dropped in on the folks from the television networks, and even tried to get cozy with engine maker Honda in the hopes of landing a ride. Both of them have overcome long odds to join Ana Beatriz and Simona de Silvestro in Sunday's 33-car field, matching the record of four women starters.

Just hours before taking the field Friday, both Maryland and Syracuse waited as North Carolina dismantled traditional powerhouse Northwestern to earn a spot in the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse national championship game. The No. 4-seeded Orange, however, were not as fortunate against the top-seeded and undefeated Terrapins. Maryland defeated Syracuse, 11-10, in the second semifinal at Villanova Stadium, surviving a second-half surge by the Orange. "We're really excited to have the opportunity to compete for a national championship on Sunday," said Maryland coach Cathy Reese.

There's an award handed out annually within the North Carolina athletic department. The "Iron Ram" honor is bestowed upon the Tar Heels teams that perform at the highest level in a variety of physical tests, including strength and agility. One team has won the women's title five years running. The soccer team, winner of 21 of the 31 national titles won in the sport? Nope. Maybe the field hockey team? That program has six national championships of its own. Strike two. North Carolina's arguably most fit and toughest women's team is lacrosse.

Even as her team held a commanding, eight-goal lead over Northwestern with about 10 minutes remaining, North Carolina midfielder Abbey Friend never felt a trip to the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championship game was secure. Given the Wildcats' resumé - seven national titles in eight years - the third-seeded Tar Heels didn't relent in an 11-4 victory on Friday night in a national semifinal at Villanova Stadium. With the win, North Carolina reached its second championship game in program history.

Two athletes on Rowan's women's track and field team reached the finals of their events at the NCAA Division III Championships in La Crosse, Wis., on Friday. Delsea High graduate Brianna Crofton set a school record in the 400 meters, finishing second in her heat with a time of 56.14 seconds. She had the fifth-best time among the nine finalists. Jamie Thompson ran 14.15 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles to finish second in her heat. She qualified fifth among the nine participants in Saturday afternoon's final.

Friday at Villanova Stadium Northwestern vs. North Carolina, 5 p.m. Records: Northwestern, 19-2; 1st American Lacross Conference; North Carolina, 16-3; 2d ACC Coaches: Northwestern, Kelly Amonte Hiller, 12th year, 215-32; North Carolina, Jenny Levy, 18th year, 240-95. NCAA tournament: Northwestern defeated Stanford, 15-8, Penn State, 15-7; North Carolina defeated Loyola, 19-9, Virginia, 13-9. NCAA history: Northwestern, 35-7; North Carolina, 19-14. Leading scorer: Northwestern, Erin Fitzgerald, 59 goals; North Carolina, Kara Cannizzaro, 53. Goalkeepers: Northwestern, Bridget Bianco; North Carolina, Megan Ward.

Delran's Carli Lloyd will make her first appearance with the U.S. women's national team since suffering a broken left shoulder at the Algarve Cup in an exhibition against Canada next month. She was among 21 players called up. Former Villanova goalkeeper Jill Loyden , who also was hurt at the Algarve Cup in March, is on the roster, as is fellow keeper Nicole Barnhart (Boyertown). Seattle Sounders midfielder Brad Evans was added to the U.S. men's national team roster for a training camp ahead of next month's trio of World Cup qualifiers, bringing the number of players invited to the camp to 30. Training camp opens Sunday in Cleveland, where the Americans will face Belgium in an exhibition on May 29. WOMEN'S LACROSSE: Haverford College's Grace Stockbower (Upper Dublin)

Calling a typical American engineering school a boys' club would be an understatement - on average, women make up 18.2 percent of engineering undergraduates nationwide. It's a statistic that hasn't gone unnoticed, with colleges and universities across the country scrambling to draw more women and minorities into engineering majors. Villanova University is no exception - and on Sunday, 31.4 percent of the engineering students who crossed the stage at graduation in Radnor were female.