Sept. 23, 2005
Box Score
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Senior forward Lindsey Finnegan (Blackwood, N.J.) scored her team-high fourth goal of the season at the 70:16 mark, and Villanova (5-3-2, 1-0-1 Big East) earned a 1-0 victory over Seton Hall (5-2-2, 1-1-0 BE) on Friday afternoon at Owen T. Carroll Field.
With two strong defensive teams matched up in what turned out to be an evenly played game, the contest seemed destined for a one-goal outcome from the start. As the game clock became a factor in the second half, the Wildcats did what they do best - score a goal late in a game. Villanova's 16th goal of the season was its seventh that came in the 70th minute or later.
Junior forward Megan Farmer (Middle Island, N.Y.) brought the ball into the attacking third of the field and passed to Finnegan near the center of the field. With momentum ahead of the Pirates defense, Finnegan directed a shot towards the right side of the net, and found the lower corner to extend the Wildcats modest unbeaten streak to three games. Farmer was credited with her first assist of the season.
On the defensive end, junior goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) provided steady and poised play in the net to record her third solo shutout of the season. She made seven saves on the game, including four in the decisive second period. Two of those second-half saves came in big spots, as Loyden turned away Seton Hall on excellent scoring opportunities. The first of those two saves kept the game scoreless, while the second preserved the 1-0 lead.
Both teams controlled possession of the ball for lengthy periods of time during the game, but neither side could consistently create good scoring chances. The Pirates owned a 7-3 shot advantage in the first half, but it would be the final period that saw each team have a chance at the back of the net. Villanova took 11 shots over the final 45 minutes, but Pirates goalkeeper Amanda Becker came up with all seven of her saves in the half to prevent Finnegan's goal from starting a larger scoring run. Seton Hall wound up with a 15-14 shot advantage for the game.
The Wildcats earned a critical conference victory in their second game of Big East play. Villanova and the Pirates each play in Division B, along with six other schools in the newly realigned conference. The top five teams from each division qualify for the Big East Tournament, with the top three teams receiving an automatic berth in the quarterfinals. Continuing to play well on the road will be critical to the Wildcats during the remainder of the regular season. Villanova is 6-1-1 in conference road games over the past two seasons.
After playing five consecutive games away from home, the Wildcats return to the West Campus Complex on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. to take on Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights, also a division opponent of Villanova, enter the contest with a 3-5 record and are 0-2 in conference games. The Wildcats will be looking to avenge a 2-0 home loss to the Scarlet Knights last season.
NOTES: Finnegan's goal was her third game-winner of the season ... The Villanova defense has allowed just one goal over its past three games, and has posted consecutive shutouts ... All three of Loyden's victories on the season have been solo shutouts ... She improved her season marks to a 0.78 goals-against average and .851 save percentage with Friday's victory ... The Wildcats lead the all-time series with Seton Hall 8-4 and have won the past five meetings ... Villanova's only conference road loss since the beginning of the 2004 season came at St. John's last year ... Ten of the 24 players on the Wildcat roster come from New Jersey.
