Aug. 24, 2006
2006 Season Outlook
2006 Media Guide
2006 Media Spotter's Chart
VILLANOVA, Pa.-- The 24th season of women's soccer at Villanova will kick off on Friday evening when the Wildcats play La Salle in their season opener from McCarthy Stadium in Philadelphia. Taking into consideration spring workouts, club teams and preseason training, it must seem to the players and coaches that the preparation for the new season started immediately after the final game of the previous season.
All of that preparation will be measured soon, as Villanova expects to face a challenging test from its opposition in this opening week of regular season play. After the contest against the Explorers on Friday, the Wildcats will host Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday at 4 p.m. in their home opener.
Villanova will have history on its side entering the game against La Salle. The Wildcats have won eight of their last 12 season openers and have an all-time record of 32-2-4 against other Philadelphia Big Five teams, including a 13-1 mark against the Explorers. Don't expect the final score to necessarily be indicative of those numbers, though; the last three games between Villanova and La Salle have ended in a 1-0 score, with the Wildcats taking two of the three.
Last season at the West Campus Soccer Complex, it took a 73rd minute goal from senior Kelly Breslin to lift Villanova to a 1-0 victory over the Explorers, who are coached by former Wildcat assistant Paul Royal.
In the game against Fairleigh Dickinson, the Wildcats will contend with a team that went 8-9-1 a year ago with a schedule that included a 3-0 win over Syracuse and a fifth-place finish in the Northeast Conference. The Knights won the regular season Northeast title as recently as 2004 and return 12 players from last year's team.
The opening of the season brings a great deal of excitement for Villanova, which returns eight of its starters and 16 letterwinners from 2005. In addition, the eight newcomers to the roster form an incoming class with credentials that are as impressive as any other group of recruits the team has had.
Among the returning players who will be key components of the Wildcats success this season is the trio of junior goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.), senior forward Lindsey Finnegan (Blackwood, N.J.) and junior defender Kayce Blandford (Columbia, Md.).
Loyden was chosen as the Big East Goalkeeper of the Year last season and is the preseason choice among league coaches again this season. Meanwhile, Finnegan is a fifth-year player who ranks fourth in school history in game-winning goals, and Blandford is a solid defensive player with all the skills to be among the best in the nation at her position.
As for the team itself, Villanova will look to once again achieve postseason success on the national level this season. The Wildcats have won at least 10 games and had a winning record for seven straight seasons, but in 2005 saw their streak of NCAA Tournament appearances end at four.
Villanova was chosen to finish third in the BIG EAST National Division in a poll of conference coaches, while the Wildcats begin the season ranked seventh out of 46 teams in the Mid-Atlantic Region poll released by Soccer Buzz.
Fans can tune in to www.villanova.com this weekend and throughout the entire year for the latest on the Wildcats. Sunday's home opener will be the first Internet radio broadcast of the season for Villanova. Streaming audio and video for all Villanova home games can be purchased by clicking on the "All-Access" link at the top of the team's web site.
