Sept. 23, 2006
Final Stats
VILLANOVA, Pa. - A Rodrigo Hidalgo goal at 32:57 was the only score of the day as USF (5-2-2 overall, 3-0-2 BIG EAST) defeated Villanova (4-6-1 overall, 0-5-0 BIG EAST) 1-0 in a BIG EAST men's soccer match played here under overcast skies this afternoon.
With the field damp after morning rains, both squads struggled to generate quality scoring chances in the first half. It wasn't until a nifty sequence of touch passes by the Bulls that there came a quality chance and USF didn't waste it. Sammy Castellanos and Kris Raad worked a creative give and go inside the box and sent the ball towards Hidalgo, who blasted a shot past Villanova goalie Jason Friel (Dublin, Pa.) into the lower part of the net to make it 1-0 in favor of Bulls.
USF maintained that edge at halftime.
In the second half, USF maintained control throughout. Villanova's best opportunity to draw even came in the 87th minute when sophomore Sean Lundbeck (Linwood, N.J.) sent a shot towards an empty side of the net. But a USF defender stepped in front of the blast and knocked it out of harm's way, preserving the shutout.
USF owned a 15-12 advantage in shots. Dale Brenner was credited with four saves in net for USF while Friel stopped the same number of shots on goal for the Wildcats.
Villanova returns to its home pitch this Wednesday when Rutgers arrives for a BIG EAST contest at 3:00 p.m.
