Sept. 6, 2006
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Junior Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) was named the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week and classmate Nikki Mabery (Phoenix, Ariz.) was chosen for the league's weekly honor roll, the conference announced on Monday. This week marked the second straight to start the season that two Wildcat players earned recognition from the BIG EAST.
Loyden played nearly flawless defense in three Villanova wins last week, allowing just one goal in 249 minutes in the net. She made 14 saves, posted a solo shutout in a 1-0 win over Hartford and played the first 69 minutes of another shutout against Robert Morris.
In the game against Robert Morris, Loyden became the first Wildcat goalkeeper in nearly six years to register a point, when she assisted on Villanova's third goal of the game. Loyden punted a ball far downfield on the Villanova Stadium turf, and when it landed, Mabery kicked it into the right side of the net. For the season, Loyden has played 405:51 and allowed just one goal (0.22 GAA) while making 24 saves (.960 save percentage).
While Loyden was anchoring the defense, Mabery strung together one of the most impressive weeks for an offensive player that the Wildcats have had in quite some time. She contributed both goals in a 2-1 win over George Washington on Tuesday, a game that was marked by a mid-game change of venue after two strong thunderstorms rolled through the area and made the West Campus Soccer Complex an unplayable facility. With the game against the Colonials tied 1-1, Mabery knocked in the game-winner off a corner kick with less than three minutes remaining in regulation.
In the win over Robert Morris on Sunday, Mabery notched her first career hat trick by scoring the first three goals of the game. She opened the scoring with a penalty kick in the ninth minute of the contest and added a second goal before halftime. Through the first five games of the season, Mabery already has six goals, just one less than her team-leading total from all of last season.
Villanova is currently 5-0 for just the third time in its 24-year history as a varsity program. This season marks the first time ever that the team has allowed just one goal through the first five games. The Wildcats will put their unbeaten record on the line this weekend when they take on Butler and LSU in the Navy Tournament from Annapolis, Md.
NOTES: Loyden earns her fourth BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week award with this week's selection ... She was selected three times during her freshman season in 2004 ... Loyden was the first BIG EAST goalkeeper to register a point since Connecticut's Stephanie Labbe also registered an assist in a game against Massachusetts on Sept. 9, 2005.
