Sept. 12, 2008

Box Score
Box Score (PDF)

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Down 2-0 in the middle of the second half on Friday night, maybe Villanova (6-0) had Penn (1-2) exactly where they wanted them. For the second time in five days, the Wildcats rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second half to win 3-2, this time staging their rally at Rhodes Field in the team's first game of this weekend's Penn Invitational.

In a similar victory last Sunday over La Salle, a comeback from a halftime deficit had been seven years in the making. Not only did Villanova pull off a two-goal rally for the second straight game, but it is starting to perfect the recipe. The three tallies tonight were separated by just 21:06 between the 59th and 80th minutes of action.

Freshman Kaitlin Ryan (Wayne, N.J.) and Justine Wollner (Downingtown, Pa.) teamed up to score the game-tying goal with 15:59 remaining and the connection worked so well that they did it again just five minutes later to account for the game-winner with 10:34 to play.

Ryan, this week's BIG EAST Rookie of the Week, started compiling a resume for a second straight honor with a two-goal, one assist performance that put her atop the team lead for goals. She netted the equalizer on a header between the goalkeeper and a defender at the far post just after a corner kick.

It was all Wildcats after the Quakers scored the game's second goal early in the decisive period and Villanova didn't have to wait long to take the lead after Ryan's first goal. The second one materialized when Wollner lifted a ball above a pair of defenders and Ryan chipped a shot past a charging goalkeeper for her first collegiate two-goal game.

The Wildcats have scored some eye-catching goals this season and their first of the evening certainly fit that bill. Ryan made a nice feed to sophomore Rachel Schuyler (Cheshire, Conn.) on the left side and Schuyler blasted the ball just inside the far post to get Villanova on the board at 58:20.

Penn stepped up its pressure in the midfield once the Wildcat offense got going but never regained any of the momentum it had lost. Villanova owned an 18-5 shot advantage and its defense did not allow the Quakers a single shot after Penn netted its second goal of the contest at the 47:08 mark.

In the first half, the Wildcats owned a 9-3 edge in shots but the Quakers opened the scoring at 31:02 when Sarah Friedman was credited with her first goal of the season. She took a free kick on the right side that was caught by junior goalkeeper Molly Williams (Hinsdale, Ill.) but it was ruled that Williams' momentum after grabbing the ball away from a Penn player caused her to step over the goal line.

Early in the second period, Natalie Capuano finished off a corner kick taken by Friedman just over two minutes into the half. The corner kick was the only one of the game for the Quakers, who were awarded the kick after Williams made a leaping save to tip a shot by Michelle Drugan over the crossbar.

Williams had two saves for Villanova and her counterpart, Sara Rose, had five stops. Rose had four of her saves in the first half. The Wildcats also had a 7-1 edge in corner kicks, with five of those attempts coming in the second half.

Schuyler took a game-high eight shots and Villanova did a good job of using its substitutions to stay fresh in the midfield and win the battle for ball control. Freshman Erin Ryan (Doylestown, Pa.) made her first collegiate start at outside back and played the entire game. Her play in the second half was a key factor in the Wildcats maintaining possession of the ball.

Villanova is 6-0 for the third time in school history and will look to continue its undefeated run on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. when it takes on Hofstra from Rhodes Field. Earlier in the day, the host Quakers will face East Carolina, which beat Hofstra 2-1 on Friday.

NOTES: The Wildcats remained undefeated all-time against Penn, improving to 13-0-1 against the Quakers ... Villanova also improved to 25-12-4 all-time against Ivy League teams and 35-2-3 against Big Five opponents ... The Wildcats have won three straight games in which they allowed multiple goals for the first time in program history ... The last time Villanova won three straight games in which it even allowed one goal was in 2002 ... Of the team's 21 goals this season, 16 have come after halftime and 10 have come in the 70th minute or later ... The Wildcats have scored at least two goals in six straight games, tying the team record which was originally set in 1983 and matched in 1993 ... The last time Villanova had three straight games with at least three goals came from September 28-October 5, 2001 ... The Wildcats have outshot their opponents 126-48 for the season ... Villanova has won 12 straight regular season tournament games dating back to 2005 and is 17-3-1 (.833) in tournament action since 1993.