March 1, 2010
Box Score
VILLANOVA, Pa. - In its long-awaited home opener on Monday afternoon, Villanova (2-0) scored eight unanswered goals in a stretch of 13 minutes in the first half along the way to an 18-4 rout of Fresno State (0-1) at Villanova Stadium. Sophomore midfielder Justine Donodeo (Holbrook, N.Y.) scored a game-high five goals to lead three different Wildcats that had at least three scores on the afternoon.
Each team started the game off quickly with a goal in the first few minutes. Villanova got on the board first just 85 seconds into the contest and the Bulldogs answered two minutes later to tie the game at 1-1. After that, however, is when the Wildcat offense and specifically Donodeo kicked into top gear.
In a 13-minute stretch that began with Donodeo's first goal of the game at the 25:26 mark of the first half, the Wildcats scored eight unanswered goals and led 9-1 following a tally by junior midfielder Rachel Lasda (Camillus, N.Y.) with 12:49 to play in the opening period. Donodeo scored four times during the run and four other players chipped in one goal apiece to put the game out of reach of Fresno State.
Villanova scored four more times in the final 9:17 of the half to lead 13-2 at halftime, then went on to the final margin of victory with five second-half scores. Lasda and junior attack Carly Miller (Rye, N.Y.) netted three goals apiece to join Donodeo with hat tricks in the game. Miller and senior midfielder Erica Rybinski (Manlius, N.Y.) each dished out three assists, while Lasda had two helpers.
Consistently being able to control possession of the ball in the first half assisted the Wildcats in building their big lead. Villanova outshot the Bulldogs by a 19-4 count in the first 30 minutes thanks in part to an 11-5 edge in draw controls. The Wildcats converted 2-of-3 free position opportunities in the half and committed one less turnover than Fresno State. Donodeo and Lasda both scored on free-position shots before halftime.
Rybinski had four draw controls and Miller three for Villanova, which ended up with a 15-9 margin in that category. The Wildcats also owned a 30-10 edge in shots. Lasda led all players with seven attempts, while Donodeo scored on all five of her shots. Freshman midfielder/attack Maria Bowman (Ft. Belvoir, Va.) also had five shots and scored one goal.
Junior goalie Maggie Langan (Potomac, Md.) earned the decision in goal with three saves in the first 42:25 of the contest. Senior Cassie Eure (Hebron, Md.) played the final 17:35 in net for the Wildcats.
Margaret Wolford scored the first goal for the Bulldogs in the opening minutes. Fresno State had four different players each score one goal. Katie Wilbur registered seven saves in goal.
Villanova is back in action at home on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. against UC-Davis.
