Sept. 10, 2010
Final Stats
VILLANOVA, Pa. - Villanova opened the home portion of its 2010 regular season schedule with a 1-1 draw against Lafayette (3-0-1 overall, 0-0 Patriot League). The Wildcats are now 1-1-1 with a home date against George Mason awaiting on Sunday afternoon (1:00 p.m./Nova Nation All-Access).
The Wildcats were not without their chances on a mostly overcast fall-like afternoon at the West Campus Soccer Complex. Villanova owned a 24-12 advantage in shots on the day and forced Lafayette goalkeeper Andrew Pianko to make nine saves.
"We wanted to control the tempo and create scoring opportunities," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "I thought we did that. We had a lot of chances and that's a good sign for our young team against a quality opponent."
Villanova generated the game's first seven shots and those included a pair of significant scoring chances for sophomore midfielder Kyle McCarthy. McCarthy had two headers that Pianko had to be sharp on, including one off a set piece.
The Leopards, though, made their first chance a productive one. Josh Brown dribbled up the right wing along the sideline inside the 18-yard line and sent a beautiful cross to teammate Sean Peckham. Peckham calmly headed the ball into the back of the net at 16:17.
The goal didn't really alter the pace of the game, however, as Villanova's offensive pressure continued. The Wildcats got on the scoreboard at 40:37 when Matt Margiotta stopped a ball in the midfield, about 25 yards from the goal, pivoted and sent a right-fotted blast into the top right corner of the goal to knot matters at 1.
VU also created some opportunities in the second half. The best one of those came in the 82nd minute when McCarthy and junior Kevin Garcia executed a nifty give and go, with Garcia feeding a cross through the box to senior Anthony Griffith. The Philadelphia native could not get more than a toe on it, though, and the chance eluded Villanova.
Neither team produced much in the way of offensive fireworks in the two overtime sessions. The best chance probably came with 1:28 left in the second overtime when VU was awarded a free kick from just outside the top of the 18-yard box. But the shot sailed over the net.
"I thought our effort was terrific and we did a lot of good things," stated Carlin. "We're looking forward to taking on another challenge against George Mason on Sunday."
