VILLANOVA, Pa. - Its capacity to confound soccer coaches and players is as old as the game itself. Goals are precious in this enterprise and their elusiveness can test the resolve of everyone who puts on the kit and a pair of cleats.

After two regular season matches, the Villanova Wildcats find themselves enduring just such a stretch. Officially, the Wildcats have yet to score a regular season goal (Sean Sheridan had a goal wiped out when Tuesday's match against Drexel - and its statistics - were washed away by thunderstorms), suffering 1-0 losses to both Marist and the Dragons.

That all of this comes on the heels of a pre-season in which they scored nine total goals in scrimmage triumphs over Fordham and George Mason only serves to add to the puzzle.

"You look at that first game (Fordham) and it was 5-0," stated Wildcats head coach Tom Carlin after the 1-0 setback at Drexel on Wednesday night. "We could have had six or seven in that game. At George Mason, it seemed like we scored when we wanted to in that game. It was coming more easily, for sure.

"Now, it's become more difficult. It's tested our quality - how quick and efficiently we are able to do things. In a game like (Drexel) they were sitting in during the second half down a man. Things have to be even faster and quicker when that's the case. I thought we gave great effort against Drexel but unfortunately we couldn't get one."

Injuries have also impacted matters on the attack. Forward Padraic McCullaugh, who contributed three goals and seven points as a freshman in 2013, left the game at Marist in the first half and was not available at Drexel. Senior co-captain Aaron Dennis, another proven finisher, also was not in uniform Wednesday after suffering a leg injury in the truncated match against the Dragons on Tuesday night.

"Those are two guys we rely on to score goals so we are going deeper into our bench," said Carlin. "When you don't have those guys, there are opportunities for other guys. It's still a matter of quality chances. If we can create enough of those we should be able to finish them with the guys we have on the field."

The next chance to crack the goal scoring code arrives Saturday when the Wildcats visit Hartford at 7:00 p.m. The Hawks were 13-4-4 in 2013 and are 1-0-1 thus far after earning a 1-0 win over Northeastern before a crowd of 2,163 at Al-Marzook Field at Alumni Stadium on Monday night.

"We have to be hungry for Hartford and every single game we play on our schedule," Carlin stated. "Regardless of who we play, where we play, when we play, this team has to be hungry to get the win."

The Hartford game is the final in a series of three road battles to open the 2014 regular season. Villanova will host its first regular season match at the refurbished Higgins Soccer Complex on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 4:00 p.m., which is the first of three consecutive home dates for the Wildcats (Albany visits on Sept. 14 and Monmouth on Sept. 20).