Final Stats

VILLANOVA, Pa. ââ'¬" The Villanova Wildcats made sure the momentum built Sunday with a win over nationally ranked Boston College was not wasted. An early goal from senior John Jlopleh got the 'Cats off to a fast start and VU went on to post a 2-1 victory over the United States Naval Academy Thursday.

With the victory at the Higgins Soccer Complex, Villanova evened its season record at 2-2 while the Midshipmen dropped to 1-2-1.

The Wildcats were in control most of the day, dominating possession and crafting a 2-0 lead that was shattered by a late Navy score which altered the tenor of the final minutes. The outcome remained in doubt until the final possession, when junior goalkeeper Will Steiner came off his line and leaped to collect a dangerous ball served into the box off a set piece by Navy's Diego Manrique with five seconds on the game clock.

"We needed that third goal," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "We had some chances in the 15-20 minutes before their score. In soccer the third goal often takes the life out of the opponent. As a coach, a two goal lead is the most dangerous lead you can have. By not getting the third goal, we left ourselves open to make a mistake and the game became more interesting at the end."

However, the tense final moments were only a small part of the story. For most of this sweltering 92 degree day at the Higgins Soccer Complex, Villanova was precise and in control of its fate.

Sophomore Zach Zandi kick started matters for VU when he fed a nifty pass from the left side across to Jlopleh, who finished the play by knocking it into the net at 7:26. It was the first goal of the season for Jlopleh and the first assist for Zandi, who sat out the season opener against Rider on Aug. 26 and has been limited by injury in the early going.

"Getting that goal early on a hot day when you knew it was going to take a lot to give a 90 minute effort, was huge," Carlin said. "If you are on the other side of that, down a goal, and have to chase the game it becomes really tough in the heat. That goal gave us confidence and a little bit more zip in the first half."

The Wildcats led 1-0 at halftime and limited Navy to five first half shots.

Early in the second half, Villanova struck again. This time senior Padraic McCullaugh and junior Lucas Hodges worked a nice two-man exchange in transition with Hodges finishing the play with his second goal of 2016. McCullaugh earned an assist on the goal, which came at 46:51.

"It's nice when you have good depth," Carlin noted. "We're able to sub in with Padge and Lucas, who came in and made a play for us. It was a fantastic response by them and a tribute to the kind of quality depth we have, which was important on a day like this where the heat was such a factor."

Navy scored its goal at 82:18 when Elijah Kilmer's header found Daniel Kwon, whose own header went into the top portion of the net. That created some stressful moments in the final minutes yet the Wildcats persevered and emerged with an important win.

Now, they look forward to a match Sunday at Delaware on what is forecast to be another warm late summer afternoon.

"It's one thing at a time," Carlin said. "Right now, it's about recovery. We'll enjoy this one and start working on the game plan for the next one on Friday."