VILLANOVA, Pa. – A pair of goals from sophomore Yusuf Cueceoglu, including the game winner at the 95:59 mark, helped lift Villanova to a pulsating 3-2 victory Monday over William & Mary at the Higgins Soccer Complex. The Wildcats moved to 2-0 on the season with a gutty victory in near 90 degree heat over a Tribe side (1-1 overall) that it is the preseason favorite in the Colonial Athletic Association.
Senior Zach Zandi added a goal and two assists, including the key one to set up the game-winner after the 'Cats surrendered an equalizer in the 90th minute.
"The guys just fought all day," stated Wildcats head coach Tom Carlin. "This is a really good team we faced today with a ton of attacking players. It was back and forth all day. I'm really proud of how we were able to hold them to just those two goals on set pieces. The mentality of the guys to keep after it, even after we gave one up late, was tremendous."
Indeed, the contest appeared destined for overtime but it got there in a most unexpected way. Each team tallied a first half goal. Zach Zandi put VU up 1-0 at 29:46 and William & Mary got an equalizer at 33:57 from Ryder Bell.
The game would remain deadlocked deep into the second half. Then, Zach Zandi did some nifty ballwork to locate Cueceoglu, who sent a shot into the top of the net past Tribe goalkeeper Connor Andrews at 87:54.
But a free kick awarded to William & Mary with just over one minute on the second half clock proved pivotal. Bell found himself just outside the top of the box and didn't miss when he had some space, sending a laser past Carson Williams at 89:16.
Zach Zandi, though, had one more bit of offensive flair to offer. In overtime, he worked the ball in on the right side, drew the Tribe defenders to him near the end line, and found Cueceoglu in the goalmouth. The pass was perfectly re-directed by Cueceoglu into the net with 4:01 to play in the first overtime.
"Off and on the field I have a connection with Zandi," stated Cueceoglu. "We always know where we can find each other with the pass. It's something we do in practice."
The goal set off a joyous celebration around the sophomore.
"We're just happy," Cueceoglu noted. "All the hard work we've done in the spring and summer paid off for us today. After the goal, it was just crazy."
The Wildcats will be back on West Campus on Friday to host Loyola (Md.) in a contest that kicks off at 4 p.m.
