Philadelphia, Pa. – Villanova got a late goal in the first half from freshman
Chloe O'Neill, on a great find from sophomore
Bri Austin. Austin was dribbling down the right side before finding O'Neill on the left side of the field and she was able to bury the shot top shelf. This put the Wildcats up 1-0 and would be the only goal in the game.
Head Coach
Chris McLain stated, "I could not be prouder of the way these young women performed tonight. St. Joseph's is a fantastic team coached by a tremendous staff and to go on the road and get the win in front of a great Philly crowd was huge for our players."
Two impressive saves from
Rebecca Gartner kept the Hawks off the board in the first half. One coming in the 42
nd minute off a header from a St. Joseph's player that Gartner cleared to safety.
The defense played exceptionally well the whole game and did not allow St. Joseph's to get many good chances. There were large periods of time where the Wildcats were able to maintain possession and control the tempo of the game.
McLain also said, "We love to knock the ball around and control the game. Tonight that was executed from start to finish. We were able to limit them to few quality opportunities and anything that did reach the goal, our defensive organization made it predictable for us to take the shut out. Now our focus immediately switches to Siena. Every game is an important step for our team to grow and prepare ourselves for Big East play.
One of the biggest plays of the game came in the 85
th minute on a defensive save from
Niki Molina. The ball was headed in the left side of the net before she made an incredible save to deflect the ball wide left.
Lastly McLain added, "For the players that played, to the players that traveled to support their team from the sideline is a true testament of the changes that have occured in this program. I am so happy for every member of this squad, each one earned this massive cross town rivalry win."
The Wildcats will return home Monday, September 17
th at 4:00 PM to face-off against Siena.
