VILLANOVA, Pa. – The BIG EAST standings are tightly packed, with four points separating eight teams bunched between third and 10th place. Villanova hopes to give its postseason chances a boost Wednesday, when it hosts another of those contenders, Providence (8-5 overall, 2-3 BIG EAST) at the Higgins Soccer Complex at 3 p.m.
The match will be streamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network via You Tube, Twitter and Caffeine. Matt Janus will handle the play by play duties with Marisa Pilla reporting from the sideline.
The Wildcats (8-5-1 overall, 1-3-1 BIG EAST) dropped a 1-0 decision to Marquette Saturday on a goal scored in the 88th minute. And while they are well aware of the need for points over the final four games of the regular season, the focus is strictly on the Friars.
"We're in a good spot when you look at things like our NCAA RPI, our record and the quality we've put out all year," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "The league standings aren't what we had hoped for at this point, but there's a lot of soccer still to be played. It starts with Providence.
"We've got to take it one game at a time. That's where we're at. At times, you can get sidetracked and listen to the noise, especially after a tough loss. At the end of it, though, you've just got to win the day. It's a mindset that allows us to focus on all the details that go into a game."
The Wildcats weren't without chances Saturday. Redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Carson Williams was again outstanding, and Villanova held up well defensively without Shane Bradley, sidelined after incurring a red card last Tuesday at La Salle. But in the end the Golden Eagles prevailed.
"Both teams had chances," noted Carlin. "It was a back and forth game. There were stretches Marquette kept us in our half and we had our share of moments where we were on the front foot. It felt like the game would have only one goal and we were hoping to be on the right end of that. We weren't.
"Losing Shane was challenging for us. I thought we managed that pretty well. Viktor Benediktsson did a nice job in that spot. We were happy with how the guys competed. We just weren't happy with the result."
Shane Bradley will be back alongside Luca Mellor at center back Wednesday.
"If there was a stat for blocked shots," Carlin stated, "I think Shane would lead the country in it."
Providence earned a 1-0 overtime victory in last season's meeting at Chapey Field. Matt DePerro scored a goal in the 94th minute. The Wildcats' last victory over the Friars came in 2015, a 2-1 triumph at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Providence has won the last three in a row in the series and leads the all-time series 14-9-2.
Of the four regular season games remaining, two will be at home (No. 2 Georgetown visits on Nov. 2). The Wildcats are 6-1 at the Higgins Soccer Complex in 2019 and 12-2-1 there over the last two seasons. Villanova currently sits in ninth place but is only three points away from third place Butler.
Villanova will then take to the road this weekend for another critical match. This one takes place Sunday at Butler at 1 p.m.
