VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova Wildcats (8-7-1 overall, 1-5-1 BIG EAST) conclude the home portion of their regular season schedule Saturday at the Higgins Soccer Complex. The challenge will be provided by the No. 2/3 Georgetown Hoyas (13-1-1 overall, 6-0-1 BIG EAST), who come to West Campus for a contest that is scheduled to begin just after 1 p.m.
The match will be live streamed via the BIG EAST Digital Network, available on YouTube, Twitter and Caffeine. D.J. Sixsmith will handle the play by play responsibilities.
Villanova coach Tom Carlin felt his team made some strides in Sunday's 1-0 double overtime loss at Butler. Now, the plan is to carry that out against the team that sits atop the BIG EAST standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season.
Before the match, however, there is a senior class of ten student-athletes to acknowledge. That will take place at a private dinner on Friday evening and then include an introduction of player and family members prior to kickoff (the ceremony will begin at 12:50 p.m. on the field).
Villanova's senior class includes Jacob Anderson, David Bettenhausen, Conor Bradley, Shane Bradley, Andres Camacho, Jack Gilliam, Carson Hunt, Luca Mellor, Sean Teixeira, and Evan Vare. Mellor and Vare joined the Wildcats after beginning their college careers at Pitt and Lafayette respectively. The other eight were all part of the Wildcats' side that made the program's first ever invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
"The legacy this group has left will be felt for the next 4-5 years," stated Carlin during a pause in preparation for Saturday's match. "The leadership qualities and the mindset they've brought to us over the last four years – but especially in this last year, with so many freshmen and sophomores on the team – is something that will continue to impact us for a long time."
Conor Bradley was a regular in the defensive midfield for his first three seasons before being shifted to forward in 2019. Shane Bradley is a four year starter at center back, where he has worked alongside team captain Mellor as two of the 'Cats defensive linchpins for the last two seasons. Vare has been an offensive threat in each of his two seasons while Anderson did similar work from 2016-18 before being sidelined by injury in '19. In recent seasons Teixeira has been a lineup fixture at left back, a spot where Camacho shined before injuries derailed him this season. Gilliam has chipped in on the attack over his tenure while Bettenhausen and Hunt are both well-respected, popular Wildcats who have played essential roles in establishing the legacy Carlin mentioned.
"These guys have the program first in their minds," stated Carlin. "You can't overstate how important that is to a program."
There's also the role this class played in the landmark 2016 campaign.
"Most of this group was part of that NCAA team," Carlin noted. "A lot of them played meaningful minutes on that team. They'll have that for the rest of their lives. It's quite an accomplishment for them."
It's also not lost on the head coach the mentoring element this class provided a talented group of six freshmen who have logged heavy minutes in 2019.
"The seniors have nurtured these freshmen for the last six months," Carlin said. "They really welcomed them with open arms. It's that type of spirit and those kinds of relationships that will help these freshmen do that for others the next three years.
"This class has helped us build and sustain a culture. We're grateful to all 10 of them for that and know the importance it will hold for this program moving forward."
