The Villanova women's soccer team will begin their 2019 season Thursday afternoon against the LSU Tigers at Higgins Soccer Complex at 4:00 P.M. on BEDN.  This will the team's third season under head coach Chris McLain and his staff.

This season's roster will feature 39 student-athletes who are eager for what this year has in store.

"We are really excited for the season to get here," stated McLain. "We have been building a strong foundation over the last 2 seasons and we have progressed really well over this period. If we are locked in and we follow the process, we should have a productive season". We have a stable group of returners that are a year more experienced and this will help us early, during and towards the back end of the season".

Leading this team on and off the field this season will be a trio of seniors: Kristin Barbour, Claire Fell, and Conner Huggins.  All three served as captains during the 2018 campaign which saw the Wildcats going 9-9, the most amount of wins in a single season since 2012. 

Barbour earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in 2019 while Hensley Hancuff, Niki Molina, and Chloe O'Neill earned All-Freshmen Team honors.

The Wildcats are returning all 11 starters from last season as well as nearly 99 percent of their scoring and both goalkeepers who played every minute between the posts. 

"The excitement around this upcoming season has been building since last spring," shared Barbour.  "We are more seasoned, more prepared, and more confident than before. Not only are we returning the majority of the team and have a strong core of experienced upperclassman, but we have also added a fantastic group of hardworking, dedicated players who will undoubtedly make an impact this season and raise the level of the team. We have put the work in all summer and preseason and can't wait to get our season started."

The 2019 season will also feature 10 newcomers to the team including transfers Sam Rosette (Virginia) and Brice McInroy (Tennessee).  The team arrived on campus for preseason on Monday, August 5^th and since have trained, scrimmage, and are ready to kick off the 2019 season on Thursday afternoon.   

Associate head coach Daniel Clitnovici shared, "It's been a very positive preseason, we are healthy, we are fit and we are growing in confidence daily. This is an exciting group of players and we are looking forward to seeing them kick start the 2019 campaign this week. The players have worked extremely hard to make themselves better each and every day and I couldn't be more proud of them. I'm excited to watch them be rewarded for their hard work, they deserve it".

2019 Schedule
Villanova will be playing 18 games, nine at home and nine on the road.  The Wildcats will open with two home games, LSU (8/22) and Saint Joseph's (8/25).  After for the first time in program history Villanova will take on both Oregon State and Oregon.  The Wildcats will take on the Beavers at 8 P.M. ET/5 P.M. PT on August 30th and after will head to Eugene to take on the Ducks Sunday the 1st in an afternoon match kicking off at 8 P.M ET/5:00 PT.

Villanova will return home on September 5th against Delaware at 4:00 P.M.  The Wildcats will stay local and head to Temple for a Sunday afternoon game on September 8th. One week later the 2018 National Champions, Florida State Seminoles, will come to Higgins Soccer Complex for a 1:00 P.M. kickoff.

To close out non-conference play against two Ivy League teams, first the Wildcats will travel to Princeton for a Thursday night (9/19) game under the light and wrap up at home against the Brown Bears on September 22nd at 1:00 P.M.

BIG EAST play will start with back-to-back home games with Xavier coming to close out the month of September at 1:00 P.M. on the 29th.  On October 3rd the Georgetown Hoyas will come to Higgins for a weekday matchup, the 2018 final four team and the Wildcats will kickoff at 4:00 P.M.  Villanova will take on Butler (Oct. 6th) and Seton Hall (Oct. 10th) both on the road and will come back home to host the DePaul Blue Demons on October 13th at 1:00 P.M.

To close out the month, Villanova will take on Marquette in Milwaukee on October 20th at 2:00 P.M. and return to Higgins for the final home game of the regular season against St. John's on October 24th.  The Wildcats will head to Providence on Sunday and close out the season at Creighton on October 31st.

The quest for the conference championship begins on November 3rd and concludes seven days later for the all-important automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Admission is free to all home game at Higgins Soccer Complex.

Promotional Schedule

8/25 Saint Joseph's: Free Water Bottles and Pizza for Students
9/15 Florida State: Youth Day and Alumnae Day
9/29 Xavier: Family Weekend Game
10/3 Georgetown: Pink Game

Returning this season will be the Women's Soccer Prize Card.  They will be available at all home Women's Soccer games: however, the more games you attend, the more prizes you earn! The fans that attend all nine home games will receive a free women's soccer clinic! Other prizes include:

One Game: Magnet
Two Games: Signed Poster
Three Games: Water Bottle
Four Games: T-Shirt
Five Games: Baseball Cap
Six Games: Socks
Seven Games: Beanie
Eight Games: Soccer Ball
Nine Games: Free Clinic

Please note that Prize Cards are limited to youth 8th grade and blow.

Concessions
This season concessions will be available at all home games starting 30 minutes before kickoff and until the 60-minute mark of each game.  Please note that concessions at Higgins Soccer Complex is cash only.