VILLANOVA, Pa. – When the 2019 regular season kicks off for the Villanova Wildcats this Friday (4 p.m. vs. Delaware), it will mark the 12^th time Tom Carlin has led the Blue and White into a new season.
 
Yet the second longest tenured head coach in program history – only his former boss, Larry Sullivan directed the Wildcats longer (1991-2007) – feels his team is on the verge of a fresh chapter that goes beyond the annual page turn from one season to the next.
 
 "This is the beginning of a new era for us," notes Carlin, whose Wildcats finished 7-8-1 in 2018. "The momentum of the University and some of the things (University President) Father Peter (Donohue, O.S.A.) and (Director of Athletics) Mark Jackson have put into place are really starting to be felt.
 
"The things they have done for soccer – (we're) fully staffed, fully resourced, facility improvements, a new office – are the beginning of a new era for us. In 2016 we were in the NCAA Tournament and since then we've flattened out a little bit. Through that, we've established a new model for how this all should look.
 
"I think we've created a pretty good picture of what success is going to look like here. This should be the beginning of that."
 
After missing the post-season a year ago, Villanova saw standout midfielder Zach Zandi sign with the Philadelphia Union organization. Zandi – a second team All-BIG EAST choice - was central to much of what the 'Cats did in the midfield and his absence leaves a void. That's part of the reason that the 2019 BIG EAST coaches' preseason poll saw the 'Cats in 10^{th place.}  
 
"We're picked at the bottom of the Big East," notes Carlin. "We're looking at it as an opportunity to continue to move up. We want to fight, claw and scratch our way through that."
 
There are more than a few reasons to believe that prospects are brighter than that forecast might suggest. Seniors Shane Bradley, Andres Camacho and Luca Mellor along with junior Richie Schlentz anchor a stout alignment of defenders. Goalkeeper Carson Williams returns after a stellar debut season in 2018 stronger and ready to be a program cornerstone.
 
Senior midfielder Conor Bradley and junior midfielder Theo Quartey will play a more active attacking role than in previous seasons. Forward Evan Vare endured injuries a season ago but is back in the form that made him a dependable attack weapon in his first two years at Lafayette. Redshirt freshman Seidu Shamsudeen – expected to be a key piece of the '18 attack before suffering a season-ending knee injury – could have a major impact as can international newcomers Lyam Mackinnon and Vicktor Benediktsson.
 
Plus, a steady group of contributors including Jack Gilliam, Sean Teixeira, Ben Severe, Max Zandi, Tommy Nealon, Dylan Middlebrook, David Bettenhausen, Mark Forbes and Jacob Anderson are set to contribute again.
 
"We have depth," Carlin says. "We've got a bunch of guys who got good experience last year. There are a bunch of new guys who will make their presence felt. Our lineups might have 4-6 newcomers in them."
 
Mackinnon, a native of Switzerland, and Benediktsson, from Iceland, are two of the new Wildcats who figure to have a significant role. Josh Belluz (Toronto, Canada), Marcus Brenes (Wayne, N.J.), Anthony Dragisics (Ellicott City, Md.) and Gray Ricca (Belle Meade, N.J.) also bring intriguing skills to the group.
 
"These guys bring a level of experience that we haven't had a lot of in a freshman class before," states Carlin. "They're tactically savvy with what they have been exposed to and their understanding of the game is exceptional."
 
In 2016, a group of rookies was part of the unit that carried the Wildcats into the program's first NCAA Tournament. Conor and Shane Bradley, Teixeira, Camacho and Gilliam were among the current holdovers who logged key minutes in that journey.
 
"That's valuable," Carlin says. "We're talking to the seniors about trying to take this as far as we can. We want them to leave a legacy that will impact this program for the next five years. They've been to an NCAA Tournament. We want them to have a mindset of honing the habits every day that you need to have success. Now, we're trying to bring the young guys along so that they understand that too."
 
A compact early season slate of games against quality regional opponents Delaware, William & Mary, Fordham, Temple and Penn State comes ahead of a test Sept. 16 at the nation's No. 1 team in the preseason, Maryland. BIG EAST play gets underway Sept. 20 at DePaul.
 
The Wildcats will play nine times at their home on West Campus, the Higgins Soccer Complex, where they were 6-2-1 a season ago.
 
"We have a bunch of games in a short amount of time," notes Carlin. "That's our biggest challenge right now. We've got a few injuries that aren't long-term but are still impactful. This is a stretch where we're going to rely on our depth.
 
"Our approach is to win every day. There will be times early in the season when we have five new guys on the field and these kinds of transitions can take some time. We may not hit our stride until a quarter of the way into the season. But if our mindset and habits continue to grow, we'll be a better team in October and November than we are today."
 
Carlin believes this group already has one valued commodity – an identity. A preseason scrimmage at preseason No. 12 Virginia helped establish that.
 
"We learned so much at that scrimmage," says Carlin of a clash in Charlottesville, Va., that took place on Aug. 20. "Since then, I feel like we've had good purpose. We addressed some miscellaneous stuff we needed to take care of. Now, I really think the group is ready."
 
The action gets underway at 4 p.m. Friday at the Higgins Soccer Complex.