VILLANOVA, Pa. – A balanced and potent scoring attack helped lift Villanova to a 5-0 victory over Delaware Friday at the Higgins Soccer Complex in the regular season opener for both teams.
Senior Conor Bradley scored the game's opening goal and later added an assist in the victory. Evan Vare, Lyam MacKinnon, Anthony Dragisics and Jack Gilliam also found the back of the net in the win for Villanova. MacKinnon had a hand in Villanova's first three goals, earning an assist on the first two scores before scoring one of his own in the 52nd minute.
The five goals were the most scored by the Wildcats since Sept. 2, 2017 in a 5-2 win over UMBC at the Higgins Soccer Complex and the most in a season opener since netting five in a win at Manhattan on Aug. 24, 2012.
"This was good," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "To be able to create the kinds of chances, to score and to get the clean sheet was a nice start. It's a good first win.
"We got away from who we were the last two years. We learned the lessons and fixed what we needed to. We have some good balance. We're in the space behind (the defense)."
The game's first score came at 28:47 and began with some nifty playmaking from freshmen MacKinnon and Josh Belluz. Each got an assist on the goal by Conor Bradley to give the Wildcats the season's first score.
With halftime approaching, the Wildcats struck again. This time MacKinnon sent a cross in the air that Vare re-directed via a header at 40:35 past Renan Thomazo to extend the advantage to 2-0.
That's where the score stood at halftime.
A feed from Conor Bradley found MacKinnon on a well-timed run through the middle early in the second half and the freshman made the most of his chance, banging a left-footed shot into the net at 51:51.
Dragisics scored his first collegiate goal on a blast to the top shelf that Thomazo got a hand on but couldn't corral at 65:24. Then Dragisics sent a sweet cross that found Gilliam, who put the fifth goal of the afternoon into the net at 70:43.
The Wildcats outshot the Blue Hens 15-7. Carson Williams earned the shutout with one save as Villanova's back wall kept the Delaware attack in check all afternoon.
Villanova now sets its sights on a trip to Williamsburg, Va., where it will face William & Mary on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
"It's about the next day," says Carlin. "Let's have a good recovery day (Saturday) and get ready for William & Mary."
