VILLANOVA, Pa. – After a flurry of goals scored in an opening day victory over Delaware (5-0), the Villanova Wildcats have found the sledding more challenging of late in the attacking third of the field. The Wildcats have produced three goals since and endured consecutive 1-0 shutout defeats at Penn State and Maryland in their most recent action.

Yet Villanova takes a 4-2-0 overall record into its BIG EAST opener Friday, at DePaul. The match kicks off at 2 p.m. central time and will be streamed by the BIG EAST Digital Network.

Carson Williams – named BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week for the second time in as many weeks on Monday – and center backs Shane Bradley and Luca Mellor have stood tall thus far for Nova.

"Those three have been our foundation," notes head coach Tom Carlin. "Carson's been tremendous for us, and part of the reason why is Shane and Luca. They're leaders, they block a ton of shots and really put themselves on the line for the team."
In Carlin's view, the quest for goals is not unique to the Wildcats.

"I think every coach in the country right now is figuring out how they're going to score goals," says Carlin. "That's just what happens in college soccer. You watch Indiana-Notre Dame the other night and see that Indiana has already been in overtime five times. That's because everyone is trying to figure out how they're going to score goals.

"We really look at chances created and our ability to have longer possessions in the attacking half. Last year, we were much more limited in those than we have been this year. What happens on the scoresheet isn't always reflective of the chances created or the possessions that you have. The flow of the game has been much more in our favor this year and if we can continue to do that, we'll see the benefits of it."

DePaul enters this match with a 3-3 overall mark after absorbing a 4-1 loss at UIC on Tuesday night. The Blue Demons received a red card in the 29^th minute and played a man down for the remainder of the contest. Last season, the Wildcats posted a 1-0 victory over the Blue Demons at the Higgins Soccer Complex.

"DePaul is a possession-oriented team that values controlling the tempo," notes Carlin. "They're really well-organized defensively and have some dangerous guys up top.

"That's a tough place to play with the surroundings, the noise, the El (train), being on a Chicago city block, all that kind of stuff. It's a tough place to get a result. We know what we're up against."

This match concludes a stretch of three straight away from home for the Wildcats. Villanova will be back in action on campus next Tuesday when George Washington will be at the Higgins Soccer Complex for a non-conference clash that kicks off at 4 p.m. (Nova Nation All-Access).