Staten Island, NY - The Villanova field hockey team improved to 6-9 on the season with a victory over Wagner (5-9) Sunday afternoon. This was the second time these two teams have met in their programs histories with Villanova winning both matchups, the previous in 2019. 

The Wildcats got their first score late in the first period, from a Sabine de Ruijter shot at the 10:45 mark. Katie Capalbo recorded an assist on the play, as she found her teammate inside the shooting circle for the scoring opportunity. Minutes later, Capalbo would score her first goal of the season, off a pass from Meghan Mitchell to make the score 2-0 heading into the second period. 

The defensive unit for Villanova held Wagner without  shot in the second period, as they took their 2-0 lead into the halftime break.

At the 40:07 mark of the third period, Wagner got on the board to cut their deficit to one heading into the fourth quarter. In the final period, Wagner put the pressure on the Wildcats, looking to build off their momentum from the third period. 

Mitchell would add the third and final goal for Villanova, which would prove to be too much for Sea Hawk's. Wagner would score their second goal late in the fourth, but were unable to find the back of the cage in the final minutes to force overtime. In the final frame, Wagner recorded 14 of their 16 penalty corners of the contest. For Villanova, goalkeeper Jordan McGinley recorded five saves in the fourth period to secure the victory. De Ruijter added a defensive save, making her season total six. 

Villanova will continue their road trip next weekend, traveling to Quinnipiac and Holy Cross.