CINCINNATI, Ohio – In the truncated spring season, Villanova coach Tom Carlin and his staff were intrigued by the pairing of forwards Lyam MacKinnon and Akinjide Awujo.
 
On Saturday, the pressure applied by the tandem helped produce a gorgeous goal that turned out to be the difference in a 1-0 Wildcats' victory over Xavier. The win pushed Villanova's record to 7-2 overall, 3-0 BIG EAST. It's the first time the 'Cats have opened the BIG EAST portion of the campaign with three consecutive victories since 2004.
 
"We saw glimpses of what they could do up top in the spring," noted Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "Today, I thought their activity really helped us."
 
At no point more than in the 16^th minute. After neither team was able to produce a shot over the first 15 minutes on a warm, overcast afternoon, a smooth combination play made the first shot on frame a significant one. Sophomore Dominic Cyriacks fed a beautiful ball over the Xavier back line ahead to classmate Awujo, who deftly kept himself onside and collected the pass. He then sent a blast into the right side of the net at 15:02 to stake the 'Cats to the early lead.
 
"Dom was able to find some space in a pocket in front of A.J. (Cousins)," said Carlin. "Jide was running hard and he did a great job of keeping his composure once he received the pass."
 
Villanova controlled the pace for much of the rest of the period. However, a loose ball atop the 18 yard box gave Xavier its best chance of the half in the 42^nd minute. Goalkeeper Carson Williams came up with a clutch save on a shot off the foot of the Musketeers' Bryce Curran.
 
Xavier pushed forward with another quality chance in the 45^th minute but Karsen Henderlong rolled outside the right post.
 
"We made a few individual mistakes in the first 10 minutes but after we settled in, I thought we did a good job of spreading the field and maintaining possession," noted Carlin.
 
After 45 minutes, the Wildcats retained their 1-0 lead.
 
The Musketeers (6-4 overall, 0-3-0 BIG EAST) applied more heat early in the second half. In the 50^th minute, Williams came up with a big save at the left post on a bid from Taylor Rhinehart. Xavier generated the first two shots and corner kick in the first nine minutes of the period.
 
Villanova created some heat of its own in the 66^th minute, culminating in a scoring bid by Cyriacks that was knocked away by Musketeers goalkeeper Matthew Rosenberg.
 
Xavier continued pushing forward over the final 20 minutes but Villanova's defense held firm. Center backs Viktor Benediktsson and Jack Bonas helped clear a series of dangerous chances in front of Williams while junior Josh Belluz made his presence felt disrupting Xavier's flow as it attempted to build opportunities.
 
"Viktor and Jack did a great job of winning the balls in the air," noted Carlin. "Carson came off his line a number of times to knock the ball away. I thought Josh Belluz was really disruptive too with his length and skill."
 
Next up for Villanova is another BIG EAST road test as the Wildcats travel to Storrs to face Connecticut at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (BIG EAST Digital Network on Flo Sports).
 
"We talked about trying to get the first of these two on the road," said Carlin. "Getting points on the road in this league is such a challenge and having one in your pocket just makes things easier. I thought our guys managed the game very well today."