VILLANOVA, Pa. –  Drexel got a pair of first half goals and carried that momentum to a 3-0 victory over Villanova Sunday afternoon at the Higgins Soccer Complex. The win for the Dragons came in their season opener while the Wildcats fell to 0-2 overall on the spring 2021 campaign.

            The sun splashed down upon the Higgins Soccer Complex Sunday morning but morning kickoff time temperature was 23 degrees with a slight wind. Villanova donned its blue uniform kit for this one against the gold clad Dragons as it looked to rebound from a season opening 2-1 loss to La Salle on Feb. 13.

            The early signs were promising for the 'Cats. Villanova carried the play to the Dragons in the first 10 minutes, generating a pair of corner kick opportunities and applying some pressure on the Drexel back four.

            However, it was a Drexel counter-attack that netted the day's first goal. Michael McCarthy found Laolu Daranijo at the 7:09 mark and he sent a show past Wildcats' starting goalkeeper Carson Williams to give the Dragons the early advantage.

            Drexel added to its advantage near the end of the first half. This time it was an unassisted strike from Chris Donovan that found the back of the net at 35:58.

            The Dragons owned a 10-4 edge in first half shots and carried the 2-0 lead with them into the heated tents located behind the team benches at halftime.

            Both teams changed goalkeepers to begin the second half. Kent Dickey came on Villanova while Dylan Martin stepped in for the Dragons.

            The Wildcats' Akinjide Awujo and Lyam MacKinnon both made strong bids over the final 45 minutes to get Nova on the scoreboard. But Martin was equal to the challenge. Daranijo added his second goal of the day at 66:45 off a feed from Kyle Tucker.

            Villanova is slated to host Georgetown Saturday at 1 p.m. as it opens the BIG EAST portion of its spring 2021 campaign.