Conshohocken, Pa. – On a windy Monday afternoon, the Villanova (4-6) attack was on full display netting four goals and dropping the La Salle Explorers (0-7) at the Proving Grounds.
The scoring began early for Villanova as
Riley Dolan (Broomall, Pa.) ripped a shot on the cage within the first minute of action giving the Wildcats an early advantage. The early goal by the senior was her first of the season.
Within the first minute of the second quarter, Villanova turned defense into offense as
Katie Capalbo (Wallingford, Pa.) and
Meghan Mitchell (Villanova, Pa.) teamed up against the Explorers netminder on a fast break opportunity. The duo passed it back and forth before Mitchell snuck her shot into the cage extending the Wildcats lead into the half.
Coming out of the intermission, Villanova wasted no time yet again. In the 31
st minute, the Wildcats earned a penalty stroke and Sabine De Ruijter (Huizen, Netherlands) faced off with the Explorers goaltender. Ruijter lined up and ripped her shot to the top left of the cage giving the Wildcats a comfortable three goal advantage. The freshman improved on her stellar rookie campaign picking up her fourth goal of the season.
The Explorers stayed in attack mode and earned a penalty corner leading to their only goal. Nanouk Heersma received the touch from Tatum Johnson and made one move before sending her shot in goal and cutting into the lead. Villanova halted any chance of a comeback as
Meghan Mitchell found
Emily Clarke (Garden City, N.Y.) in front of goal and the senior beat the Explorers goalie to regain the momentum. The goal by
Emily Clarke was her 12
th career goal as a Wildcats.
Jordan McGinley (Morristown, N.J.) picked up her fourth start in goal this season improving her record to 4-2. The junior was flawless in the cage picking up three saves over 60 minutes of action.
The Villanova attack dominated the afternoon tallying 13 shots and nine penalty corners. Rookie
Meghan Mitchell led the charge with three shots, one goal, and an assist.
The Wildcats will return to the turf on Saturday, April 3 when they welcome Connecticut. The conference showdown will begin at 12:00 ET at the Proving Grounds.
Be sure to follow @VillanovaFH on Twitter and @villanovafh on Instagram for updates throughout the season.