STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – Penn State used a potent attack to down Villanova 4-0 on a wet night here Tuesday.
 
The Wildcats' three-game winning streak was halted by the Nittany Lions (5-2-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten). Villanova falls to 5-2 overall, 1-0 BIG EAST.
 
Penn State's Peter Mangione scored three goals on the night.
 
Villanova played the final 18 plus minutes down a man after a red card was assessed to senior goalkeeper Carson Williams. The red card means Williams will miss Villanova's BIG EAST home opener Saturday afternoon against Butler (1:05 p.m. on the BIG EAST Digital Network via Flo Sports).

"We came out a little slow but then I thought we settled in pretty well," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "They got one and we lost some individual duels that gave them an advantage. We were a little tentative at times and credit to them, they are a pretty aggressive team that puts a lot of pressure on you."
 
With steady rain falling as the match got underway at Jeffery Field both teams had to confront the elements as well as each other. The Nittany Lions held the better of the early play, carrying the bulk of possession and generating a pair of shots in the game's first dozen minutes.
 
The Wildcats countered midway through the period, pushing forward for a bid by sophomore Akinjide Awujo off a volley that just went over the net. A short while later Lyam MacKinnon created a dangerous moment with some crafty ball skill along the left side. His cross came to Gray Ricca 22 yards out and Ricca's strong shot went high.
 
Penn State notched a goal at 26:28. Feeds from Daniel Bloyou and Pierre Reedy set up a goal from the right foot of Mangione.
 
Mangione knocked in his second goal of the night at 34:48, re-directing a cross from Andrew Privett just under the crossbar.
 
It was 2-0 at halftime. Penn State held a 7-3 edge in shots after the first 45 minutes.
 
The Wildcats generated two corner kicks early in the second half and the latter of the two gave Nova its best scoring chances to that point. Anthony Cousins Jr. sent the ball in to Viktor Benediktsson, who redirected the ball on frame. Owen Elliott made the save and the rebound came directly to Ricca. Ricca's shot was a strong one but Elliott was able to turn the bid away to retain the 2-0 Penn State advantage.

"We were on our front foot and really pressing at the start of the second half," Carlin said. "The guys really battled and from where we were, it looked like Viktor's ball was going in."
 
Despite the pressure Villanova applied, it was Penn State that registered the all-important third goal. This one went on to the scoresheet at 69:20 as Privett got the goal off a feed from Reedy to push the lead to 3-0.

"That was tough," stated Carlin. "We had really carried the play in the second half and had some other chances but we didn't finish them."
 
A sequence in front of the Wildcats' net in the 72^nd minute led to a couple of developments. Goalkeeper Carson Williams was sent off with a red card after Penn State was awarded a penalty kick. Kent Dickey entered the game to replace Williams while Mangione fired a low shot into the left side of the net to make it a 4-0 contest.
 
Penn State owned a 14-8 advantage on shots over the course of the 90 minutes.

Villanova thus concludes a three-game road trek to Temple, Marquette and Penn State with a 2-1 record heading into Saturday's match against Butler.

"We got two of the three on the road and now we're headed home to get ready for Butler," stated Carlin.