OMAHA, Neb. –  Creighton scored twice in the second half to break a 1-1 tie and defeat Villanova 3-1 in a BIG EAST soccer match played Saturday night at Morrison Stadium. The Wildcats suffer their first conference defeat of the campaign, falling to 4-3-2 overall, 1-1-1 BIG EAST).
 
"We came out on our back heels a little bit," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "Creighton is a very good attacking team, and they were able to pressure us. I thought we were slow with our possessions, turned it over too much, and that forced us to really defend down low."
 
The Bluejays got the upper hand by scoring a goal in the 31^st minute. Jackson Castro scored with a shot off his right foot after taking a feed from Miguel Venture. The goal slid into the bottom of the net at 30:29.
 
A long throw in from junior center back Jack Bonas helped pull the Wildcats level in the 40^th minute. The throw from the right sideline found fellow center back Viktor Benediktsson, who rose to re-direct the ball with his head. Senior Lyam MacKinnon dived forward to redirect the ball again, with his head into the net past goalkeeper Paul Kruse at 39:29.
 
The goal was MacKinnon's fourth of the 2022 campaign and his 16^th in the Blue and White.
 
"They had the better of play in the first half but we got one there late on a set piece," Carlin said. "We were feeling pretty good at halftime.
 
The match was even at halftime. Creighton owned a 13-3 advantage in shots over the course of the first 45 minutes.
 
In the 56^th minute Creighton regained the lead. This time it was an assist from Alfie Pope that found Owen O'Malley who finished the play with his right foot.
 
"We gave up a set piece goal and that's something we haven't really done this season," said Carlin.
 
Villanova had a series of dangerous chances midway through the period. Both MacKinnon and Jorge Garcia had opportunities to tie the game but were unable to convert.
 
"in general I thought we did a much better job in the second half," Carlin stated. "We made some adjustments and were able to create some dangerous chances. But we weren't able to bury any of them. If you do that, it's a very different kind of second half."
 
The contest remained a one goal affair until the 82^nd minute when a 'Nova defender was whistled for a handball in the Wildcats' 18-yard box. The subsequent penalty kick was fired into the upper left corner past the outstretched arm of goalkeeper Kent Dickey by Duncan McGuire.
 
Following the goal, Garcia was whistled for a yellow card, his second of the night. That resulted in Villanova playing the final 8:02 down a man due to Garcia being sent off with a red card.
 
"We showed a lot of resilience, especially after we went down a man," stated Carlin. "I'm proud of the way the guys fought against a very good team. We flew here to Omaha after just one day of rest after our Penn State game, and it was a challenge. Now, we go back and focus on the next one against Marquette."
 
The 'Cats host the Golden Eagles on Wednesday at 4 p.m. The match will be streamed via the BIG EAST Digital Network