VILLANOVA, Pa. –  The venue, Morrison Stadium, is, by all accounts, one of the most challenging road stops in the BIG EAST Conference. It is the Omaha home of Creighton men's and women's soccer and like most of their league brethren, Villanova has experienced its share of difficult nights there since the Bluejays joined the BIG EAST in 2013.
 
"It's a tough place to play, mostly because of the quality of their team," says Villanova head coach Tom Carlin of Creighton, which carries a 3-2-3 overall mark (0-1-1 BIG EAST) into Saturday night's conference clash with the Wildcats. The Bluejays have outscored opponents 18-8 thus far in 2022 on home turf.
 
But for the Wildcats, Morrison Stadium will always represent just a bit more than most road facilities. For it is where, by virtue of a 2-1 victory last November, they effectively secured their spot in the 2021 NCAA Tournament in the opening round of the BIG EAST playoffs.
 
"It really felt," said center back Vitkor Benediktsson earlier this month, "like that was the game that helped us turn a corner. We were behind late in the second half, but we stayed together, kept our composure, and came back. The excitement for all of us – players, coaches, administrators – that night is something I won't forget."
 
This time, the Wildcats (4-2-2 overall, 1-0-1 BIG EAST) and Bluejays will meet at 7:30 p.m. eastern time Saturday. The live stream will air on the BIG EAST Digital Network on FloSports.
 
"It's a massive game," said senior back/midfielder Gray Ricca. "Creighton is a quality side that always plays well at home. We're excited get back out there and compete."
 
Villanova has won two in a row, picking up a 4-0 win last Friday night at St. John's and following it with a 1-0 win Wednesday over Penn State at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
"A word we've used all week is accountability," noted Carlin. "It's about doing things for each other. We want to be great in transition, we want to be able to control the ball with our passing and we want to be tough, smart and dependable defensively. We've got to keep being accountable in those areas. If we do that, then we're playing Villanova Soccer. I thought we did that (Wednesday)."
 
Villanova is 1-2-1 this season on the road. One of those defeats came in the season opener on Aug. 25 at Stanford 1-0. The Cardinal visited Creighton on Sept. 9 and the two teams played to a 1-1 draw.
 
The Wildcats have been quite stingy of late defensively, allowing a single goal over its last 360 minutes of action (in a 1-1 tie vs. preseason BIG EAST favorite Providence on Sept. 17). In its last two outings, Nova has surrendered a total of 14 shots. Ricca has moved to the right outside back spot opposite Anthony Dragisics on the left side. Dragisics scored the game-winner Wednesday off a feed from Balthi Saunders.
 
Center backs Benediktsson and Jack Bonas have stood tall in front of goalkeeper Kent Dickey.
 
"We have a busy October," said Dragisics after the win Wednesday, "and we wanted to set the tone against Penn State."
 
The Wildcats hope to add to the good vibes Saturday night in Omaha.