VILLANOVA, Pa.—The 600^th game in the varsity history of Wildcats men's lacrosse will be a big one as No. 11/10 Villanova (10-3, 3-1 BIG EAST) travels to No. 8/7 Georgetown (9-3, 4-0) for a 7 p.m. tilt on Friday night. The game will be broadcast on the BIG EAST Digital Network presented by SoFi and can be seen with the FloSports app on computers and mobile devices. Both the Wildcats and the Hoyas have clinched a spot in next week's 2023 BIG EAST Championship presented by JEEP, but seeding scenarios loom large with the outcome of Friday's contest.
 
Villanova moved up two spots in the national rankings this week after defeating Marquette, 16-15 in overtime, last week in its final home game of the year. It was a come-from-behind victory for the Wildcats, who tied the game with 32.8 seconds left in regulation and went on to score the game-winner with 2:49 left in the extra period. This is the eighth time in program history and the first time since 2018 that Villanova has won 10+ games in a season, and the Wildcats have been nationally-ranked in each of the last nine weeks after previously receiving votes in both the Inside Lacrosse Media Poll and the USILA Coaches Poll.
 
The outcomes of all three BIG EAST matchups this weekend will play a role in determining the final seeding in the conference tournament. Villanova can finish as either the #1, #2 or #3 seed based on its result against Georgetown combined with the outcome of the Denver and Marquette game which is also scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. The final regular season game of the BIG EAST season is on Saturday at 12 p.m. when St. John's travels to Providence.
 
What is already known however, is that the Wildcats have been highly successful playing away from home in recent seasons. Villanova is 6-1 at road and neutral sites this year and has won 14 of its last 20 true road games dating back to the start of the 2020 season. So far during the 2023 campaign the Wildcats have logged road wins against then-No. 10 Delaware, Hofstra, then-No. 15 Penn, Monmouth and Providence to along with a neutral-site win over Drexel.
 
The all-time series between Villanova and Georgetown is a nearly even one, with the Hoyas owning a narrow 17-16 advantage in head-to-head matchups. The first meeting between the teams came in the Wildcats inaugural varsity season in 1981. Villanova won the first nine games in the series, followed by Georgetown winning the next nine games and then the Wildcats tallying a streak of five consecutive wins. The longtime rivals faced each other twice last year, including in the BIG EAST championship game which the Hoyas won, 14-12, on their home field. Villanova's last win in the series did come in Washington, D.C. – a 17-12 triumph in 2017.
 
An ensemble cast has been the key factor in the Wildcats success this season, with 10 different players earning weekly BIG EAST honors at least once during the year. Villanova has garnered a single season program record 24 weekly awards from the conference this season, including 13 major awards (Attack Player of the Week, Midfielder of the Week, Defensive Player of the Week, Freshman of the Week) to go along with 11 weekly Honor Roll selections.
 
Fifth year midfielder Matt Campbell (Madison, N.J.) leads the way for the Wildcats and is a Trophy Nominee for this year's Tewaaraton Award. Already this season he has broken the Villanova career records for goals and points, with his current totals adding up to 151 goals scored, 74 assists and 225 points. Campbell leads Villanova this season with 57 points and 23 assists, while his 34 goals are second on the team to fifth year attackman Patrick Daly (Shrewsbury, Mass.) who has found the back of the net 37 times.

Villanova played its first varsity season in 1981 and will be playing the 600^th game in its varsity history on Friday night. The program has an all-time varsity record of 324-275 (.541), including a mark of 45-29 (.608) in regular season BIG EAST games dating back to the 2010 season. During their history the Wildcats have recorded eight seasons with 10+ wins and have made three NCAA Championship appearances (2009, 2011, 2018). Since the start of the 2017 season, Villanova has a record of 66-41 (.617) while posting a winning record every year. During the seven-year stretch of success, 36 of the 66 victories have come at road and neutral sites.