ALBANY, N.Y. – UAlbany (1-1-0) capitalized on its first of two penalty kick chances Sunday night and went on to defeat Villanova 2-0 in the Wildcats' regular season opener played here. The Great Danes converted a PK in the 33^rd minute and then added a late goal in the 80^th minute to secure the win.
 
"I thought they competed harder than we did in the first half," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "They were aggressive and won some first and second balls. Maybe that had something to do with the fact this was their second game of the season and our first. It's hard to say."
 
The Great Danes generated a 5-1 edge in shots over the match's first 20 minutes but the Wildcats (0-1-0) kept most of those to the perimeter. Kent Dickey made his first official save of the night off a set piece header by UAlbany to keep the game level at zero midway through the first half.
 
In the 33^rd minute UAlbany forged a 1-0 lead. A shot by the Great Danes' Lucas Watt caught the arm of a Wildcats' defender and a penalty kick was awarded. Jeff Thielmann converted the opportunity with a shot towards the middle of the net that Dickey got a piece of but couldn't stop at 32:18.
 
"We got a little unlucky there," Carlin said.
 
UAlbany kept the heat on Villanova over the final minutes of the first 45 minutes.
 
Branden Johns helped Nova earn a free kick in the 45^th minute in a dangerous spot just outside the 18-yard box. But the Great Danes knocked down a ball from Dominic Cyriacks and no further scoring chances matieralized before intermission.
 
The stat sheet at halftime favored UAlbany. The Great Danes owned an 11-2 edge in shots and a 7-1 margin in corner kicks.
 
The Great Danes appeared to grab a 2-0 lead off a tap in goal in the 48^th minute but the play was ultimately ruled to be offsides by the linesman on the right side of the pitch. Villanova immediately responded with its best scoring chance of the evening to that point as Vincent Petrera fired a shot that was knocked away by the Great Danes' Shafique Wilson for the save.
 
"That was a great chance for Vinnie," said Carlin. "Their keeper made a great save."
 
A short while later it was Dickey to the rescue as he dived to his left to knock away UAlbany's second penalty kick of the night and keep the deficit at one. Villanova then countered with better offensive pressure that was highlighted by a Marcus Brenes feed into the box off a set piece that Foday Bangura nearly re-directed into the net. It sailed just wide to the right of the post.
 
"Kent's save on the PK was big-time," noted Carlin. "I thought that could be a momentum change for us. We got a couple of chances after that, but they did a good job of closing off our attack."
 
Moments after a Balthi Saunders bid from 22 yards out rolled just outside the right post, UAlbany extended its lead. The goal came at 79:39 off a feed from Thielmann to Caleb Vallance.
 
The Wildcats produced several more chances – including another one from Saunders – but were unable to get one the scoresheet. The final score was 2-0.
 
The Great Danes owned a 17-8 edge in shots and a 12-2 advantage in corner kicks. Dickey made four saves on the night for Villanova.
 
A number of Wildcats made their collegiate debuts and several drew the notice of the coaching staff.
 
"Belmar Joseph's athleticism gave us a boost and Luke Martelli really competed," Carlin said.
 
The Wildcats return to action Thursday night on the road against another America East side, NJIT. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Newark, N.J. and the match will be live streamed on ESPN+.