VILLANOVA, Pa. – For the second time in as many contests, Villanova dominated time of possession and the category of dangerous scoring chances but it was unable to get a result, falling 2-1 to Butler in the BIG EAST men's soccer regular season opener for both teams.
 
The Wildcats (0-3-2 overall, 0-1 BIG EAST) owned a 21-6 edge in shots, controlled the tempo for large chunks of the match to no avail. Jorge Garcia netted the only goal off a second half free kick with Nova down by a pair of goals. Palmer Ault scored both goals for the Bulldogs (1-3-1 overall, 1-0 BIG EAST).
 
Including last Saturday's 0-0 draw with FDU, the 'Cats have outshot their last two foes by a 51-13 margin and forced opposition goalkeepers to make 25 saves. Caleb Norris made 11 saves in this one for Butler.
 
"We put a great effort in," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "We got all the chances, probably more than we thought we were going to get. We've got to finish the ball. We had seven clear-cut chances in front of their net.
 
"We've also got to do better on the two individual moments where they got their goals. I don't think those came out of much but we've got to do better. Outside of that I was really proud of our effort."
 
After the Wildcats controlled the first 15 minutes, it was Butler that registered the first score on a beautiful sun-splashed late summer afternoon at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Jan Quispel sent a ball outside the box that seemed to be well covered by Villanova. But Ault chested the ball to his feet, and released a shot that found the back of the net at 16:25.
 
The Bulldogs took that lead into halftime.
 
Butler added its second goal when passes from Jack Streberger and Henri Kumwnda found Ault in a narrow space in front of the goal. He again sent the shot into the net at 64:04 for his fourth goal in five regular season matches.
 
Villanova kept the heat and generated a myriad of chances. The 'Cats broke through with a lovely kick by Garcia from 19 yards out that found the left side of the net at 72:42.
 
Vincent Petrera led VU with seven shots on the day, including five on frame.
 
"We've just got to keep chipping away," said Carlin. "Our record doesn't reflect our growth as a group. In all reality, we've got to get ourselves going."
 
The next chance to do so comes Tuesday when the 'Cats host Western Michigan at 4 p.m. on UNITAS Day.