VILLANOVA, Pa. – The second of four straight home matches is on tap for Villanova Saturday as it hosts FDU (2-1-1 overall) at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for just after 1 p.m. The live stream of the match via Villanova Sports Network on Flo Sports features play by play announcer Nick Mantegna and analyst Steve Pinone.
The Wildcats (0-2-1 overall) registered a 1-1 draw on Labor Day in its home opener against Michigan State.
Saturday is not forecast to be nearly as warm as it was five days ago when the high reached 94 degrees, the high humidity and temperatures in the low 80s will again put a premium on the depth of both teams.
Villanova head coach
Tom Carlin liked what he saw from his reserves on Monday.
"We have talked about using our depth and talent," stated Carlin. "That played out against Michigan State. We didn't think twice about using multiple subs.
"A lot of guys stepped up for us. Misha (
Mikhail Zaretser) came in and did a great job.
Kyle Dixon came in and did a great job.
Luke Martelli gave us a great lift. Javon (Daniels) and Diego (Valles) did a great job in their minutes. It was good to see and really can give us a boost moving forward."
The Knights went 0-1-1 on a two-game road trip to Northern California last weekend, falling at Cal 3-0 and playing a 0-0 draw at Saint Mary's. Those results came on the heels of a 3-1 win at Fairfield and a 1-0 home pitch win over Hofstra in Teaneck, N.J.
These two sides last met in 2005. The Knights posted a 2-0 win in New Jersey. A year earlier, the two teams played to a scoreless tie at Villanova.
"This is another good test for us," noted Carlin. "It's always good to be at home. We've played well here before and will need to do so again against a good FDU team."
Villanova opens the BIG EAST portion of its slate next Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. Butler will be at the Higgins Soccer Complex for the first of eight regular season conference matches each school will play in 2023. This will be another Villanova Student Bonus Lottery game.
