VILLANOVA, Pa. – As part of Villanova's Homecoming Weekend, the Men's Soccer team will host Providence at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Kickoff is set for just after noon with the match being livestreamed on the BIG EAST Digital Network. Matt Janus will be on the call for BEDN.
At 3:30 p.m. Villanova Football hosts New Hampshire on the other side of campus in Villanova Stadium.
On the soccer pitch the Wildcats (1-8-5 overall, 0-5-1 BIG EAST) will be looking to build on Wednesday's 3-3 draw with Georgetown. Villanova built a 2-0 lead and produced a lot of good soccer over the course of the 90 minutes.
"I thought a lot of guys played well," stated Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "JC (Jordan Canica) had good moments on the attacking side of things. Michael teDuits had some good moments. Jason Bouregy was doing a great job finding pockets, creating pressure and getting us out of pressure. It was good for Vinnie (Vincent Petrera) to bet back on the score sheet.
"The guys on the back line battled and competed. It wasn't perfect but I was happy with the effort. Seb (Sebastian Cutler DeJesus0 made some (excellent) saves on a day when they had 29 shots and 18 corners. You need a really good goalkeeper to keep the ball out of the net. Not much he can do about a PK."
Providence brings an 8-4-3 overall record and 3-1-2 BIG EAST mark into this contest. On Wednesday, the Friars picked up a 2-1 win at Connecticut. Graduate Aidan Davock netted the game-winning goal. Providence is 2-0-1 over its last three conference matches.
Last season, Villanova notched a 4-3 triumph over the Friars in Providence. The Friars lead the all-time series 17-10-4. On its last visit to the Higgins Soccer Complex in September 2022, the sides played to a 1-1 draw.
Providence has allowed just 16 goals thus far in 2024, an average of 1.07 per outing.
The Wildcats, meanwhile, remain a defensive work in progress. Opponents have scored three or more goals in each of VU's last three outings and 35 in 14 games played so far in 2024 (an average of 2.5 per game).
"We want to be more clinical and precise in our own end," Fetrow stated. "It's very difficult to win in this league when you give up three goals in a game."
This is the second game of stretch of three straight at home for the Wildcats. On Tuesday, Villanova steps outside of BIG EAST play to host Drexel in a Philly Soccer Six clash at 3 p.m. Villanova will celebrate Senior Day in its regular season home finale.
