SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – Seton Hall got a goal in the 16^th minute and held off a spirited second half effort from Villanova on its way to a 1-0 victory on a sunny afternoon at Owen T. Carroll Field Saturday. The contest marked the regular season finale for both sides.

The Pirates generated the day's only score in the first half. The play began with a run down the left sideline. From there the Hall sent a cross near the Villanova goal line that found a waiting Sam Bjork standing by the right post. He finished the play at 15:01 with assists on the goal being awarded to Hugo Gerbore and Mans Saebbo.

"We had talked in the pregame about how good Seton Hall is in sending the ball across to the back post," stated Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "Sure enough, they got us in a transition situation, and we didn't have the forward covered on the back post and it led to their goal."

The Wildcats (1-10-6 overall, 0-7-1 BIG EAST) got exception first half work again from junior goalkeeper Sebastian Cutler DeJesus, highlight by a pair of saves in one sequence in the 41^st minute that helped keep Nova within a goal at intermission.
"Seb did what we needed him to do," stated Fetrow. "It was kind of a back and forth half but there were able to generate more dangerous scoring chances. I thought that resulted from some poor clearances on our part."

Villanova was able to apply more attacking pressure in the second half. The Wildcats generated five of the seven shot after the break and ended the day with six corner kick attempts. But they were unable to make the kind of connection that produced the tying goal.

"We really controlled the tempo and had most of the possession time in the second half," said Fetrow. "We had the ball, but they did a good job of limiting the danger. They play very well at home. We only ended up with two shots and that's just not enough to build the kind of pressure we needed."

Seton Hall has advanced to the BIG EAST playoffs.

Villanova, meanwhile, wraps up its 2024 fall season with an eye on what comes next.

"My message to the team was that when you set goals for yourself, there are times you don't reach them and are challenged," stated Fetrow. "If you keep battling and trying, you build resilience that will help you as you go through life.

"We thanked the fifth-year guys, seniors and grad transfers. It's a hard day for most of them. Their college soccer careers are over. We just want to be there for them and recognize the hard work they have poured into this program in their time at Villanova."