VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Villanova Wildcats (4-4-4 overall, 1-1-2 BIG EAST) received a lift from a pair of reserves late in the first half that helped them earn a 1-1 draw with Seton Hall (5-2-5 overall, 2-0-2 BIG EAST) on a rainy Saturday at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
Not long after being inserted into the match in the 37^th minute, midfielder Marcello Mazzola and forward Javon Daniels combined to help create the Wildcats' only goal of the day. Mazzola picked up a ball on the right side and found Daniels. Daniels then lofted a ball into the box that found Zach Miles, who re-directed the ball via a header past Pirates' goalkeeper Matias Molina at 40:53 to level a match that Seton Hall led, 1-0.
 
"We believe in the depth of our team," stated Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "When we bring guys in, we can raise the level of play while also spelling some of the guys who have accumulated a lot of minutes. I'm happy for Zach to get his first college goal. He's been knocking on the door for a couple of games now.
 
"It was a huge goal for us. Marcello and Javon did a great job of bringing energy and it led to an opportunity that Zach finished."
 
Seton Hall got its goal at 39:24 on an impressive strike by Sam Bjork from a tough angle on the right side that sneaked just inside the left post.
 
The game remained deadlocked the rest of the way, though both sides had several quality chances to gain the upper hand.
 
"We knew how good Seton Hall is," Fetrow stated. "I thought our staff did a good job on the scouting report to put our guys in the best position to be successful. I thought our guys did an excellent job of executing the game plan, especially defensively. I liked the battle we showed in the first half. We were creating chances. They had a couple of chances, but I felt like we covered most of their chances.
 
"We just wanted to carry that through in the second half. For the most part, we did that. When we are collectively defending well, we are effective. We changed our shape a bit to step into higher pockets. When we do that well, we can turn teams over.
 
"At the same time, Seton Hall has had great collective defending all year. They haven't given up many goals. We knew that would be a struggle. I thought it was a good defensive game for both teams. At times in the second half we played into their hands too much and had too many unforced turnovers. But it's another great thing for us to watch and improve.
 
"Today was a good step for us."
 
Sophomore goalkeeper Alex Yagudayev made a couple of key saves in the second half to help keep the Pirates at bay. Defenders Brody Crampton and Lorenzo Avalas also did a superb job limiting Seton Hall when it moved into the Wildcats' final third.
 
Villanova has a handful of days off before its next action. Creighton comes to the Higgins Soccer Complex on Friday at 3 p.m. (ESPN+0 for another key BIG EAST battle.