VILLANOVA, Pa. – While the three points that come with a victory seemed within Villanova's grasp Friday afternoon against BIG EAST Midwest Division leader Creighton (7-3-3 overall, 3-1-1 BIG EAST), the Wildcats ultimately had to settle for a 1-1 draw against the potent Bluejays.
 
A penalty kick goal by junior Marcello Mazzola at 74:20 had given the Wildcats a 1-0 lead. However, Creighton answered at 83:14 with a goal from Bautista Rossi at the end of a combination passing sequence to level things at one.
 
"It's tough," said Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "We knew that Creighton has been scoring some goals late in games and getting the result. I think they won seven out of eight coming in here. We were prepared for it.
 
"We knew if we went up a goal, it would be a dog fight at the end. I thought our guys battled. We defended well for most of the game. We were a little late in that last step when they scored in the final seven minutes. I am proud of the guys. I thought we had enough to get the clean sheet but just couldn't carry it out today."
 
A pair of Wildcats helped make the point possible.
 
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week Alex Yagudayev was again exceptional, notching seven saves, including five in the first half when the Bluejays applied some substantial heat.
 
"Yagu was great," Fetrow said. "I felt confident he was going to earn another clean sheet there. He did everything he could to get us there. There were some big saves in both halves. I'm happy with his performance. I thought he managed the game well and made smart decisions."
 
Junior Josh Oladele entered the game as a reserve in the first half and quickly made an impact with his energy. He logged 65 minutes, generated three shots and was the Wildcat who drew the tripping foul that created the penalty kick opportunity for Mazzola.
 
"Josh gave us an immediate boost when he came on in the first half," stated Fetrow. "His work rate and willingness to run through was excellent. He was running at guys and attacking. I thought he changed the landscape of the game and gave us more in transition to then create some final third opportunities."
 
When Mazzola tucked a low shot inside the left post on the penalty kick attempt, it gave him his first college goal.
 
"We were happy to see Marcello get that one," said Fetrow.

Prior to the PK, Mazzola beat goalkeeper Matthew Hudson with a shot off a feed from Fynn Lahrsen. But a video review by the referee confirmed an offside call on the play.
 
Villanova steps outside the BIG EAST Tuesday to host VMI at the Higgins Soccer Complex at 3 p.m. (ESPN+). That will conclude a four-game homestand for Nova, which then heads to visit Georgetown on Oct. 27 at 6 p.m.