MILWAUKEE, Wis – Villanova used a tried-and-true formula to grab a 1-0 win at Marquette Friday night. It scored an early goal and then used a solid defensive effort to deliver the win that clinched its first winning regular season since 2021 (7-6-5 overall, 2-3-3 BIG EAST).
 
Goalkeeper Sebastian Cutler DeJesus made six saves in posting his second consecutive shutout this week.
 
"It was good to get the result," said Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "We were able to get on the attack early and get a goal, which is what every team wants. Then we did a solid job of defending and Seb was excellent. I thought he managed the game well, made the big stop when we needed it and managed the game.
 
"Our possessions weren't great. We had to defend more than we would have liked, but Marquette deserves credit for that. I don't think we were able to control the game. We did what we had to do defensively."
 
A pair of Wildcats freshmen who have seen their roles expand in the final weeks of the regular season combined for the game's first goal. Joseph Margita drove the ball down the right side and sent a cross through the box that found Klann, who finished with his third goal of 2025.
 
Time of the goal was 7:59.
 
"Both those guys have just kept getting better throughout the season," said Fetrow. "We were decimated by injuries at wing back and I talked to Joe, who's a natural forward, about moving him there. He became more and more comfortable as the season went on and gave us a great lift.
 
"It's a similar story with Matty. We saw flashes from him early in the season but there was some consistency lacking. He kept working and became a really important part of our midfield."
 
In fact, the Wildcats had meaningful contributions from six freshmen on this night.
 
"The freshmen have obviously played a big role for us," Fetrow said, "and that will grow in the coming years. A lot of the credit for how impactful they have been goes to our upperclassmen, who welcomed them and showed them the kind of culture we want to have in this program. The teamwork, the commitment, was really impressive.'
 
The Golden Eagles turned up the pressure on the attack and sent five shots toward the Villanova goal and keeper Sebastian Cutler DeJesus. Marquette generated five shots over the contest's first 20 minutes, one on frame which Cutler DeJesus handled without trouble.
 
By the time the match reached the 30^th minute, the Golden Eagles edge in shots had grown to 10-2 over Villanova. On the scoreboard, it remained a one goal 'Cats advantage.
 
When the match reached halftime, the 'Cats retained the one goal margin, despite being outshot 11-3 over the first 45 minutes on breezy night at Valley Fields.
 
Marquette kept the pressure on in the moments just after intermission. The Golden Eagles generated the first three shots of the second period. The last of those, off the foot of Justin Milovanov, towards the bottom right of the goal forced Cutler DeJesus to make his third save of the night.
 
A few minutes later Cutler DeJesus was on point again, making the save on a shot by Nico Pendleton of Marquette.
 
Junior transfer Sam Nyenka countered with Villanova's fourth shot of the night in the 69^th minute, forcing Golden Eagles goalkeeper Cameron Simpson to make the save along the turf.
 
Villanova, however, maintained its defensive shape over the final 20 minutes and never allowed the Golden Eagles dangerous attacking opportunities.
 
The final numbers showed Marquette with a 22-4 edge in shots.
 
"It's not where we want to be," noted Fetrow, whose side was eliminated from BIG EAST postseason contention last weekend. "But to go from one win to seven is progress. It's a good step in the right direction. Having a winning record, getting seven clean sheets, are definite positives.
 
"The most important thing is that we re-established an identity of the kind of program we want to be. There's more work to do. We're looking forward to 2026."