VILLANOVA, Pa. – Men's Lacrosse returns home for their first BIG EAST contest of the 2025 campaign on Saturday against the St. John's Red Storm.
Villanova (5-5, 2-0) has had their best start in conference play since 2019 and welcomes the Red Storm (4-8, 0-2), a team that has yet to pick up a conference win, while on a three-game winning streak. Their longest win streak since another trio of wins from March 16-25 last season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Wildcats took down Providence in their last contest by a score of 11-8. Colin Michener led the charge with four goals, his third consecutive contest tallying at least three points.
Michener, Beau Kemler, and Denis Fargione were honored with BIG EAST Weekly Awards for their performances in the contest, with the attackman receiving Weekly Honor Roll, while the other two earned Defensive Player of the Week and Freshman of the Week, respectively.
Kemler caused four turnovers and scooped up seven ground balls. During the Wildcats' three-game win streak, the sophomore has forced 10 turnovers and collected 22 ground balls.
Fargione stopped 10 shots between the pipes, maintaining his spot as the BIG EAST leader in save percentage.
Gavin Michener and Matt Licata each dished out two assists, the first time the former has done so in his career.
Since missing the non-conference slate due to injury, senior Dan Martin has notched a goal in each of his two games back, including one against the Friars.
SURVEYING ST. JOHN'S
Over the last three seasons of games that current Wildcats have been active for, Villanova has scored 22, 18, and 14 goals, respectively, against St. John's. Matt Licata accounts for 7 of those 52 by himself, as well as Michener tallying three in last season's game, and Dan Martin matching that feat over the past two seasons. Tripp Robinson recorded a career-high four caused turnovers in the 2023 faceoff between the two teams.
Attackman Brian Kelly was named to the second round of the Tewaaraton Watch List and leads the Red Storm in goals and assists with 28 and 21, respectively. The senior has at least six games recording five or more points and has scored multiple goals in eight of St. John's 12 contests.
Patrick Scarborough is expected to be in net for the Red Storm. He leads the conference with 13.00 saves per game and is a transfer from Dickinson College. He was a predecessor in net to Villanova goalie Anthony Wilson at The McDonough School in Maryland.
Adam Dembicki has lined up at the center "X" for a majority of St. John's faceoffs this year. He is fourth in the conference at a .466% winning percentage.
FAST FACTS
Tyler Sandoval still ranks eighth in the country and first in the BIG EAST in faceoff percentage. He went 7-12 (.583) at Providence last week against the second-ranked faceoff specialist in the conference.
On the year, Villanova is 137-231 in the circle, good for a .593% win percentage, ranking 10th nationally among all units. Since their matchup against Penn, they are 77-119 (.647%).
Mike Corrado is 14-1 against St. John's all-time, including 10 straight victories. He is also 33-11 in his career against teams from his native state.
Another win would give Villanova their fourth in a row. The last time they struck for four consecutive wins was during a six-game winning streak from February 26 to March 21, 2022, when Villanova ranked as high as seventh in the national media polls.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
With a Villanova win and a Marquette win this Saturday, the Wildcats would clinch a spot in the 2025 BIG EAST Tournament, held in Denver, Colorado. The spot would be clinched due to Villanova being 3-0 and Providence and St. John's being 0-3, with two games to go for all three teams.
Despite starting off 2-5 and having two 10-goal losses, VU has fought hard into conference play, starting off 2-0 for the first time since 2019. The squad has made 12 consecutive tournaments and faced the threat of not making it for the first time in the history of the BIG EAST until the winning streak. Marquette faces off against Providence at 11:00 AM on Saturday, an hour before Villanova's game gets underway.
PROMOTION
Alumni Day and Youth Day will be celebrated during the matchup against the Red Storm. Villanova will celebrate their alumni pregame and during a halftime recognition ceremony on the field.
For Youth Day, any child aged 12 and under will be able to receive free admission to the game by wearing their youth jersey; the complimentary tickets can be picked up at will call.
UP NEXT
After this matchup, Villanova will remain home, taking on Marquette on April 19 at 12:00PM for their final home game of the season.
WATCH
This game will be able to be streamed on FloSports; check here for the link to the stream. The broadcast will feature Jake Starr and Enrique Hervada '85, while Tessa Peloso joins the crew for the first time this season on the sideline. Various alumni will make appearances on the broadcast during the game as the program pays tribute to former athletes and coaches who have made immeasurable contributions to the program.
TICKETING
The next Villanova home game will be against St. John's on April 12 at 12:00 P.M. Individual game tickets are available for the rest of the season; please check here for more information and to purchase tickets for upcoming games.
SOCIAL
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