• Seton Hall closed its nonconference slate with back-to-back draws with Lehigh (1-1) and Wagner (0-0).
• The Pirates are 1-1-2 on the road this season with all four of those contests happening in the last four games. In that stretch, they have matched their opponents in scoring 4-4. Their lone loss of the season came in a 3-1 result at NJIT on September 7.
• Prior to that loss to the Highlanders, Seton Hall had started the season 3-0-2, outscoring their opponents 11-4 in that time.
• Gianna Angelillo leads the team with five goals this season, two of those being game winners, with 14 shots and eight on frame. She recorded a brace in two of the first three games. She is second and third in the BIG EAST for goals per game (0.83) and total goals, putting her at 19th and 49th in the nation, respectively.
• Avery Strohecker and Kate Kleinsmith have split time in net this season. Strohecker is 3-1-2 with six starts, allowing seven goals with 21 saves and a pair of shutouts. In Kleinsmith's two starts, she has gone 0-0-2, allowing just one goal with nine saves and a shutout.
• As a team, Seton Hall is second in the BIG EAST with 3.88 saves per game. • Seton Hall was picked 11th in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches Poll with 18 point.
• Head coach Josh Osit is in his fourth year at the helm of the Pirates program. In his third season, the team went 4-12-3 with a 1-7-2 showing in conference play.

• Saturday is the BIG EAST lidlifter for both sides. Since joining the league in 1995, Villanova is 103-138-37 all time, giving them a .437 winning percentage.
• This contest is Senior Day for the Wildcats as they honor seven of their own after the match - seniors Hannah Dickinson, Caroline Graham and Gabi Andres and graduate students Bella Panaccione, Kate Dobsch, Olivia Neal and Hannah Curtin. These seven have accounted for 74 starts in 114 games as Wildcats. Between 2022 and now, this group has totaled over 6,396 minutes on the pitch.
• With a win in its nonconference finale over Penn, Villanova is one of just two BIG EAST teams heading into conference action with five wins. Those five wins are the most for Villanova heading into BIG EAST play since the 2021. The other five-win team is Xavier at 5-2-1 with a league-best win percentage of .688.
• Villanova and Seton Hall are in a three-way tie for fourth in the BIG EAST standings based on overall records ahead of conference play opening this week- end. Both teams and Georgetown all head in with a .625 winning percentage.
• This is the 33rd meeting between the Wildcats and Pirates since 1994 with Villanova leading the series at 20-9-3. In the last five meetings, Villanova has gone 3-1-1 with a 7-4 scoring advantage. Last year's match in South Orange resulted in a 0-0 draw. The last six meetings between the two sides has seen the teams score two goals or less each with four of the matches ending as 2-1 results.
• When hosting the Pirates, Villanova is 10-4-1. The last time Seton Hall came to the Main Line was on Sept. 24, 2024 with Villanova winning 2-1. In the last five home games against the Pirates, the 'Cats are 4-1.

Familiar Foes: Saturday is the first BIG EAST game of the season for Azem’s crew. Since joining the league in 1995, Villanova is 12-16-2 in league lidlifters, 6-9-2 when opening the conference slate on the road. All-told against the league, Villanova is 103-138-37.

Avrie's Breakout Brace: Freshman Avrie Nelsen scored two goals in the win against Penn on September 14, making her the first Wildcat this season to have a multi-goal game. She needed just four minutes and 14 seconds to notch her brace with the second goal being the game-winner in the contest. She is the first freshman to score two goals in a game since Morgan Kotch and Madison Shumate netted two against Temple last season.

On Target: Villanova placed 11 of its 16 shot attempts on frame in the 3-1 win at Penn. Those shots on frame marked a season-high for the team this season and made it the third time that a Samar Azem Villanova squad placed as many on goal. Since 2022, the Wildcats have seen four contests with at least 10 shots on goal.

Home Sweet Higgins: Villanova will play half of its 18-game slate inside the friendly confines of the Higgins Soccer Complex this year, playing on a brand-new field surface that was installed to Campolo Field this summer. The program is 160-100-34 all-time at home and 9-11-10 during head coach Samar Azem’s tenure. This season, the Wildcats host four nonconference teams and five BIG EAST sides.

Villanova 1, Penn 0 | September 14, 2025 - Philadelphia, Pa. - Rhodes Field

Villanova's nonconference finale win featured a two-goal day from Avrie Nelsen in a 3-1 win over Penn. The seven-minute bevy of scoring opened in the 32nd minute with all four first half goals coming in the next six and a half minutes. Nelsen opened the scoring with a cross inside that was deflected into the net by a Quaker defender in the mouth of the net to give Villanova a 1-0 lead in the 32nd minute. Penn answered just 56 seconds later with a chance near the right post as Mia Fuss slid in at the back post to connect with the lower right corner, making it a 1-1 contest in the 33rd minute. The 'Cats pushed their lead back to one with Nelsen's brace in the 36th. Morgan Kotch played a short pass to Gabby Koluch who sent a quick arching pass into the heart of the 18-yard box. Nelsen settled the ball with a few gentle touches, getting past two Penn defenders for a 2-1 advantage. A quick-footed play from Kotch in the 38th gave the Blue and White a 3-1 lead. Olivia Neal delivered a throw in toward the box that was headed by a Quaker. The sophomore who was heavily guarded by a defender near the end line in the 18-yard box was able to get a foot on the ball in front of oncoming defender that glanced off the far post and into the net.

Read the full recap here.