PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Villanova field hockey team topped in state Rival, Temple, 2-0 on the road on Friday, Sept. 26.

The first half was a defensive battle. Both teams were unable to get off a lot of shots and keep control of the ball. The 'Cats and the Owls both were only able to draw two corners in the first 30 minutes. The Owls led at the half in the shots department, tallying three shots compared to VU's two. Each goalie knocked away the only shot attempt they faced.

The second half saw the offense pick it up for Villanova. After a huge stop a back-to-back penalty corner, the 'Cats took advantage and were able to break the deadlock. Junio Colleen Finnan tallied a goal for the Wildcats on the corner off a nice assist from Gemma Lysaght. The defense continued to shut out the Owls, while graduate student Ava Borkowski doubled the Villanova lead four minutes into the fourth. VU led the Owls 2-0 with eight minutes remaining in the game.

Villanova was solid the whole day, especially in defending the corners. Temple had nine penalty corners but did not score on any. The 'Cats only gave up two shots on goal today and freshman Sophie Volkel swatted away all attempts to earn her second career shutout.

After the game, Villanova head coach Millhouse talked about the first road win for her team:
"Really happy with how we played today. I think we learned from some of our recent games. We were really composed defensively. Very happy with how we capitalized on our corners."

Up Next: Villanova will host #15 Saint Joseph's Sunday, Sept. 28, for a 12:00 p.m. matchup.