VILLANOVA, Pa. — Villanova field hockey will continue BIG EAST play with a contest against Georgetown on Friday, October 2, at 12 p.m. at Ellen Ryan Field on St. Joseph's Campus. The Wildcats will then return to Philadelphia to battle Penn on Sunday, October 4, at 12 p.m. at Ellen Vagelos C'90 Field.
The 'Cats are coming off a weekend where the team only played one game but got a huge win over Temple, 4-1, for their first BIG EAST win of the season. The win saw Ava Borkowski notch her ninth goal of the season, tying her for the most in the BIG EAST. Katharina Balks also got on the scoreboard for VU to push the score to 2-1. Molly Zimmerman tallied her first career goal for the Wildcats to extend their lead to 3-1, followed by Adie Minnella, who put the final nail in the contest for the 4-1 win.
The performances by both Ava Borkowski and Molly Zimmerman earned each a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll team. The selection marked Borkowski's second nomination to the Honor Roll this season as she pushed her point total to 20, good for second most in the conference. Zimmerman, as mentioned earlier, scored her first career goal but also set a new career high in points for a single game with three. The award marked her first individual award selection of her career.
As for Georgetown, it comes in following two straight losses to Providence at home, 1-0, as well as to VCU on the road, 2-1 in overtime. The team still enters with a 4-6 overall record and a 0-2 record in BIG EAST play, with its other conference loss to Temple. The team is led by Coach Christ Banks entering her fifth year at the helm for the Hoyas. She led the team to its best record in program history in 2021 with an 11-7 season.
The Hoyas and the Wildcats have faced off a total of 35 times in their combined histories, with Villanova holding the overall series record 29-6. The 'Cats also enter with a four-game win streak, including a 5-0 win on the road last season.
Offensively, Georgetown is led by Kate McManaman with a team-best nine points, including three goals and three assists. McManaman's three goals is tied for the team lead with Katherine Malloy, while her three assists are good for the most. In net, the Hoyas are led by Alex Duff, who comes in with a 2-5 record. In the action, she has collected 35 saves while allowing 13 goals for a .729 save percentage on the season.
Penn comes into the matchup with a four-game losing streak to Princeton, Towson, Dartmouth, and Drexel, pushing their overall record to 1-6 on the season. The team's sole win of the season was a familiar foe, La Salle, which they beat the Explorers, 7-1. Penn is led by second-year head coach Scott Tuper, who went 9-7 in his first year with the team. The most in the program since 2021.
Sunday will mark the 43rd time that the teams have faced off against each other in their respective histories. The Quakers hold the series record 18-22-2 and won the most recent contest in 2025, 1-0, but Villanova won the previous three contests.
Penn is led offensively by a pair of players in Reese Czajkowski and Lucy Mangat, each with seven points and three goals on the season. Senior Sydney Mandato does lead the team in assists with four on the year.
As for the goalie, the Quakers are led by Ruby de Frees, who comes in with a 1-6 record this year. Tallying 45 saves while allowing 22 goals for a .717 save percentage.
Friday's matchup will be streamed on Villanova Athletic's YouTube while Sunday's contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
