VILLANOVA, Pa. — Villanova field hockey will continue its 2026 season with a non-conference matchup against Saint Joesph's on Sunday, October 18 at 12 p.m. at Ellen Ryan Field.
The 'Cats come off a weekend where the team split its two games over the weekend. On Friday, the team fell on the road to Old Dominion 4-3 in overtime before picking up the 4-1 win against Hofstra on Sunday while celebrating Senior Day.
Villanova had several players perform well over the weekend. Ava Borkowski netted two goals on Sunday to push her total to 11 goals for the season. The mark puts her second in the conference in goals. Katharina Balks set new career highs against the Pride, tallying a career-high three points and her first assist of the season. Gemma Lysaght netted the opening goal against ODU and helped to anchor the defense in the win over Hofstra. Finally, Colleen Finna exited with a six-point weekend with two goals and two assists.
The performances by both Lysaght and Finnan each earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. This marks Finnan's second straight selection, and it marks the third consecutive week Villanova has had two players selected to the Weekly Honor Roll.
As for Saint Joesph's, they enter with a three-game losing streak; however, two of the three losses come to teams currently ranked in the Top-10 in the NFHCA Poll. The Hawks fell to then-No. 3 Duke 2-1 in overtime and to then-No. 9 North Carolina 8-0 before losing to Penn in shootouts 3-2.
Despite the losing streak, the team still enters with a 5-8 overall record, a 3-0 conference record and a 2-3 mark at home.
The matchup on Sunday will mark the 48th contest between the two programs. Villanova currently holds the series record 25-21-1 and also won the most recent contest. The win came last season in a 2-1 home win for the Wildcats.
Saint Joesph's offense is led by three double-digit point leaders in Adele Jardemar, Milou Kluyt, and Cat Arentz. Both Jardemar and Arentz lead the team in goals, each with five, while Lily DeWan and Allison Buffinton lead the team in assists.
In goal, the team is led by Avianna Wagner, who has started every game for the Hawks. In her action, she finishes with a 5-8 record and a .600 save percentage with 70 saves.
The Hawks as a team are led by first-year head coach Sam Brown. Brown comes to Hawk Hill after three seasons as an associate head coach at Syracuse, where the team reached the NCAA tournament each year.
Sunday's contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
