MERION STATION, Pa. — Villanova field hockey picked up its second BIG EAST win of the season on Friday in a 3-1 win over Georgetown at home. The team moves to 7-3 on the season and pushes its conference record to 2-1.
Three different 'Cats scored in the win, with Aimee Largoza starting the action with her third goal of the season in the first quarter. Colleen Finnan added to the lead for Villanova during the second quarter with her fifth goal of the season. Early in the third, senior Gemma Lysaght joined the fun with her seventh of the season to cap off the scoring for VU and eventually give the Wildcats the win.
The team has now picked up consecutive conference wins and head into the later part of the season with a 2-1 conference record. With the competition in the BIG EAST this year, head coach Joanie Milhous realized how big of a win this was for the team.
"I loved our effort. Our girls showed a lot of discipline and calmness when we needed it," said Milhous. "Georgetown had an absolutely fantastic game and was one of the strongest teams we've played against. They're coached really well and they made us work to the end because they did as well. I'm really proud of our girls."
Both teams had a balanced attack throughout the first quarter, matching the other in both shots and penalty corners. For the first 10 minutes of the frame, neither side could garner a shot until it was Villanova who found themselves with a penalty corner. On the try, a shot by Gemma Lysaght was deflected right to Adie Minnella who found Aimee Largoza for the goal. The Hoyas went right back onto the attack with two shots late which were turned away by goalkeeper Maddi Sears to keep the score 1-0.
The second quarter started much like the first where it was both defenses holding strong against their counterparts. The action only featured two shots, both by Villanova, but the first shot didn't occur until seven minutes in. That was when it was Minnella who collected her second assist of the afternoon by setting up Colleen Finnan to extend VU's lead to 2-0. Minnella, only a freshman, continues to provide a spark to the Villanova offense as she seems to always be near the ball.
"She works her tail off, and she just fights. She's such a competitor," said Coach Milhous. "Everything is just supernatural to her, but she does a good job of really seeing the field and seeing the pass. So she makes the pass when needed and takes it herself when needed. I think she did a great job."
The goal by Finnan was the final action for the 'Cats before halftime with the score 2-0. The momentum quickly carried into the third quarter, where both offenses started firing. VU outshot Georgetown, five to four, but also forced four penalty corners compared to the Hoyas' zero. Villanova broke open the game when Molly Zimmerman found Gemma Lysaght for the goal of a penalty corner to extend the lead to 3-0. The goal marked Lysaght's first goal in three games in addition to tallying her point total to 20, tied for the team lead.
"If she's not scoring, she is still a part of almost every play," said Coach Milhouse. "She does things at both ends for us, attacking end and the defensive end. She's got such poise with the ball, and she's strong on the ball. Absolutely love her play."
For the rest of the third, Villanova forced three penalty corners but were turned away on each chance. Georgetown continued to pick up the pace heading into the fourth, feeling the score deficit. The team outshot VU in the fourth quarter, four to one, and also scored the lone goal of the period by Katherine Malloy. Following the goal, the Hoyas kept pushing but were turned away by Villanova to give the team the 3-1 win.
In goal, Maddi Sears collected her seventh win of the season to push her record to 7-3 overall. The senior collected five saves for an .833 save percentage, as well as pushing her season total to a .820 mark.
Up Next: Villanova will continue its regular season with non-conference action against Penn on Sunday, October 4 at 12 p.m. The match with the Quakers will be streamed on ESPN+.
