VILLANOVA, Pa. – On an unseasonably warm fall afternoon at the Higgins Soccer Complex, with temperatures in the low 80s and humidity that necessitated hydration breaks in both halves, the University of Connecticut made a first half goal stand up in a 1-0 BIG EAST win Friday.
The Wildcats (4-5-1 overall, 0-3-0 BIG EAST) played the final 32 minutes a man down after a red card was issued. In all, there were nine caution cards issued and a handful of video reviews that pushed the match length to 2:24.
Villanova produced some of its best offensive chances after freshman Maximos Chrisafinis was sent off in the 59th minute.
"I think it's kind of the natural way it happens when you are in that situation," stated Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "We did get pinned in at times when we were down a man, but the guys were working hard to figure out spaces and cover the distance that's required. UConn got defensive oriented and started to sit back more. They weren't pressing us as much as they were in the first half.
"We went to a more direct style at the end. Our guys battled. We fought hard. We did a better job today than we did at Xavier picking up second balls. That was a point of emphasis this week. We also talked about generating more shots and we didn't do as good a job of that."
The match was level at zero for most of the first half with Wildcats' goalkeeper Alex Yagudayev having a lot to say about that. Yagudayev made a series of brilliant saves midway through the period – he would finish with 10 – that helped keep the Huskies off the scoreboard.
That changed at 35:56 when a Steve Dalcour pass found Rashid Nacif Joffre, who then fired a shot along the turf that found the back of the net. Villanova used one of its video challenges to have the goal reviewed but the referee determined that UConn was onside for its scoring play.
The Wildcats brought on some fresh legs at the start of the second half, including forward Fynn Lahrsen and midfielder Luca Mazzola, who have missed substantial time in recent weeks due to injury. Bar Netanel, another starter, subbed on early in the period as he works his way back from injury.
Unfortunately, it's been a recurrent theme over the last few weeks at Villanova.
"It's always challenging," Fetrow stated. "You know it's going to happen at some point in a season. We try to keep each guy prepared so that he's ready. We talk a lot about the importance of training every day and the consistency of how we show up to perform. We've had a lot of guys do a good job when they step into the game."
This contest was the first in a series of three straight at the Higgins Soccer Complex for the Wildcats. Villanova returns to action Tuesday for a non-league clash with New Haven with kickoff set for 3:05 p.m. (ESPN+).
