VILLANOVA, Pa. – A midweek Philly Soccer Six clash is next for the Villanova Wildcats Men's Soccer side. Nova (5-7-2 overall, 2-0-0 Soccer Six) takes the short ride to City Line Avenue to meet Saint Joseph's (5-5-2 overall, 0-0-2 Soccer Six) at 7 p.m. at Sean Sweeney Field.
ESPN+ will broadcast the live stream.
October has tested the Wildcats with injuries to key performers cutting into the Wildcats' depth and attacking power. The latest to join the ranks of the wounded were junior forward Fynn Lahrsen, injured at Butler on Oct. 16 and not in uniform for Saturday's 2-0 loss to Georgetown at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
Midfielder Jayce Rand was in the original starting lineup Saturday but was scratched just before kickoff after an injury suffered in training acted up. Joseph Margita was inserted in Rand's place.
Villanova only used three reserves against the Hoyas in Javon Daniels, Bar Netanel and Luca Mazzola. Netanel and Mazzola recently returned after missing time due to injury.
"It's something that we've been dealing with all year," said Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "It doesn't catch us off guard. We lost Fynn in the Butler game and then Jayce hurt his foot in training this week. He thought he could go but it was just too much today.
"We trust all our guys. We believe in each of them. When a guy goes down it's an opportunity for the next guy. I thought Luca came in off the bench and did a great job (against Georgetown). He gave us a different look and it helped us."
The Hawks and Wildcats have two common opponents. Villanova downed Temple 1-0 while Saint Joseph's played the Owls to a 0-0 draw. The Wildcats dropped a 3-2 contest to George Washington in September while the Hawks downed GW 2-0 on Oct. 20 in Washington, D.C.
"We have only two days," Fetrow stated of this match-up. "Sunday was about recovery. Today we will prepare for Saint Joe's. The expectation is that it will be a hard, physical, competitive game. Every Soccer Six game is. We've got to build on some of the things we did well against Georgetown and take another step forward."
The Wildcats will return to BIG EAST play on Saturday when Akron visits the Higgins Soccer Complex for the home finale. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and ESPN+ will air the live stream broadcast from West Campus.
