PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Villanova grabbed an early two goal lead at Saint Joseph's Sean Sweeney Field Tuesday night but saw the Hawks net a goal just before halftime and another early in the second period to create a 2-2 draw in a Philly Soccer Six matchup.
The Wildcats dominated much of the first half only to see the Hawks get the better of play for chunks of the second play. A 90th minute bid by Brody Crampton to net the game-winner sailed a touch wide of frame.
"I thought we were moving the ball well, attacking and dominating the possessions," said Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "It helped us get the early goals."
Villanova generated a pair of corner kicks early in the period that led to some quality moments in front of the Hawks' goal. But SJU was able to knock the ball out of harms' way to keep matters level at zero.
In the 31st minute Villanova broke through with the game's first score. Senior Josh Oladele fired a smooth feed from his spot in the back four and found junior Karson Vazquez on a run. Vazquez executed a strong finish, firing a shot past Hawks goalkeeper Alex Smith at 30:52.
"That was a great sequence for us with Josh finding Karson," Fetrow stated.
Another sharp passing sequence pushed the Wildcats advantage to 2-0. In this instance Mikhail Zaretser found classmate Marcello Mazzola on the right side in front of Smith. Mazzola, seeing his first game action of the regular season, fired a shot underneath the crossbar at 37:14.
"Cello has been through a lot with all the injuries," said Fetrow. "We're happy for him and all that he has been through to get rewarded in his first game this year."
However, Nova wasn't able to get to the intermission unscathed.
"I thought we lost some of our focus and it cost us a soft goal," Fetrow said.
The Hawks got on the scoreboard at 42:27 when Jake Ross scored off a pass from LaMaina Logan.
Villanova's first half control was underscored by an 8-2 advantage in shots and a 4-0 edge in corner kicks.
"We talked at halftime about regaining that energy we had in the first half," stated Fetrow. "But we weren't able to find it with any consistency."
Early in the second half, Saint Joseph's tied the contest at two. The goal was scored by Charlie Undorf at 54:50.
Junior goalkeeper Alex Yagudayev came up with a pair of terrific saves in the 79th minute to thwart a couple of strong Hawks chances. Later in the period, the Brooklyn, N.Y., native made another big stop for the Wildcats.
"Yagu making big saves is what we've become accustomed to," said Fetrow.
Villanova's last best chance came in the 90th minute. A ball from Jasper Zulman on the right side came across the top of the 18-yard box where it found an open Brody Crampton. The sophomore sent a shot towards the right side of the net that leaked just a bit to the right of the post, insuring that the match would end tied at 2.
"We had a couple of chances late but couldn't find the one we needed," Fetrow stated.
The Hawks ended the night with an 11-10 edge in shots.
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.
