MILWAUKEE – Villanova scored early and then held off a second half offensive charge from Marquette to record its 12
th clean sheet of the season with a 1-0 win on Saturday afternoon at Valley Fields.
The win clinches a top-two finish for Villanova (11-1-5, 6-1-2) with just one game left in the regular season. The last time the program saw such a finish was back in 2005 when the 'Cats were second in the National Division of the league standings. The Wildcats move to 20 points overall and just one point behind who sits at the top the league table with 21 points.
This is the third straight shutout win for Villanova over Marquette (7-3-8, 3-2-4), extending the Blue and White unbeaten streak in the series to four-in-a-row. Since 2023, Villanova as outscored Marquette 8-1.
Avrie Nelsen gave the Wildcats an early advantage on a throw in from
Ambyr Baker. Her toss hit off the heads of multiple Golden Eagles before
Bella Panaccione got a quick touch on an open ball above the 18-yard box. Her arching nudge into the box fell into open space where Nelsen charged in to send a one-timer past a diving Mia Hurd for a 1-0 lead.
The goal marked the seventh of the season for the sophomore. The assist from Panaccione was the 45
th for the Wildcats this season, resetting the program record and bypassing the previous record of 44 set by the 2002 squad.
Nelsen had another chance from a similar spot in the 22
nd minute but Hurd made a falling save to grab it for her lone save of the day. She and
Morgan Kotch paced the team's shooting in the opening 45 minutes with two attempts each as the 'Cats outshot Marquette 7-2 in the frame.
The Golden Eagles' first real chance at scoring came in the 59
th minute when Gabi Retana sent a shot from beyond the 18-yard box, but Hanna Dickinson was able to dive and catch it near the right post.
After that, Marquette forced Dickinson to make five more saves down the stretch for her 10
th shutout of the year between the posts. She finished the day with a season-high six saves, the most she has made since setting a career-high of 15 on Oct. 22, 2025 at Georgetown.
Villanova outshot Marquette 13-10 on the day but trailed in shots on goal, 6-2. Kotch led all players with four attempts while four different Golden Eagles led their squad with two apiece.
One game remains in the regular season for the Wildcats as they come back home on Nov. 7 to host UConn for Senior Day.
