VILLANOVA, Pa. — Villanova field hockey will continue BIG EAST play with a matchup against Old Dominion on the road in Norfolk, Va., on Friday, October 9, at 1 p.m.. The 'Cats will then return home to E.F. Snell Field for the team's senior day against Hofstra on Sunday, October 11, at 12 p.m..

On Sunday, the team will celebrate its 2026 graduating class that includes eight seniors and two graduate students who have shown what is means to be a Wildcat on and off the field. The players being honored include: Jane Bresnahan, Maeve Boston, Addie Froehlich, Kate Soldan, Gemma Lysaght, Colleen Finnan, Maddi Sears, and Carey Werley as well as Ava Borkowski and Barrett Trigg. 

VU comes off a weekend where the team went 1-1 across two games, picking up a win over Georgetown at home before falling to Penn on the road. The 3-1 win against the Hoyas marked the team's second consecutive BIG EAST win of the season. In the action, Colleen Finnan scored the opening goal, followed by Aimee Largoza, before Gemma Lysaght capped off the scoring for Villanova. The goal by Lysaght marked her seventh of the season and put her in a tie for the most points on the team with Ava Borkowski, each with 20. Maddi Sears shined in both games, collecting an .805 save percentage with 12 combined saves across the two games. 

The performances by both Finnan and Sears earned each a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. This marks the second straight week that two Wildcats have been selected to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll team. The nod marked the fifth of Sears' career but the first this season, while the honor was the first for Finnan in her career. 

As for Old Dominion, they enter the match up following a 2-0 loss to Liberty in the team's only action last weekend. The team, led by coach Andrew Griffiths entering his 14th season, currently holds a 7-3 record on the year but is 0-2 in conference play. The other loss for the Monarchs comes from a 2-0 loss to Providence. 

Friday's game will mark the 18th meeting all-time between the two teams. Old Dominion currently holds the series record 2-15 and has won the past eight contest, including a 4-1 win last season.

Offensively, the Monarchs are led by Serena Langendoen with nine goals and 22 points on the season. The junior enters with a .542 shot-on-goal percentage on 48 shots. Josie Panter leads the Monarchs in passing with five assists on the season, to go with her four goals. Old Dominion as a whole has five different players with two or more goals this season. 

In net, Old Dominion has split time between its goalkeepers, Alexa Murphy and Suees Broers, who have each started five games. Broers currently holds a 4-1 record with a .697 save percentage, while Murphy holds the better save percentage at .731 with a 3-2 record.

In BIG EAST contests this season, Villanova has come out with a 2-1 record but has outscored their opponents eight to five in the contests. Graduate student Ava Borkowski has seemed to thrive against conference foes this season, scoring in two out of the three matchups. 

As for their opponents on Sunday, Hofstra enters the contest with a current seven-game losing streak that included two losses this past weekend to Fairfield and UAlbany, as well as a familiar foe in Temple. The team comes in with an overall record of 2-8 this year, with its two wins coming against Rider and Wagner. 

The faceoff with the Pride on Sunday marks the 11th meeting between the two teams. Villanova currently holds the slight edge 5-4-1, but Hofstra won the most recent matchup last season, 2-1, at home. 

Sarah Smalley leads the team offensively in both goals and points with five and 13, respectively. Smalley is also the co-leader on the team, tied with Kesla Richardson, who also has three. In goal, the Pride are led by Luci Hollister, who has started all 10 games for the team. During the season, she has collected a .685 save percentage with 63 saves on 92 shots faced. 

Hofstra is led by Hillary Fitts, who enters her third year in charge of the program. In her first season, the Pride snuck into the CAA tournament, while last season the team finished 9-9 but still fell in the first round of the CAA tournament.