Villanova Univeristy Athletics

VILLANOVA, Pa. – With the help of his two of his roommates, sophomore midfielder Luca Mazzola made sure Villanova began the 2026 regular season on the right foot. His goal in the 75^th minute helped lift the Wildcats past Temple 1-0 in a Philly Soccer Six match played Thursday afternoon.
 
A steady rain fell in the pregame as the Wildcats and Owls warmed up for one of the earliest men's soccer contests of 2026. The early start was made in deference to the New Students' Orientation underway this week at Villanova. The rain ended in the first half and by the second half the sun was shining at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
Temple had the better scoring chances early. Junior goalkeeper Alex Yagudayev elevated to knock an Owl shot in the third minute by Carols Rojas over the crossbar. The Owls recorded the first five shots of the day.
 
But Villanova was able to assert itself midway through the period and began to build its own attack. The 'Cats generated the next five shots, though the match remained scoreless at halftime.
 
"I felt like we had control of the game for the majority of it," said Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow after the opener of his third season at the helm. "They had a good spell in the first half and some good spells in the second half, but it felt like we could possess and keep the ball. It was just about finding some execution when we got to the final third."
 
The Owls had the first two bids to score in the opening 20 minutes of the period. Yet the momentum tipped in Villanova's direction shortly after a trio of starters – Luke Martelli, Fynn Lahrsen and Luca Mazzola – re-entered the game at 68:13.
 
"Luca was doing a great job all game of finding pockets of space to play these final entries," Fetrow said. "We wanted to rest him to give him a little bit of time and then get him back in there. He came back in and made an immediate impact."
 
Added Mazzola: "It's a mindset. As much as I want to be on the field and play every minute, I'm just one of 25 guys on this team. As soon as I come off, I'm still watching the game, seeing what I can improve in."
 
The decisive moment began on the left side with Martelli dribbling in. He sent a cross in the direction of sophomore Joseph Margita, who collected it before it went over the end line. He spotted Mazzola in the middle of the 18-yard box and the sophomore fired a shot past Owls' goalkeeper Gavin Atkinson at 74:09.
 
"Those are two of my roommates," stated Mazzola with a laugh. "We'll call it a room goal.
 
"I saw that ball coming in and before it even hit the ground, I knew what I was going to do with it. I hit it past one of my good friends in goal, so it was a surreal moment."
 
Temple brought its attack forward in the final 15 minutes and generated some activity inside Nova's 18-yard box. Twice, referee Gregory DeMello went to a video review to determine if a Wildcat had fouled an Owl inside the area, which would have resulted in a Temple penalty kick. In both cases, the original call was confirmed and no PK was awarded.
 
"As the game winds down and their attack picks up," Mazzola stated, "you just have to keep that solidity. Everyone works for each other. No one is slacking off."
 
Mazzola was asked if he felt any anxiety when the referee twice headed to review the video.
 
"Absolutely no nervousness on my part," he added.
 
The Philly Soccer Six win ensures that the 'Cats take a 1-0 record into Monday's home non-conference clash with St. Peter's.
 
"It's hard," Fetrow said. "Starting the season with Temple, there's always that extra vinegar and venom that we find in these Soccer Six games. We knew that there would be a lot of enthusiasm and excitement on both sides. For us, it was continuing to play with great attitude and great effort.
 
"There are a lot of things to clean up, but it was a great step forward."