VILLANOVA, Pa. — The Villanova field hockey team will continue its home stand and take on Queens University of Charlotte on Friday, September 11 at 12 p.m. from Snell Field at Ursinus. The Wildcats will then hit the road to face Lehigh on Sunday, September 12 p.m. from Bethlehem, Pa.
The 'Cats are coming off a weekend where the team split its contest, falling to Penn State 2-0 before grabbing a win over New Haven 10-0. The win on Sunday against the Chargers saw nine different Wildcats score a goal including first career goals for Katharina Balks, Carey Werley and Adie Minnella. Additionally, sophomore Aimee Largoza finished the afternoon with five points off two goals and an assist. In net, Maddi Sears as well as freshman Famke Poolman combined for a shutout.
Gemma Lysaght picked up three points in the victory to push her total to 14 points, 5 points and four assists. The performance landed Lysaght to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll which marked her second consecutive weekly award nomination, winning BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week prior.
The match up between Villanova and Queens University marks the first competition between these two teams in each of their histories. The Wildcats do have some experience against teams in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, with Delaware being a part of that conference. The Blue Hens and VU faced off in the both teams' season opener which led to a Villanova 2-1 win.
The Royals enter the contest with a 1-3 record following two straight losses against Ohio University and Appalachian State University. The team's lone win came over Longwood University, 3-1. The team is led by Coach Brandi Kist, who has been with the team since it entered NCAA competition in 2015.
Offensively, the Royals are led by a balanced attack of Delfina Gonzalez Fontan and Liv Rainwater each with two goals on the season. The primary facilitator is Olivia Gain who tallied three assists on the season. Defensively, Queens has primarily used goalkeeper Madison Destefano this season who started four games this season. In the action, she comes out with a 1-3 record and has recorded 34 saves on 69 shots faced earning a .607 save percentage.
As for Lehigh, the two teams have matched up a total of 27 times across their two histories. Villanova holds the series record 16-10-1 but Lehigh won the most recent matchup back in 2022, a 2-1 overtime loss for VU. Prior to that, Villanova had won 15 straight games against the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh is led by both Gracen Brant and Kristina Johnson who each have two goals on the season. Additionally, Johnson garners a .500 shot percentage on the season. Carly Smith leads Lehigh in points this year with 3, coming off a goal and an assist. She is also tied for the most assists on the team with 1. Defensively, the Mountain Hawks are led by Kate Burgess who has started every game and exits with a 1-2 record. In the action, she has recorded 19 saves on 31 shots faced for a .613 save percentage.
Friday's match will be streamed on Villanova's YouTube channel while Sunday's game will be streamed on Lehigh's athletics' website.
