VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova carried its momentum from nonconference play into its BIG EAST opener by defeating St. John's 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at Higgins Soccer Complex.
The shutout win brings Villanova (6-0-3, 1-0) to seven clean sheets on the year and keeps the team unbeaten for a ninth consecutive game, matching the same unblemished start to the year seen by the 2023 squad that was 4-0-5 to this point of the season. Villanova's win over St. John's (3-5-1, 0-1) also marks three straight matches without a loss in the series as the 'Cats have shutout the Red Storm in back-to-back matches.
"It's hard to win games in the BIG EAST and so we're very excited to start BIG EAST play with three points, but we also know there's a lot of work to do," Villanova head coach
Samar Azem said. "This was an opportunity to go out, get three points; it's also an opportunity for us to get better."
Villanova scored its first goal of the conference slate in the 27
th minute as
Morgan Kotch was defended by a slew of Johnnies. The junior forward pushed a pass from near the end line back toward the penalty spot where an open
Gabby Koluch raced in to send a one-timer that got past St. John's Kayla Bower for the 1-0 lead.
The Wildcats had another chance deep inside the 18-yard box in the 31
st minute when
Avrie Nelsen sent a cross past the mouth of the net toward
Dez Zapata but Bower landed on it to end the threat. In the 41
st, a foul just outside the box gave Koluch another shot to extend the lead. The senior midfielder's set piece shot was a low crosser that sailed over the right endline to keep the score at 1-0 at the break.
Through the opening 45 minutes, Villanova led shots 5-2 with Koluch landing both of her attempts on frame.
It was Zapata's turn to double Villanova's lead in the 66
th minute on another solid bit of passing from Kotch.
Meredith Palmer played a long ball across the midfield that Kotch chased down. She sent a through pass into the box that Zapata tracked to make a sliding shot on that sailed into the opposite side of the net for a 2-0 lead.
The junior striker is on a three-game scoring streak with at least a point in each contest. She started the run with an assist against Delaware on September 17 and has now found the back of the net in back-to-back games.
Kotch tried to get into the goal column in the 74
th minute with a shot from the top of the penalty area but Bower made a dead-on save. Despite a strong offensive presence in the second half, St. John's best chance to cut into the lead came in the 89
th minutes. Daisy Burt lined up for a free kick above the 18-yard box that
Hannah Dickinson caught near the right post.
The win moves Dickinson to 6-0-3 between the posts this season with five solo shutouts. The graduate moves to 19 shutouts as a Wildcat.
Kotch led all players with six shot attempts as Villanova outshot St. John's 14-7, 6-2 for shots on goal. Juliana Dane led the Johnnies with two shots.
Villanova hits the road for the first time since August 27 as the team heads to Creighton on Wednesday. Kickoff from Omaha, Nebraska is set for 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT.
