Oct. 26, 2005

Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pa. - A corner kick goal by freshman Adam Brazitis (Lititz, Pa.) in the seventh minute gave Villanova (5-7-3, 4-4-1 Big East) an early lead and the Wildcats thwarted a dangerous Red Storm attack in a 1-0 victory over St. John's (8-4-4, 6-2-2 BE) on Wednesday afternoon at the Villanova Soccer Stadium.

Despite giving up a 12-2 edge in corner kicks for the game to their visitors, Villanova had the contest's first corner opportunity in the seventh minute. Senior Brett Stassfurth (Gahanna, Ohio) sent a ball in from the left corner and Brazitis knocked it into the right side of the net for his first collegiate goal.

"That's a good team that we beat today," head coach Larry Sullivan said. "St. John's is one of the best programs in the country. We knew what they were going to want to do on the attack and we were able to match it. We talked before the game and at halftime about what we would do if we had the lead and we followed through."

Strong winds and a muddy field following two days of rain slowed the pace of play but did not prevent the Red Storm from exhibiting their dangerous offensive attack. St. John's owned a 22-9 advantage in shots for the game, including a 12-1 margin in the second half.

After scoring the early goal, however, the Wildcats played a terrific defensive game and had 10 saves. Sophomore goalkeeper Jason Friel (Dublin, Pa.) registered a career-high eight stops while posting his fifth shutout and Villanova also made two team saves.

"St. John's has a good attack and that forces us to play more people in the back end on defense," Stassfurth said. "Towards the end of the game they really had just three players back and were playing seven in our territory. St. John's is a very disciplined team but we matched their intensity and that is what enabled us to get the victory."

The Wildcats remained undefeated on their home field this season with a 4-0-2 record, while the win was the team's second over a ranked opponent. The other such victory was a 1-0 overtime victory at Seton Hall on September 25.

"Beating two teams that are arguably the best in the Big East says that we are on the way," Sullivan said. "The conditions were tough at times today but we played a great first half, just as we did against Seton Hall. When we start out well it gives us confidence and then we got more confidence after the goal. When you score early you have something to defend instead of defending a tie."

The victory was also an important one in the standings for Villanova, which moved into a fourth-place tie with Rutgers in the Big East Red Division. The top five teams in each division qualify for the Big East Tournament.

"We are looking to make the playoffs and then build on this season," Sullivan said. "All we can do is take it one game at a time and then work on the things that we don't do right."

The Wildcats return to action on Saturday evening with a 7 p.m. contest at Syracuse. Villanova, along with Rutgers and the Orange, appear to be battling for the final two spots in the Big East Tournament.