Oct. 28, 2008

VILLANOVA, Pa . Two Red Division foes hope to take a big step forward in their respective quests to secure a place in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament when Villanova (6-8-2 overall, 3-4-2 BIG EAST) hosts Syracuse (7-5-3 overall, 3-5-1 BIG EAST) in a match on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.

The Wildcats enter the action having played two strong games against quality opponents. Villanova defeated then No. 10 Louisville on the road on Oct. 18, 3-2, and then generated 22 shots against No. 12 USF in a touch 1-0 loss at the Soccer Complex last Friday afernoon. The 'Cats applied that pressure despite being without leading scorer, junior Mike Seamon, who was sidelined by a sprained ankle.

If the season ended today, Villanova would earn a spot in the postseason. The 'Cats currently have 11 points, tying them with Rutgers for fourth place in the Red Division. Syracuse has 10 points to date with one game remaining following tomorrow's. The Orange is tied with Cincinnati for fifth place. The top six finishers in each division earn bids to the BIG EAST Tournament.

Villanova will wrap up the regular season on Saturday at DePaul, which enters this week's action with 14 points, in third place in the Red Division. Louisville has 13 points and presently ranks fourth. St. John's and USF set the pace in the Red Division and each has locked up a post-season tourney berth.

Syracuse leads the all-time series against Villanova 9-6-1, but the Wildcats have had the upper hand of late, taking the last four meetings between the two squads. Last season, Seamon recorded a natural hat trick in a 3-2 'Cat triumph in central New York.

Kickoff is set for 3:00 p.m. and the game can be viewed on Nova Nation All-Access.