Sept. 11, 2009

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Sophomore forward Katie Ryan (Wayne, N.J.) scored both of her team's goals on set pieces following corner kicks and Villanova (5-0-1) pulled out a 2-1 victory over Vermont (0-3-1) in double overtime on a soggy and windy afternoon of soccer at Finnessey Field in Philadelphia. Ryan netted the game-winning goal in the 103rd minute to keep the Wildcats undefeated for the season.

The heavy rain that fell all day in the Philadelphia area forced Villanova to move the game to the campus of Saint Joseph's University. The game was played on a slick, wet turf which created almost instantaneous scoring chances for the players on high bounces, skipping balls and a number of hard shots taken from well beyond the top of the 18-yard box. Despite a 35-10 edge in shots for the Wildcats, the number of bounces into the net favored the home team by just the slim 2-1 margin in the scoring column.

Villanova blasted many of its shots right at the middle of the net and wound up generating a large volume of corner kicks on deflections that went over the goal line. Senior midfielder Erin Byrnes (Sayville, N.Y.) - who took all 14 of the Wildcats corner kicks in the game - drove a ball into the middle of a scramble and Ryan tipped the loose ball into the net at 102:25 for her second game-winning goal of the season.

Late scores in regulation by both sides forced the two overtime periods. Villanova came out firing - it had a 10-0 shot advantage in the first 19 minutes of the game - but the first tally on the scoreboard didn't come until the 86th minute. Byrnes sent a short ball out to sophomore forward Megan Verdeur (Levittown, Pa.), whose shot towards the far post was redirected into the net by Ryan with just 4:30 remaining in regulation.

The Catamount tied the score less than two minutes later, however, when a shot by Alison Hemphill was first knocked down by Wildcat senior goalkeeper Molly Williams (Hinsdale, Ill.) but then deflected into the goalmouth to knot the score at 1-1. Vermont picked up its attack late in the second period, even before the first Villanova goal, as five of its six shots in the second half of regulation came in the last 15 minutes. Hemphill had a shot go right of the net with 21 seconds remaining before the game went to overtime.

In the two overtime periods, the Wildcats regained the momentum bringing the ball forward they had earlier in the game, and outshot the Catamount, 9-1, in the two periods. Both goalkeepers - Williams and Vermont's Eliza Bradley - tallied a save in the first overtime to maintain the tie score until Ryan provided the winning tally.

Villanova returns to the field - and to the familiarity of the West Campus Soccer Complex - on Sunday at 1 p.m. to take on Delaware.

NOTES: The Wildcats and Catamount met for the second time in as many years today in a rematch of last year's TD Banknorth Classic championship game at Vermont ... In that game, the teams played scoreless soccer for 77 minutes before three goals by Villanova in the last 13 minutes wrapped up a 3-0 victory ... The second of the three Wildcat goals in the game was scored by Ryan in the 83rd minute, her first career goal ... She now has 14 career goals in 24 collegiate games, tops among current players on the team ... Ryan has had at least one point in all six games this season and has scored a goal in five of the six contests ... She began the week leading the BIG EAST Conference in points and improved her team-best total to 14 (six goals, two assists) with today's game ... Byrnes recorded her 11th and 12th career assists in the game and is the team's active points leader with 36 (12 goals, 12 assists) ... The Wildcats have two wins in double overtime among their five victories this season ... The other was a 2-1 win over Virginia Tech at home on August 28 ... Today's game was the first time this season that Villanova did not score in the first half ... They still own an 8-0 scoring margin before intermission over its opponents for the year ... The Wildcats outshot Vermont in the opening period by a 15-3 margin and had a 10-0 edge in corner kicks.