Sept. 25, 2009

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VILLANOVA, Pa. - Freshman forward Heidi Sabatura (Lawrenceville, N.J.) scored twice in the first half and Villanova (8-1-1, 1-1-0 Big East) used a quick start to defeat Seton Hall (4-5-0, 0-2-0 Big East) on Friday afternoon, 3-1, at the West Campus Soccer Complex. The Wildcats extended their unbeaten streak against the Pirates to 10 straight games (9-0-1) since 2001.

Villanova scored twice in the first nine minutes of the game and then added an insurance goal in the 24th minute after Seton Hall had closed to within 2-1. The Wildcats wound up with a modest 17-11 edge in shots but never looked back after the quick start and improved to 113-1-6 since 1999 when they score the first goal of a game.

In the fifth minute, sophomore forward Megan Verdeur (Levittown, Pa.) passed a ball up to classmate Katie Ryan (Wayne, N.J.) on the right side of the net. Ryan crossed it to Sabatura, who was in position to finish the play at the near post for her fifth goal of the year. Her next goal later in the period marked the second multi-goal game of the season for Sabatura, who is second on the team with six goals.

Just over four minutes after Villanova opened the scoring, the Wildcats capitalized on the first corner kick of the game when senior defender Kelly Eagan (St. James, N.Y.) headed in her sixth career goal - and sixth game-winner - at the 8:39 mark of the half. Senior midfielder Erin Byrnes (Sayville, N.Y.) drove a high kick from the right side into the middle of the box and Eagan was in a perfect spot to redirect it into the net.

Despite the early lead, Villanova never got a chance to run away with the contest, as it took less than two minutes for Seton Hall to tally what wound up being its only goal of the game. Danielle Schulmann stole the ball from a Wildcat defender near the top of the 18-yard box on a failed clear and was able to beat senior goalkeeper Molly Williams (Hinsdale, Ill.) from close range to bring the Pirates back into the game.

Byrnes and Ryan teamed up to start the play that led to the third Villanova goal and the final score of the game. Byrnes passed a ball from the middle of the field up to Ryan, who was stationed at the top of the 18-yard box. She quickly toed a pass to Sabatura, who was credited with her second goal of the game. The first-year Wildcat forward has now registered a point five of the nine games she has played, while Ryan extended her streak of games with at least one point to nine games.

Williams had three saves to pick up her seventh win of the year for Villanova, whose lead proved important when Seton Hall picked up the intensity of its attack as the match went on. Although the Wildcats owned a 12-5 edge in shots during the first half, the Pirates outshot their hosts by a slim 6-5 margin over the second half.

Jennifer Pettigrew had four saves in goal for Seton Hall.

Villanova returns to action on the road on Sunday evening at 6 p.m. when it faces Rutgers in another National Division matchup.

NOTES: The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Pirates by an 11-4-1 margin ... The 10-game unbeaten streak against Seton Hall is the longest such current streak against any BIG EAST opponent for Villanova ... This afternoon's score was a departure from normal in the series between the teams ... The Wildcats had won five of the last six meetings by a 1-0 score, with the exception being a 1-1 draw at Seton Hall in 2007 ... Eagan had the game-winner in one of the previous meetings, a tally in the 107th minute of double overtime at Villanova in 2006.