Schuyler Scores First Goal of Season as Wildcats Tie No. 17 Rutgers 1-1

Villanova plays to a draw against BIG EAST rival for the third time in the last four years

Rachel Schuyler's first goal of the season helped Villanova to a 1-1 tie against No. 17 Rutgers on Sunday night.

Sept. 28, 2009

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - In a game that matched up two teams who each had a player tied for the league lead in goals scored, there were plenty of offensive chances to go around but it ultimately wound up being the defenses that settled the score on Sunday evening at Yurcak Field, where Villanova (8-1-2, 1-1-1 Big East) tied No. 17 Rutgers (8-1-2, 2-0-1 Big East) in its first matchup of the season against a nationally-ranked opponent.

A return road game against the Scarlet Knights for the second straight year offered a familiar setting for the Wildcats to demonstrate the strides the team has made since last season, when Villanova was handed a 5-0 defeat that dropped the team to 0-2 in conference play with a combined eight goals allowed. Such disparity was not the case on Sunday, as the Wildcats got on the scoreboard first and later hung in defensively against the opponent it has faced more times in its history than any other.

Senior goalkeeper Molly Williams (Hinsdale, Ill.) had nine saves in goal for Villanova, which held the Rutgers offense in check despite a 20-11 edge in shots for the host team. Williams stopped all six shots on goal that the Scarlet Knights had in the first half and added three more saves in the second period. By the time that regulation play came to an end, each side's defense was firmly in control. Neither side registered a shot on goal in either of the two overtime stanzas.

While the offensive attack presented by Rutgers was a potent one, the Scarlet Knights also entered the game as the leading defensive team in the BIG EAST Conference. Rutgers had surrendered just four goals in its first 10 games of the season, but that changed in the 25th minute when junior midfielder Rachel Schuyler (Cheshire, Conn.) collected her first goal of the season. The Wildcats capitalized on the scoring opportunity presented by an unsettled scramble in front of the net, and Schuyler placed a shot just under the crossbar on a pass back from freshman forward Heidi Sabatura (Lawrenceville, N.J.).

Villanova has been first to get on the scoreboard in 10 of its 11 games this season and remained undefeated in these games for the season. In fact, the Wildcats have lost just one game that they scored first in since 1999. Tonight's affair became the seventh draw in such a game in that span when forward Karla Schacher scored her third goal of the season for the Scarlet Knights in the 54th minute. She was stationed on the left side of the net and a shot to the right corner was lobbed over the head of Williams for the equalizer.

Schacher led all players with four shots in a game that included Villanova sophomore forward Katie Ryan (Wayne, N.J.) and her junior counterpart from Rutgers, Ashley Jones. Ryan had registered at least one point in all nine games she had played in previously this season, while Jones had scored the last three goals for the Scarlet Knights in their past two outings.

Rutgers senior goalkeeper Erin Guthrie had seven saves, including four in the first half.

The Wildcats continue a stretch of road games this coming Friday when they travel to Connecticut for a 7 p.m. match.

NOTES: Villanova and Rutgers have played to a tie in three of the past four seasons ... The Scarlet Knights lead the all-time series by a 12-6-8 margin ... The adversary and the venue seemed appropriate for the Wildcats to show the turnaround they have made from last season ... In addition to Rutgers being the program's most common opponent over the years, Yurcak Field is the site where Villanova won its only BIG EAST Championship in 2003 ... The Wildcats held a 5-4 edge in corner kicks in the contest, including a 4-0 edge in the first half ... The team is 113-1-7 (.963) since late in the 1999 season when it scores the first goal of a game ... Villanova also has a current 75-game unbeaten streak (70-0-5) when it leads at the half ... Friday's upcoming game against the Huskies will be the first regular season game at Storrs for the Wildcats since 2002 ... The team last played Connecticut on its home field in the semifinals of the 2004 BIG EAST Championship, when the Huskies advanced to the title game on penalty kicks following a 1-1 tie.

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