Oct. 15, 2006

Box Score

INDIANOLA, Pa. - Freshman Jessica Carnevale (Princeton, N.J.) scored the first two goals of her collegiate career and No. 23 Villanova (14-1-2, 6-1-2 Big East) moved to within one win of tying the single-season team record in a 2-0 victory over Pitt (7-6-3, 2-5-2) on Sunday afternoon at Founders Field.

After a lackluster first half, Villanova opened the second period with a younger lineup that featured six freshmen and sophomores. It was that combination that led to the game's first goal almost immediately at the outset of the period, as sophomore Kristen Verbit (Newtown, Pa.) got a through ball from classmate Ali Foley (Short Hills, N.J.). Verbit's pass went to Carnevale, who got the ball just in front of the net and beat the opposing goalkeeper for her first career goal just 23 seconds into the half.

"It is a sign of a great team when you can go to your bench and get production in a game," head coach Ann Clifton said. "We did that after a slow start today and were very pleased with the results."

Carnevale got the second goal in the 70th minute when junior Kayce Blandford (Columbia, Md.) passed in a ball from the right side of the box. It was the second pass in a series from Blandford after her initial attempt was cleared by the Panthers defense. Her second pass went right to Carnevale, who scored from nearly the same spot as where her first goal materialized.

"We thought that Jessica was one of the top players coming out of New Jersey this season," Clifton said. "She got a chance today and she showed us that she is a big part of this program."

The Wildcats defense held Pitt to just five shots on the afternoon and just one in the second half. Still, the spark provided from the bench early in the second half was the decisive factor, as Villanova was unable to make good on offensive opportunities in the opening period.

The defensive effort never wavered though, as the Wildcats posted their 14th shutout in 17 games on the season. Junior goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) played the first 86 minutes in the net and made two saves before yielding to redshirt freshman Leann Kania (Pittsburgh, Pa.) for the final four minutes.

After four straight road games over the past two weeks, Villanova will return home for its final two games of the regular season. The Wildcats take on top-ranked Notre Dame this Friday at 4 p.m.

NOTES: The early goal in the second half was a near mirror image of last Sunday's game at Cincinnati, when Villanova broke a scoreless tie with the game's only goal 40 seconds into the final period ... The Wildcats season record for wins is 15, set in 2003 ... That season the team also set the program mark for shutouts in a season with 16 ... Loyden owns 10 solo shutouts on the season and has combined for four others.