Villanova University

Oct. 16, 2005

Box Score

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Sophomore forward Nikki Mabery (Phoenix, Ariz.) ended a scramble by finishing a ball to the right corner of the net and Villanova (8-3-4, 5-0-3 Big East) extended its unbeaten streak to nine games with a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh (3-9-3, 2-5-2 BE) on Sunday afternoon at the Villanova Soccer Stadium.

Mabery scored her fourth goal of the season just 6:14 into the contest. Sophomore midfielder Kaley Guthrie (Ogdensburg, N.J.) brought a ball into the box and both teams battled to control possession. Senior forward Lindsey Finnegan (Blackwood, N.J.) touched a ball that was saved by Panthers goalkeeper Jamie Pelusi. With the Wildcat forwards still putting on pressure near the goal, Pelusi came out of the net to try and keep the ball. However, Mabery got the rebound of Finnegan's shot and kicked the ball into the bottom right corner of the empty net.

Following the early goal, neither team could make good on its scoring chances throughout the remainder of the game. Villanova outshot Pittsburgh by a 12-5 margin for the contest, and Pelusi had five saves to prevent the Wildcats from extending their lead. In goal for Villanova, junior Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) had three saves along the way to posting her sixth shutout of the season.

The Wildcats are 6-0-3 during their current unbeaten streak, which started following a 2-1 loss on September 11 to UC-Santa Barbara. Since then, Villanova has outscored the opposition 11-5 during the nine-game streak. The Wildcats have limited their opponents to just 9.9 shots per game during that span.

The back defense of seniors Laura Koch (Blackwood, N.J.) and Kristin Anderson (Annapolis, Md.) along with sophomore Kayce Blandford (Columbia, Md.) kept the Panthers offense at bay in Sunday's game. Pittsburgh had only two shots in the second half and was unable to repeat its performance from two days earlier, when the Panthers scored twice late to defeat Georgetown.

The Wildcats return to action on the road Friday night when they take on defending national champion Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. (CST). Villanova will also visit DePaul on Sunday at 1 p.m. (CST).

NOTES: The Wildcats celebrated Senior Day during a ceremony prior to the game ... Anderson, Koch and senior midfielder Kelly Breslin (Medford, N.J.) were each honored for their career achievements ... Villanova has gone 52-16-16 (.714) in their four years on the Main Line ... Mabery has two career game-winning goals ... The other came in a 3-0 victory over Bucknell on Sept. 6, 2004 ... Her goal on Sunday was the earliest in a game Villanova has scored this season.