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Early Goals Spark Wildcats over DePaul 3-0
Oct. 22, 2006
Box Score (HTML)
VILLANOVA, Pa.-- A pair of goals that came just 51 seconds apart early in the game provided an early spark and Villanova (15-2-2, 7-2-2 Big East) overpowered DePaul (3-13-2, 0-10-1) e-0 on Sunday afternoon on Senior Day at the West Campus Soccer Complex. With the win, the Wildcats tied the program's single-season record with its 15th victory and also established a new program-high for conference wins in a single season (7).
The final day of the regular season settled the playoff pairings for the BIG EAST Tournament. Villanova clinched third place in the National Division by winning and earned a bye in the first round of the conference tournament. The Wildcats will go on the road for the quarterfinals and play Marquette next Sunday at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time (2 p.m. Eastern). A complete release with tournament pairings will be available on Sunday evening.
Sophomore Nicole Coia (Simpsonville, S.C.) got the scoring started at 5:46 when freshman Erin Byrnes (Sayville, N.Y.) passed the ball into the middle of the box. From there Coia dribbled twice before beating the goalkeeper near the left post.
Villanova dominated control of the ball early in the game and got its second goal less than a minute after Coia's third tally of the season. Sophomore Erin Hardiman (Galloway, N.J.) crossed a ball in from the right side and junior Melissa Murowski (Warren, N.J.) blasted a shot into the goal from outside the top of the box at 6:37.
The Wildcats outshot the Blue Demons 17-6 in the opening period to exert constant pressure in the attacking third. DePaul goalkeeper Cara LaRocca had six of her 12 saves in the first period to keep Villanova from adding to the two-goal lead.
Despite limited chances in Villanova territory, the Blue Demons exhibited an aggressive offensive strategy with shots from several different locations. DePaul totaled 10 shots for the game and Wildcat junior goalkeeper Jillian Loyden (Vineland, N.J.) made five saves to post her 11th solo shutout of the season.
The dominance of Villanova offensively was showcased with the team's ability to create scoring chances and get corner kicks. The Wildcats took a season-high 1r corner kicks and held the Blue Demons to just three for the afternoon. Villanova finished with a 32-10 shot advantage.
Late in the game, the Wildcats added their final goal when senior Athena Yiantsos (Voorhees, N.J.) scored her second goal of the season. After a corner kick by junior Kayce Blandford (Columbia, Md.), senior Valerie Grow (Cumberland, R.I.) had an attempted shot blocked by a DePaul defender. However, she was able to touch the ball over to Yiantsos, who slid the ball into the back of the net with 1:37 remaining in the game.
The 15 regular season victories for Villanova are a new program best, while the Wildcats 15th shutout of the season leaves them just one away from tying the team record set in 2003. Villanova has now outscored its opponents by a 34-7 margin for the season, including a 15-1 margin in the first half and a 19-6 edge after halftime.
On Senior Day at the West Campus Soccer Complex, the Wildcats honored their four graduating seniors who played in their final regular season home games today. The four senior honorees included Grow, Yiantsos, forward Megan Farmer (Middle Island, N.Y.) and forward Lindsey Finnegan (Blackwood, N.J.).
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