Sept. 6, 2007

VILLANOVA, Pa. - When the women's soccer team heads off for its first road game of the season on Friday afternoon, it will be for a match against Princeton that is a homecoming in many ways. Such a fact is nothing unusual for Villanova teams, not with so many student-athletes from New Jersey coming here to continue their academic and athletic careers. However, for the women's soccer team in particular, there are a number of storylines that make this particular game a compelling one on the schedule.

Midfielder Jessica Carnevale, a sophomore on the team, is from Princeton and attended West Windsor-Plainsboro High School nearby. She became an important part of the team's midfield rotation as a freshman and this season will be counted on to be a major contributor. Carnevale earned significant minutes in each of the team's first two games, including a start in the second game of the season against Virginia Commonwealth.

Villanova has five players on the roster from New Jersey, including three of the team's large class of seven seniors. For all seven, though, returning to a game at Princeton will be meaningful. As freshmen, they played at Princeton against the Tigers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, falling 1-0 in double overtime to a team that was on its way to the Final Four. Friday's game offers a chance for some redemption for a class that has already made its stamp on the school record book but is still looking to add to their legacy.

"Going back to Princeton is huge for us," head coach Ann Clifton said. "We know a lot of their kids and they know a lot of ours. Princeton is a big rivalry for us because they are a well respected program that has been to the Final Four. The last time we played there the fans were boisterous and loud. We need to prepare ourselves for that type of environment this time around because it is a game we need to be successful in."

While Carnevale has the opportunity to play a game in her hometown and the senior class has a second chance to take on the team that ended their first collegiate season, the game has perhaps the most meaning for junior midfielder Kristen Verbit.

Verbit grew up in Pennsylvania, although less than 30 minutes from the Princeton campus, and was a senior in high school when Villanova and Princeton met in the 2004 NCAA Tournament. Yet the Princeton campus is as familiar as anywhere to Verbit, whose father, Steve, is the defensive coordinator for the Tigers football team and has been a coach there for more than 20 years. Her older brother, Matt, was a quarterback for the Princeton team and graduated as the program's second leading all-time passer.

"Princeton is like a second home to me," Verbit said. "My brother and I were there all the time growing up and the campus was like a playground for us. My dad has been coaching there for 22 years so it is really familiar to me. We were there all the time for games and even on off days from school to play around in the field house there. Princeton is a great place and it was somewhere me and my brother loved going to all the time."

Verbit had been playing soccer from the time she was five years old and by high school became the Bucks County Courier Player of the Year while at Council Rock North High School. She had plenty of options when it came time to decide on a place to play soccer at the collegiate level, but recalls that Princeton did not become one of her top options.

"I definitely thought about looking at Princeton as a place to go to school," Verbit said. "It was kind of natural to do that but just the way things worked out with looking at schools there were other top choices for me. I had spent a lot of time at Princeton and my dad knows the soccer coaches there but I never played with the soccer team or went to their camps or anything like that."

Verbit played her freshman season at Virginia Tech in 2005 and transferred to Villanova with three years of eligibility remaining. She was in a unique position when it came time to choose a school since she had a parent who was a collegiate coach and was so familiar with the recruiting process.

"I think it helped me out a lot that my dad knew so much about the recruiting process," Verbit said. "He tried to be involved the same way any other parent would be but as a coach he understood how important it was for me to take my time and make unofficial visits to all the schools I was interested in. He told me to make sure I met the coaches and players at each school and to do what I knew deep down was best for me. It was really nice that he could understand the dynamics of how coaches and teams are."

The timing of the Princeton game is interesting given all of the related storylines for Villanova. The Tigers are renovating their soccer field this season and Friday's game will be played on the turf at the Princeton football stadium.

"The overall experience of playing at Princeton is really exciting because I am so familiar with it," Verbit said. "It is neat that we are playing in the football stadium but I am happy about playing there for other reasons. It will be nice that my dad can see one of my games during his season and I will have a lot of family and friends at the game. All of the people I know would generally be rooting for Princeton but I know that they will want me and my team to do well."

Verbit played in 14 games last season in her first year at Villanova, but missed part of the season due to an injury. She is back and fully healthy this year and started the Wildcat season opener against Lafayette. Head coach Ann Clifton noted Verbit as an excellent leader and consistent midfielder who can control the tempo of the game as well as anyone on the team.

"I feel really great right now and I am excited for the season," Verbit said. "We have a lot of players back from last season and with the incoming freshmen that we added this year can be really special. It is only two games so far but we are playing well right now. The passion that we all have for the game in addition to the ability we have will give us a chance to go really far and the whole team is excited about that. I am really happy that I am healthy and will be able to make an impact and help the team any way I can."

Verbit played for a young Virginia Tech squad in 2005 that reached the NCAA Tournament and then returned to the postseason when Villanova made its fifth NCAA appearance in the last six years in 2006. She feels that the combination of a strong veteran presence and talented newcomers are the formula for success for the Wildcats of 2007.

"At Virginia Tech I was one of 14 freshmen on the team and seven or eight of us were starting a lot of the games. As young as we were, the team improved throughout the season and made the NCAA Tournament, so it shows how far you can go if you work hard, regardless of how experienced the team is. The freshmen at Villanova this year remind me a little bit of our situation at Virginia Tech, but we also have a lot of players that have been there before. That combination is very promising for what we can accomplish this season."

Villanova is enjoying a terrific start to the season, posting shutout victories in each of its first two games and earning a national ranking or receiving votes in four major national polls. The Wildcats game against Princeton will be the first difficult challenge for a team that knows it is capable of great things.