Eight of the ten Wildcats to play scored for the ‘Cats, and seven of the ten record- ed an assist.

SPORTS

Wildcats Dominate in Season Opener, Win 91-51

Colin Beazley Co-Sports Editor (Continued from p.1) He’s playing with great confidence, and we need it.” The Wildcats jumped out to a 10-0 lead, blitzing the Mountaineers with an early full court press. Villanova turned three turnovers into a pair of threes from Moore and a layup from Gillespie, stunning the Mountaineers . “I thought we started well defensively and we want to do that every game,” Wright said. “Sometimes we don’t start as aggressively as we like defensively, but I thought we did a good job tonight.” After the initial run, the Wildcats continued pushing the pace. With eight minutes left in the half, the Wildcats went on an 8-0 run punctuated by a three from Brandon Slater, and the Wildcats finished the half on a 10-2 run to enter the break with a commanding 45-21 lead. Moore led the ‘Cats in scoring with 17 points in the first half, while Samuels was just behind with 13. Villanova shot 57% from the field in the half, including 44% from beyond the arc, while the Mountaineers were forced into nine turnovers and shot just 39% from the field. “I thought Justin also did a great job,” Wright said. “We’re trying to teach him, you gotta stay aggressive and be a killer, even though you want to get everybody else involved. If it’s there, you gotta take it. And that’s

Graduate point guard Collin Gillespie scores over Mount St Mary’s Jalen Benjamin. Courtesy of Olivia Pasquale/Villanovan Photography

what I thought he really did a good job [of] tonight.” After the half, the Mountaineers looked to get back into the game with six straight points, but Villanova quickly began extending the lead again. Redshirt sophomore forward Eric Dixon and Moore hit threes to increase the lead, but each time The Mount cut the lead back to 24. With ten minutes remaining in the game, the Wildcats renewed their defensive intensity, holding the Mountaineers without a basket for over four minutes. Villanova went on a 14-2 run to stretch the lead even further, punctuated by freshman guard Jordan Longino’s first points as a Wildcat. “They’re a good team,” Wright said. “They’re an NCAA Tournament team from last year with a lot of veteran players ... we think we played well if we played defensively like that against them... so that was a good start for us. “Mount St Mary’s is a better team than that score, I promise you.” Three freshmen played valuable minutes for the Wildcats, including Longino and forward Nnanna Njoku, both of whom made their Villanova debuts. Longino played 14 minutes off the bench, while Njoku played nine minutes. Njoku recorded four rebounds in his limited gametime, adding a block as well. “They just came in and brought great energy off the bench, played really hard,” Gillespie said of the freshmen. “I think that’s something that we didn’t really have to teach those guys... I think that’s super impressive of those guys.” The Wildcats were also helped by a return of the home fans to the Finn, as the team played in front of their home fans for the first time since February 2020. The student section made their presence known throughout the game, both with the return of several Villanova traditions and in relentless booing of Mountaineer junior guard Jalen Benjamin, who committed six turnovers. “It was definitely exciting, finally getting to have the fans out there,” Moore said. “But really it’s just exciting to be back playing with my guys, my teammates out there together, that’s what was most exciting.” After Tuesday’s initial tuneup game, Villanova faces an immediate test on a national stage, as the fourth ranked Wildcats travel to Los Angeles Friday to take on second ranked UCLA. The Bruins, led by junior guard and Preseason All-American Johnny Juzang, present a vastly different test than the Mountaineers, but Wright believes that the Wildcats are prepared for the early season battle. “I think we’re ready to play a team like that,” Wright said. “It’s gonna be a good test for us.”

Men’s Soccer Advances to Big East Semifinals

Owen Hewitt Staff Writer

Villanova men’s soccer advanced to the Big East tournament semifinals on Saturday night with a 2-1 win over Creighton in Omaha. It’s the squad’s first win in the tournament since its last appearance in 2016. Sophomore forwards Akinjide Awujo and Luke Pompliano scored the goals for the Wildcats, with Awujo finding the back of the net in the 76th and Pompliano scoring in the 83rd. The win was head coach Tom Carlin’s 115th at the helm of the program, making him the program’s all-time leader in wins. The first half was largely uneventful. The ‘Cats were able to get off to a good start, as they dominated possession for roughly the first 40 minutes of the match. Then in the final five minutes of the first, the Bluejays’ offense came to life, applying heavy pressure to the Wildcats’ back line. The ‘Cats’ defense was able to hold up, and the two teams went into the half in a scoreless gridlock. “I thought the first 40 minutes may have been the best soccer we have played all season,” Carlin said to Villanova Athletics. “We had good possessions and movement. But in the last five minutes we got stuck in our end.” first 10 minutes of the second. The Wildcats were able to respond with some chances of their own, with one becoming the most dangerous of the night to that point. Junior midfielder Josh Belluz headed a ball toward the frame off a corner that junior defender Viktor Benediktsson was able to redirect with a foot, but Bluejays’ senior keeper Paul Kruse made a stunning effort to block the ball, keeping the game level. Kruse’s efforts were quickly rewarded, as a cross in from the right off the foot of junior midfielder Dominic Briggs found senior midfielder Daniel Espeleta, who was able to slot the ball home past ‘Cats senior keeper Carson Williams in the 63rd minute. After the goal, the Bluejays continued to apply pressure, forcing Williams to step up and make some major saves to keep the Wildcats within striking distance. One such save came in the 67th minute, when Williams dived out to his right to get a hand on a Creighton shot that seemed destined for the back of the net. “Carson made a bunch of big saves,” Carlin said to Villanova Athletics. “That was a big one. If it goes to 2-0 there it might have been game, set and match.” Shortly after, Carlin made an aggressive substitution, bringing on Pompliano to try and insert some offense for the ‘Cats into the match. The substitution paid off, as the Wildcats started to gain some attacking momentum. “[Pompliano] changed the game,” Carlin said to Villanova Athletics. “He gave us energy and we just became more aggressive.” The aggression paid off in the 76th, as sophomore defender Jack Bonas found Awujo on a long throw. Awujo was able to redirect the ball from the left inside the post past Kruse to bring things level. After the goal, the ‘Cats continued with their offensive pressure, which led to their victory. Junior forward Lyam MacKinnon dribbled in from outside the 18-yard box, and after eluding a Bluejays defender, found Pompliano, who took the pass and smashed it home in the 83rd minute. The ‘Cats were able to hold on to their lead for the rest of the match, earning them their first outright victory in the Big East tournament since 2012 (the 2016 win against DePaul came on penalties). It earns the team a chance to take on the Big East No. 1 seed and No. 4 nationally ranked Georgetown on Thursday at 11 a.m. in Washington D.C. The two squads have already met once this year in a match that resulted in a 3-1 Georgetown victory. The squad improves to 11-6-1 on the year with the win, with an RPI rank of 32 before the win over the Bluejays is calculated. That gives the Wildcats a reason to be hopeful for securing a bid in the NCAA’s 48team College Cup regardless of what transpires on Thursday, although a win over the Hoyas would elevate the Cats’ resume and give them a chance at their first ever Big East conference title.

The winner of Thursday’s match between the Hoyas and the Wildcats will go on to battle against the winner of the other semifinal between Butler and Providence on Nov. 14 for the Big East title.

Amanda McKean Staff Writer

The Villanova women’s volleyball team’s playoff chances were dealt a crucial blow last week as the team dropped consecutive road games, falling Wednesday to Georgetown in five sets, before being swept by UConn on Saturday. With four games to play, the Wildcats’ record stands at 14-12, just 6-8 in conference play. On Wednesday, Georgetown had control over the Wildcats during the first set, as the Hoyas led the entire set. When the Hoyas were up 16-12, they went on a 4-0 run that gave them an eight point advantage, their largest of the game. The Wildcats came back and cut the deficit to 23-20, but the Hoyas clinched the last two points to win the set. During the second set, the Wildcats fought back. With the score close at 18-16, the Wildcats scored three consecutive points, paving the way for sophomore middle blocker Kiera Booth to capture the final four points for the Wildcats, giving her team the second set. At the end of the first two sets, Booth had collected nine out of her 19 kills of the game, a career-high for her. The third set went to the Hoyas, although it was close for much of the set. The Hoyas seized momentum with a 3-0 run to make it 23-17, and closed out the set and won, 25-21. The fourth set was neck and neck up until the very end, when the two sides were tied at 21. The Wildcats were able to go on a 3-0 run to make it 24-21, but the Hoyas fought off the Wildcats with two points of their own. However, sophomore outside hitter Riley Homer had a kill for the final point, forcing a decisive final set. However, this momentum did not carry over into the fifth set. The Hoyas went on an early 4-0 run and the Wildcats never caught up, as Georgetown won the set and the match, 15-11. The win was just Georgetown’s second in Big East play. “You can’t overlook anyone in this league,” coach John Steinbach said before the game. “We lost to Providence early on, and you can’t just say that we are good enough to beat this team by just showing up. You know it’s a one-match-at-a-time focus and just worry about this next one right away.”

On Saturday, Villanova faced 18-7 UConn, but the Wildcats were swept by the Huskies in three straight sets. “They’re very good and you know they’re playing at a high level,” Steinbach said before the game. “They’re experienced, they’ve got three or four seniors and two are graduate students. They’re playing confidently, so that’s going to be a tough match.” Steinbach’s sentiments were quickly proven correct as the Huskies dominated the first set, winning, 25-14. The set was close at first, as UConn led just 7-6, but the Huskies went on a 6-1 run and the Wildcats could not catch up. In just the first set, Caylee Parker had seven kills for UConn. The Wildcats tried to gain some momentum in the second set and started strong, jumping out to a 3-1 lead. The Huskies quickly refocused, taking an 11-6 lead, but the Wildcats were able to cut the lead to 11-9 with three straight points, including a kill from Homer. Despite the Huskies winning back-to-back points, the Wildcats went on a 3-0 run that cut the score to 13-12 with kills from junior middle/right side Kathleen Johnson and sophomore setter Andrea Campos. However, the Huskies answered quickly with a 6-0 run to take a commanding 24-15 lead, winning the set, 25-16. In the third set, the Wildcats took a 6-4 lead behind another kill by Booth. However, the Huskies responded with a 7-0 streak as Jasmine Davis had a pair of kills. The Wildcats still battled until the end, taking the lead three times in the set. Campos had a service ace to put Villanova ahead 21-20, but the Huskies finished the match on a 5-2 run to send the Wildcats home empty-handed. The Wildcats play at home twice next weekend, facing Providence on Friday and Creighton on Saturday. The Wildcats were swept in three sets by both teams earlier this season, but the Friars have won just three times in Big East play. Both matches will take place at 7 p.m. in Jake Nevin Field House.

WEEKLY SCOREBOARD

Nov. 3 - Nov. 9

Wednesday, November 3 Men’s Soccer vs. Seton Hall 1-0 W Women’s Volleyball @ Georgetown 2-3 L

Thursday, November 4 None

Friday, November 5 Men’s Swim @ NJIT 153-147 W

Saturday, November 6 Football @ Elon 35-0 W Women’s Volleyball @ Connecticut 0-3 L Men’s Soccer @ Creighton Big East Tournament 2-1 W

Sunday, November 7 None

Monday, November 8 None

Tuesday, November 9 Men’s Basketball vs. Mount St. Mary’s (Md.) 91-51 W

Women’s Basketball Opens Season Against Princeton

Meghann Morhardt Staff Writer The Villanova women’s basketball team opens its season on Wednesday against Princeton. This will be the Tigers’ first game in more than 600 days as the Ivy League cancelled its 2020-21 season due to COVID-19. The ‘Cats finished last season with a record of 17-7 overall, 9-5 in the conference. Villanova finished fifth in the Big East for the regular season and fell to eventual champion, UConn, in the quarter finals of the conference tournament. The Tigers went 26-1 in the 2019-20 season with their only loss coming on the road against Iowa, which was undefeated at home. Princeton won the Ivy League, and before the pandemic cancelled the season, it was favored to win the conference tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament. Princeton returns 46% of its scoring and just one of its top three scorers from the 2019-20 season. Junior guard Julia Cunningham averaged 8.2 points per game and led the team with 31 three-pointers during her freshman year. Along with Cunningham, Princeton will look to its seniors, as well as a few newcomers to supplement its scoring. Senior guard Abby Meyers and senior guard/forward Neenah Young will play a huge role in leading the team and helping the new members adjust. Newcomers sophomore guard Kaitlyn Chen and freshman forward Paige Morton, who were both McDonald’s All-Americans in high school, are likely to make strong contributions offensively for the Tigers. Villanova returns its top two scorers, junior forward Maddy Siegrist and graduate forward Brianna Herlihy. Siegrist and Herlihy averaged 22.8 and 13.8 points per game, respectively. Siegrist led the Big East in scoring and rebounds and was ranked 11th in the nation in scoring. Villanova also returns its strong sophomore class, including guard Bella Runyan and forward Lior Garzon, who both had strong freshman campaigns. Runyan averaged five points per game and played a key role on the defensive end for the ‘Cats, often guarding one of the opponent’s top scorers. Garzon averaged 8.8 points per game and was second on the team with 39 three pointers on the season.

Both teams are led by coaches known for putting an emphasis on the defensive end. In points allowed per game, Princeton ranked No.1 nationally in 2019-20, holding opponents to just 47.9 points, while scoring an average of 71.2. Villanova averaged 7.1 steals and 3.9 blocks per game. The ‘Cats also allowed an average of 66.5 points, while scoring 70.9 points per game. Coming off of a dominant victory in their exhibition game against Indiana University of Pennsylvania, in which they scored 93 points, the ‘Cats will look to counteract the intense defense of the Tigers with their fast paced offense. Wednesday’s game will be an early test for both teams. Princeton will need to shake off the cobwebs that come with an 18-month break, while Villanova will have to find a way to maintain its strong offense facing the former top defensive team in the country. Some key matchups to watch are Runyan and Chen at point guard. Both are young players with limited experience who will be asked to play a key role for their respective teams this season. Princeton’s Morton will have a tough challenge in guarding Siegrist, a clever scorer who is a threat for anywhere on the court.

The first game of the season is always unpredictable, but with the challenges and differences over the last two seasons due to COVID-19, there is even more uncertainty heading into Wednesday night. This will mark the first time that the ‘Cats have played at home with regular fans since Senior Night of the 2019-20 season, as well as head coach Denise Dillon’s first game in front of the Villanova faithful. Doors will open at 6 p.m. and tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tyler Moore Staff Writer

Coming off of a shutout win over Elon, Villanova returns home for its final home game of the regular season as it looks to stay strong against 4-5 Stony Brook (3-3 in CAA play). The ‘Cats had a dominating performance against the Phoenix on Saturday, as they tallied their second shutout of the season. The two shutouts are the first since the 2017 season and the first time in program history that Villanova has completed two shutouts against conference opponents in a single season. The game in North Carolina featured a strong performance on both sides of the ball. Graduate quarterback Daniel Smith led the way with a total of five touchdowns and 238 yards, while the defense held Elon to just 163 total yards and posted one interception and one fumble recovery. While ‘Nova comes off a great bounce-back performance, Stony Brook comes into Saturday hot as well. The Seawolves started the season 1-5, but after a loss to Towson, they went on a three-game winning streak to improve their record. Their most recent game against Maine was a big step for the team as well, as the Seawolves knocked off the Black Bears 22-17. Redshirt junior running back Ty Son Lawton rushed for 96 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown, continuing a dominant season for himself. The Seawolves’ past three games have seen nearly 1,000 yards of total offense and nine turnovers forced by the defense, propelling them to three straight wins. The Seawolves are pretty balanced when it comes to rushing and passing. Lawton and the Stony Brook rushing game will need to be contained, as he leads the 28th ranked rushing offense in the country with nine touchdowns and four games this season with more than 100 yards. Lawton leads the CAA in rushing yards with 883 yards, as well as rushing touchdowns. The passing game will also be a focus for the ‘Nova defense, as graduate QB Tyquell Fields averages 180 passing yards per game. The Stony Brook offense is the third best total offense in the conference, just behind ‘Nova. While the Stony Brook defense should be manageable for head coach Mark Ferrante and his 17th-ranked scoring offense, the Seawolves come into the matchup with the 34th ranked total defense in the country to try and put a halt to a dominant effort. Smith comes in third in the CAA in passing yards. ‘Nova ranks third in both rushing and passing offense in the CAA. The ‘Cats still have yet to see if star graduate running back Justin Covington will return from injury. Covington suffered an injury earlier in the season against Albany but still leads the team in rushing yards. In the spring, Villanova was able to squeeze out a close 16-13 at Stony Brook to start the season. The recent history between the teams has included several close games, with each game in the past four years being determined by less than a touchdown, including a 2019 Seawolves win. Although Stony Brook sits in ninth in the CAA standings, the game is a must win for the ‘Cats, as Villanova still sits tied at first with James Madison. William & Mary, Villanova’s only conference loss, is not too far behind in the third spot, which makes the game

Graduate student Dan Smith sets to throw a pass. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics that much more important. The game also has big FCS playoff implications for Villanova as it currently sits 10th in the nation, and they will need to remain high in the rankings to receive a playoff bid and potentially gain home field advantage in the first round. The matchup at Villanova

Stadium will kick off at 1 p.m. on

Saturday.

Men’s Swim Takes Down NJIT For First Victory

Tyler Moore Staff Writer

The Villanova men’s swimming and diving team pulled off a 153-147 Win Over NJIT (0-3 overall) on Friday, giving the team its first win of the season. The match was highlighted by junior freestyle Jake McIntyre and senior diver Michael Ackert, as they both won two events each and collectively tallied six first place finishes to help Villanova improve to 1-1 on the season. The meet started well as ‘Nova pulled off a sweep of first, second and third in the 1000 free. McIntyre placed first at 9:48.91 as he narrowly finished ahead of freshman Aubrey Bowles (9:49.37). Not far behind, sophomore Richard Nolan came in third with a time of 10:00.92. Later in the 500 free, McIntyre and sophomore Charlie Hinckley took first and second with times of 4:40.83 and 4:48.20, respectively. Bowles placed fourth with a time of 4:50.08. In the 200 breaststroke, Nolan finished first by just under three-quarters of a second to win at 2:08.63. Freshman Henry Halloran put points up for the ‘Cats with a fourth place-finish at 2:12.70. Freshman Patrick Hemingway won the 50 free with a time of 21.51. Junior Ryan Maher finished fourth in the 50 free with a time of 22.07, and senior Jesse Marsh finished fifth with a time of 22.46.

The Wildcats also had two teams in the 200 medley relay, placing second and fourth. Sophomore Ethan Brown led the Team A lineup for ‘Nova followed by Nolan, Marsh and Hemingway. The team finished in 1:35.56 to come in second behind NJIT. The second team started with freshman Carson Brockette and finished with Halloran, junior Kevin Geist and freshman Andrew Mitchill, with the team putting up a time of 1:37.89 for fourth place. On the diving side, the men swept the top three spots for both the one-meter and three-meter boards. Ackert won both competitions with 273.60 points on the three-meter and 284.50 points on the one-meter. In the three-meter, freshman Nicholas Jubilee came in second with 268.57 points and sophomore Noah Clipman followed in third with 250.87 points. The one-meter saw flipped results,

Junior Ryan Maher dives into the pool to start a race. Courtesy of Villanova Athletics as Clipman came in second with 258.00 points and Jubilee followed with 237.00 points. The final event, the 200 free relay, featured a second and third finish by the Wildcats’ best teams. Maher, Marsh, Mitchill and Hemingway hung behind the NJIT winning team with a time of 1:26.88 for second place. Hinckley, Brown, Geist and junior Reid Hutcherson followed close behind in third with a time of 1:28.25. A third team participated in the relay with Brockette, Bowles, junior Stephen Griner and sophomore Nolan Danus placing sixth with a time of 1:32.01. Villanova comes home to face Penn in its first home match of the season in a dual meet with the women’s team. The meet is set