The season came to a close for the women’s soccer team last weekend as it lost to Cincinnati 2-1 on Oct. 24 and Louisville 2-0 on Oct. 26, ruling out the Big East tournament this year. The Wildcats finished with 11 wins, seven losses and one tie on the season (4-6-1, Big East). The Wildcats finished sixth in the Big East National Division.

The ‘Cats could not catch a break as they fell to Cincinnati at Cardinal Park, by a final score of 2-1. The Bearcats started the game strong, scoring two goals in the first half, and although ‘Nova picked up its offensive game in the second half, it could only find the back of the net once.

An unlucky hop on a slick field helped the Bearcats come up with their first goal. A kick from about 30 yards out slid past junior goalkeeper Molly Williams after an unexpected bounce on the wet turf. Eight minutes later, Cincinnati got on the board again after an open shot by senior Kristen May soared into the right side of the net.

At the end of the half, each team had nine shots on goal, but the Wildcats took the shot edge in the second half, outshooting Cincinnati 16-11 for the game. Junior Jessica Carnevale scored the lone goal for the Wildcats in the 71st minute off an assist by senior Erin Hardiman. Hardiman’s 14th assist for the year increased the school record for assists that she broke earlier this month. She also led the team with the most shots on goal with three, while freshman Kaitlin Ryan and Carnevale each had two.

The last game of the season was not much better for the ‘Cats when they fell to Louisville 2-0 also at Cardinal Park. Villanova started the game with a couple of shots on goal but was unable to get on the board.

The scoring for Louisville started in the 30th minute of the game, and the Cardinals kept control of the ball for most of the first half. Louisville had the edge in shots on goal with 10 before halftime, while the Wildcats had five. Williams had one save for the half, and Villanova earned one team save after sophomore Amy Greco blocked a shot that made it past Williams.

After the half, senior Leann Kania took over for Williams in goal and earned a career-high eight saves. The second Louisville goal came at 54:06 when a shot sailed right below the crossbar for a goal.

‘Nova almost found the net in the 86th minute of play when Carnevale took a shot that ricocheted off the goalpost. The offense never got going, however. The game was the first time Villanova has ever lost to Louisville.

Villanova posted a winning record for the 11th-straight year. The Wildcats netted 39 goals this season while allowing only 28.