Going into the ’06 campaign, the men’s soccer team was fully aware that a daunting schedule awaited them in the always difficult Big East Conference. With goalkeeper John Ward as the team’s only senior, the players knew that their youth and lack of experience might cause them to struggle early on in conference games. Despite a promising start in their non-conference games with a 3-1-1 record, the Wildcats were hit with a harsh kick of reality in the Big East Conference. Although they were only 2-9 in conference, they were able to pull off big wins against Big East tournament teams DePaul and Rutgers. The Wildcats finished the season with a 6-10-1 record.

One of the team’s strongest points this past season was the stellar play of junior goalkeeper Jason Friel. His 76 saves ranked third among all Big East goalies, and he kept the Wildcats in several games with his 1.35 goals-against average. Junior forwards Farris Fakhoury and Mike Del Guercio also played key roles this season with their team, leading three goals each. In addition to the outstanding performances by both those players, perhaps the most promising sign was the play of freshman forward/midfielder Mike Seamon. The young player led the team with nine points and should be a focal point of the offense for the rest of his time at Villanova.

The upcoming season appears to have a bright feature, as every major contributor to the team will return. The abundant freshman class showed progress throughout the season, and the team as a whole should play much better with an extra year of experience under its belt. If the team shows growth and finds more consistent scoring across the board, the Wildcats should make a strong run in the Big East in 2007.