The men and women’s lacrosse teams both competed last Saturday afternoon. The men traveled back to Villanova with a win over Sacred Heart, while the women suffered a tough loss at the Villanova Stadium against Saint Joseph’s followed by another loss at Drexel.

The men beat Sacred Heart 15-9 in the final regular season conference game for both teams. Midfielders Matt Starker and Dan Fanelli scored three goals a piece for the Wildcats.

The first quarter was back to back. Each team scored four goals. The Wildcats began to gain control in the opening minutes of the second quarter. ‘Nova’s offense scored three goals in just under two minutes. Fanelli broke the tie just 19 seconds into the second quarter. The other two goals were scored by senior attack Marc Creegan and junior attack Brendan O’Donnell. The ‘Cats kept control throughout the quarter netting two more goals. These five unanswered goals brought the ‘Cats to a 9-4 lead going into the second half.

Sacred Heart was looking for a comeback in the second half. The Pioneers scored two goals just 19 seconds a part in the beginning of the third quarter. The pair of goals made the game close again. The Wildcats were leading by three, but the offense decided that was not enough. O’Donnell and sophomore midfielder Eric Heidenberger scored two goals apiece.

Once again the Wildcats’ defense was solid. Senior goalie Joe Canuso made 11 saves and played a major role in Saturday’s game. Although Villanova was outshot by three for the game, Canuso’s saves allowed the team to keep the lead.

“We played like we should have. Canuso and his defense were solid as usual and the offense clicked and stuck goals left and right,” junior Garret Hohendorf said. “It feels good to get a big conference win coming off some tough losses. Our confidence is growing at the perfect time of the season: heading into the conference tournament and possibly the NCAA tourney, as well. We are going to raise some eyebrows in the next couple weeks.”

The men will conclude their season on April 29 against Penn State at 7:30 p.m. Their first conference tournament game will be played on Wednesday. The Wildcats will compete in the semifinal game against Towson.

On the women’s side, Villlanova concluded the season on Wednesday at Drexel. The Dragons dominated on both sides of the field throughout the game and ultimatley defeated the Wildcats, 17-2.

Villanova’s first goal came in the first half after sophomore Molly Grace found freshman Tricia Magnuson to score. Going into halftime, Drexel held a commanding 13-1 lead.

While only allowing four goals in the second half, the ‘Cats were never able to come back. The team’s second goal came from freshman Kathleen Kelly off of an assist from sophomore Jamie Schneider.

Meanwhile, on Saturday the women’s lacrosse team lost to Saint Joseph’s by one. Christina Colangelo scored off a pass from Suzanne Finley to lift the Hawks over the Wildcats with 13.9 seconds left in regulation.

Saint Joe’s came back from a four goal deficit for the win. They scored the game’s final five goals to take home the win.

Villanova opened the scoring just 17 seconds into the game when Alex Garvey took a pass from Cindy Koza and sailed it pass the Hawks goalie. Then Becky Gardner scored off an assist from Kathleen Kelly.

The Wildcats led two to zip, but not for long. The Hawks’ Kerry O’Connell answered back with two goals.

The Hawks took the lead after Jenny Egan scored with 19:31 left in the first half. Gardner then scored three unanswered goals in just over five minutes. Gardner’s hat trick in second quarter gave ‘Nova an 8-5 lead at halftime.

“Becky is a great player with a lot of determination,” teammate Amanda Carlson said. “She knows how to get the job done which showed in Saturday’s game.”

In the third quarter senior Amy Rocap, who was honored along with classmates Bess Hanley and Kristen Cornicello in a pre-game Senior Day ceremony, scored. With that goal, ‘Cats increased their lead to four, but then the Hawks went on a scoring streak. O’Connell’s third goal of the second half tied the game 9-9.

O’Connell scored with 4:05 left in regulation. Villanova won the face off and carried the ball down the field. The ‘Cats kept possession until 35 seconds remained. However, they were unable to score. After forcing a turnover, the Hawks immediately flew down the field. Finley passed the ball to Colangelo, who scored the winning the shot of the game with 13.9 seconds left.

The women finished the season with a 2-13 overall record.