Following a 1-1 draw on Labor Day against Michigan State, Villanova’s men’s soccer team recorded its second draw of the week on Saturday, tying Fairleigh Dickinson, 0-0.
The draw brings the Wildcats to a 0-2-2 record for the season so far.
FDU had a large chance early in the game, but Villanova graduate goalkeeper Kent Dickey tipped it over the crossbar. Dickey was named to the Big East weekly honor roll for his four-save performance.
When asked how he thought his team was tested, head coach Tom Carlin was quick to mention the pressure that FDU forward Jayd Hamdaoua put on his players.
“They had a really good player in their number-10 role,” Carlin said. “I think we did well not let him get going, stopping them in transition and we were able to defend them when they got deep.”
Throughout the first half, Villanova senior Dominic Cyriacks and graduate student Marcus Brenes anchored the midfield and won possession back multiple times.
Wearing the captain’s armband at center back, graduate student Gray Ricca provided a calming presence for the back line, which allowed the fullbacks, graduate student AJ Cousins and junior Tommy Johnson, to get forward on the attack.
Offensively, Villanova did well in the first half with creating chances, drawing fouls and earning corners. The team tallied 30 shots over the course of the game.
One of those chances came from junior striker Balthi Sanders, who had his free kick tipped over the bar.
Following a hydration break in the 22nd minute, the Wildcats continued to work the ball through the channels of the midfield and utilized the fullbacks whenever possible.
Eight minutes later, the first substitutions of the game were made. The first to come on was the Wildcats’ new number 10, senior midfielder Jorge Garcia.
Garcia’s impact was instantly felt. It was a like-for-like swap between him and Cyriacks, as much of the remaining play in the first half involved a touch from Garcia. However, come halftime there was still no score.
The most impressive player in the first half was Johnson.
“He’s a hard-working guy with a great left foot,” Carlin said. “He does a lot of different things for us, he’s tough, smart and dependable and did a great job of getting up and down the left side of the line.”
Coming out of halftime, both teams continued to put in a strong shift. FDU controlled possession, but Villanova was strong on defense. Despite the efforts in the final third, the Wildcats struggled to find the back of the net.
While Villanova did many things well, there were still a few aspects of the game of which the Wildcats’ coaching staff had hoped to see more.
“We wanted to see a little bit better flow out of our front three,” Carlin said. “I think we also needed to have better service. We were inconsistent and not serving crosses early enough, especially when we got going on the attack.”
The Wildcats will open up Big East play against Butler on Friday, Sept. 15th at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Kick-off is set for 3 p.m.
“The mindset for Friday is [that] we are hungry for three points, and we are happy to be home for our first [Big East] game,” Carlin said. “The mindset is also to keep building, keep getting a little bit better each time.”
