Last Thursday, Villanova’s women’s soccer team fell, 1-0, to Providence in its last regular season game. The Wildcats finished the 2022-23 season with a 4-7-7 overall record.
“I was so proud,” head coach Samar Azem said. “We knew we didn’t have a chance at playing in the postseason. Some teams would just go through the motions. Providence is a tough team. They’re a top-50 team in the country out of over 350 teams. We outplayed them. Statistically and subjectively we outplayed them. It’s the way you want to end the season.”
Throughout most of the game, the two teams were evenly paired. The Wildcats outshot the Friars, 13-11, with five of the shots being on target, compared to the Friars’ four shots on net.
However, during a lapse from the Wildcats in the 16th minute, Providence’s Kyla Gallagher was able to connect with Corinne Dente from nearly 20 yards out for the only goal of the game.
The Wildcats had the chance to tie the game later in the half with a penalty kick taken by graduate midfielder Jackie Richards, but Richards hit her shot to the left post.
In their last game as Wildcats, many of the seniors and graduate students proved to have a substantial impact. Richards led the Wildcats with five shots, two of which were on goal, and graduate goalkeeper Payton Woodward saved three out of four of the Friars’ shots on goal.
“[The seniors] have been absolutely outstanding,” Azem said. “They’ve been a huge part of the reason our program has grown so fast. Whether they’ve been here for five years or three months. They’re all individuals who are so committed and so caring. They’re great people and great athletes and they’ve made an outstanding difference.”
In addition to senior contributions, many of the freshmen played a strong role as well. In their first attempt of the game in the ninth minute, freshman midfielder Gabby Koluch took a free kick that found the head of Richards, only to be saved by the Friar goalkeeper.
“We had some fantastic incomers that came in and gave us a lot of talent in areas we needed,” Azem said. “Overall, a lot of development happened over the last year. From a fitness standpoint, from a culture standpoint, from a technical standpoint, from a tactical standpoint.”
In the second half, the game remained close. The Wildcats’ closest chances came from a pair of free kicks that the Friar goalkeeper Katherine McElroy was forced to save. In between these chances, Woodward made a save in the 56th minute after Friar Thaea Mouratidis shot a rocket from 25 yards out.
Despite this loss, this season was one of the most productive the Wildcats have seen in years. Early on in the year, the team went undefeated for nine straight games, making it one of the most successful teams in program history.
“If the ball would have bounced differently in four of those goals, if we didn’t give up four of those goals in Big East play, we would be sitting in fifth place right now,” Azem said. “That’s how marginal it is.”
“Last year we played Butler, Providence, Creighton [and] Marquette, and we were barely hanging on to just compete in those games,” Azem said. “And this year, we were the better team in every single one of those games.”
Azem and the team now reflect back on the 2022-23 season, not focusing on losses, but proud of the success they did have.
“I want them to know now that they’ve seen how hard it was to get to 95%, how hard it is to get to 100%, and how much commitment and dedication it takes to be able to get there,” Azem said. “I think that’s a really good lesson to learn. So I want them to be proud of that growth. I want us to rise back to the level that we left off at but I want us to find those margins next season so that we are not talking about ‘what if ’ and ‘should’ve, would’ve or could’ve,’ we are talking about ‘did.’ That’s what’s exciting to me.”
