On Saturday, April 20, Villanova’s women’s lacrosse team faced No. 12 University of Denver. The Wildcats suffered a tough loss, 11-8, in their last home game of the season.
In their previous meeting in Storrs, Connecticut, the Pioneers defeated the ‘Cats, 12-7, last May. Last Saturday, ‘Nova put on a strong showing against Denver, the top team in the Big East, which remains undefeated in the conference and has an 11-3 overall season record.
“I think we stayed really composed and we slowed [Denver] down, which I was really proud about,” head coach Jill Batcheller said. “I think they were able to find the seams really well.”
The ‘Cats had a stellar first half, getting seven out of their eight goals within the first 30 minutes of play. Unsurprisingly, junior attacker Sydney Pappas led the way with four goals. This now puts Pappas at 45 goals for the 2024 season. Junior attacker Sami Carey also scored with an assistance from freshman midfielder Mary Moore.
Redshirt freshman midfielder Bella Piselli scored her sixth career goal in a free position shot in the second period. Also in the second period, the ‘Cats scored another free position goal.
Sophomore midfielder Ashlyn Hickey was fouled by Denver graduate defender Payton Vaughn. Moore scored a goal in the first period assisted by freshman attacker Sophia Corretjer. Moore also managed to accomplish two draw controls and three ground balls against some of the top defensive and draw specialists in the country.
“We broke up the Denver team day by day and that was really helpful for the girls to compartmentalize and just be ready for everything that Denver had thrown at us,” Batcheller said.
Villanova went into halftime up, 7-3, with confidence against a powerful team with a deep bench. However, Villanova’s confidence was short-lived. To start off the second half, there was a very clear shift in performance on Denver’s side. The Pioneers managed to score four goals in three minutes, tying the score, 7-7, five minutes into the third period. Denver attackers Lauren Black and Sloane Kipp scored three goals each against the ‘Cats.
Several Wildcats fell into penalty trouble toward the end of the fourth period. Sophomore defender Juliet Walls received a green card at 10:09. Next, Pappas received a yellow card at 7:57. Then, Moore was pulled out with a green card at 5:03 then a yellow card at 4:09. Freshman midfielder Rose Christie sat with a green card at 4:28.
“I think in the second half it was pretty unfortunate that the refs took a turn in making calls against us,” Batcheller said. “At the same time, I think it’s where we need to continue to stay disciplined.”
Both goalies matched each other with eight saves across the 60 minutes. Freshman Makenzie Fisher was at the Villanova goal, while junior Emelia Bohi was on the Denver side. Despite Denver’s complex defensive tactics and skilled offensive players, Villanova matched its powerful drive. The ‘Cats were able to hold the Pioneers to 11 goals, when they had scored over 11 in eight previous games this season.
Villanova still sits at No. 4 in the Big East with a 2-3 conference record. The Wildcats will play their final regular season game on April 27 against Marquette in Milwaukee at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
“I think this game gave us a lot of confidence that when we play together for sixty minutes, we can play against anyone,” Batcheller said. “I am really excited about going into next weekend.”
