On Friday, Oct. 4, Villanova men’s soccer lost to UConn at home, 3-0, to extend a 19-game winless streak that dates back to September of 2023. Four days later, the winless streak ended when the Wildcats secured a 2-1 victory over Columbia.
This brings the Wildcats’ record to 1-7-4 and 1-2 in the Big East.
The win over Columbia at Higgins Soccer Complex snaps the ‘Cats’ winless streak and marks the first win on home turf since the home finale of the 2022 season.
In the 89th minute, graduate midfielder Jorge Garcia scored off a free kick to secure the victory.
Following the match Garcia spoke about putting the team on his back.
“At the end of the day it’s a team effort,” Garcia said. “But it also has been a matter of being there for teammates and making myself more available each year. Obviously, as you get older more guys look up to you, so it’s just about making sure I’m there and making myself more available.”
Head coach Mark Fetrow was also pleased with the performance and was more happy for his players than anything else.
“I’m just happy for the guys,” Fetrow said. “When you work as hard as we do everyday and you don’t get the benefit of results it’s hard to bring everyday as a player. As a coach, it’s easier because this is what we do, this is what we’re all about but as a player it starts to wear on you. So for them to get the result today, I’m happy for them.”
After the loss to UConn on Friday, Fetrow had a much different reaction.
“I didn’t like our attitude, I didn’t like our effort,” Fetrow said. “I thought our body language was unacceptable when we gave up the first goal, and it got even worse when we gave up the second and third goals.”
Eight minutes later, while a play was under review Fetrow displayed this disappointment, showing some frustration that could be heard from the far sideline bleachers.
For the remainder of the half, the Wildcats seemed to respond well to a powerful message. They were aggressive in their attack and won several corner kicks.
Following halftime, Fetrow made two changes, bringing on junior defender Foday Bangura and freshman forward Jasper Zulman. Bangura, who usually plays as a left back or left-sided center back, spent the majority of his time on the field playing as a forward.
“[Bangura’s] such a great soldier for us and such a great team guy,” Fetrow said. “We’re still trying to find a role where we can have some longevity with him, so we had talked at the beginning of the year about potentially giving him some minutes up top.”
While Bangura provided physicality up front, his presence on defense was missed.
In the 63rd minute, the Wildcats conceded a third goal when UConn junior midfielder/forward Charlie Holmes found the back of the net.
After the third goal, the ‘Cats lost much of their energy and intensity. For the remainder of the game, there were a number of fouls, as well as words exchanged between teammates.
The season has been frustrating for the coaches and for the players. The loss to UConn shined a light on the mental and physical impact of an ongoing winless streak.
“We’ve given up way too many goals, and I think we have good moments throughout and some good performances but I think as a team we could come up short in key moments of the game,” Fetrow said. “Defending the box is a big one, so there’s still things we’ve got to continue on and do better.”
The Wildcats’ next two matches are two crucial Big East fixtures on the road in the Midwest.
On Saturday, Oct. 12, they will face Akron at 7 p.m. A week later on Saturday, Oct. 19, they will match up with Creighton at 3 p.m.
