Villanova women’s soccer tied DePaul, 1-1, at home on Thursday, Oct. 3. Senior midfielder Susanna Soderman scored the Wildcats’ lone goal of the contest from the penalty spot in the 39th minute. DePaul equalized in the 63rd.
With the draw, the Wildcats now stand at 4-5-3 overall and are in fifth place in the Big East with a 1-1-2 mark in conference play.
“DePaul capitalized on how slow we were making our decisions,” head coach Samar Azem said. “Our speed of thought wasn’t fast, so then our play was slow. We were trying to make too many decisions. [DePaul] capitalized on that because they are the type of team that wants to press you, and then they want to counter on you. We gave up the ball way too much, too many turnovers, and so that’s something we want to do better.”
The attacking advantage switched between teams in both halves, with Villanova dominating in the first and DePaul taking over in the second.
In addition to her goal, Soderman recorded all three shots on goal the Wildcats accrued. Sophomore forward Alex Little provided opportunities for her team with her deliveries inside of the box.
Villanova’s defense held its own for most of the game even when things started to go against its favor in the second half, with graduate defender Olivia Neal’s skillful decision making in the midfield and senior defender Myla McLeod shutting down the Blue Demons on counter attacks.
“[Neal] brought a lot of experience to a young team, but she’s young to this team, to this league, to playing against these teams,” Azem said. “She has brought experience in her play, but she’s still learning a lot, and this is all very different for her. She’s brought a great competitive nature, willingness to go forward that’s been very valued.”
Toward the end of the first half in the 38th minute, Villanova got an opportunity after a DePaul foul and later VAR decision awarded Soderman a penalty. She easily converted the penalty, sending the Blue Demon keeper the wrong way.
DePaul came out of the halftime break with an aggressive mindset. The decision-making of the ‘Cats in the first half was disrupted as they constantly found themselves on the losing ends of challenges, struggling to chase after the Blue Demons.
Finally, DePaul capitalized on one of its many opportunities in the 16 yard box when sophomore midfielder Shayna da Silva hit a close strike in the box that found the back of the net.
From there, Villanova played on the defensive for most of the game, as DePaul kept knocking for a second goal that was only stopped due to the efforts of junior goalie Hannah Dickinson. Dickinson finished the match with four saves.
Towards the end of the game, senior forward Lauren Belcuore, along with Soderman and Little, tried to help the ‘Cats on the offensive end with a few good looks. However, the team could not find another goal.
“It takes guts,” Azem said when asked about what it takes a team to finish in the final third. “Right now we’re working on it.”
After a small break, Villanova will return on Sunday, Oct. 13, where it will celebrate Senior Day against Big East opponent St. John’s. Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. at Higgins Soccer Complex on West Campus.
