On Saturday, April 5, Villanova men’s lacrosse took down Providence in conference play.
The Wildcats (5–5, 2–0 Big East) defeated Providence (4–7, 0–2 Big East), 11–8, in their second Big East game of the year.
It is the first time Villanova has started Big East play undefeated since 2019. It also marks the team’s longest win streak since March 2024.
“I thought the intensity of our play was really good,” head coach Mike Corrado said. “We played really hard the entire game but from a negative standpoint we were still a little sloppy and turning the ball over too much.”
The Wildcats held the Friars scoreless in the second quarter and allowed just one fourth quarter goal. Villanova held multiple three and four goal leads throughout the game.
Redshirt sophomore attacker Colin Michener finished the game with four goals. He now sits at a team-high 19 goals on the season.
“Colin [Michener’s] an elite-level scorer,” Corrado said. “Early in the season he struggled a little bit with his shot, but in the last few games he’s been back to the form he was in last season and he’s found his stride.”
Sophomore midfielder Nicholas Lucchesi netted the Wildcats’ first goal four minutes into the game.
The Friars came back a second time but redshirt sophomore attacker Lucas Newton’s first goal of the season and Michener’s second of the game gave the Wildcats a two goal lead.
Second-quarter goals from redshirt sophomore attacker David Link and junior midfielder Luke Williams helped the Wildcats go into the break with a 6–3 lead.
In the first half, the Wildcats took a total of 22 first half shots and won 16 ground balls.
Two minutes into the second half, the Friars snapped their quarter-long scoring drought. They then added a second goal to trim the Wildcats lead from three to one.
The Friars almost tied the game with eight minutes to play but senior defender Tripp Robinson made a stop to give the Wildcats a fresh possession.
“Providence looked like they were going to have a fast break opportunity,” Corrado said. “[Robinson] sprinting back and diving to check the ball out of the guy’s stick, I thought really changed the momentum of the game.”
Robinson’s defense and hustle allowed Michener to score back-to-back goals to give the Wildcats a three-goal lead with 6:42 remaining in the third quarter.
After giving up a goal, senior attackers Luke Raymond and Dan Martin gave Villanova its first four-goal lead of the game.
“I thought our man-down team shut the door on Providence’s advantage,” Corrado said. “They didn’t score any goals when they had an extra man, so the group did a really good job and our defense played really well.”
The Wildcats grew their lead to four off a solo goal from graduate attacker Matt Licata. For the remainder of the fourth quarter, the Wildcats held the Friars to one goal.
“[A 2–0 start] is a great place to be in with two lengthy trips,” Corrado said. “It’s only a five-game season, so to get two wins in general is important, but to get to road wins is a very good way to start the [Big East] season, but we know we have a ways to go.”
Villanova will now prepare for its Big East home opener against St. John’s (4–8, 0–2 Big East) on Saturday, April 12 at Villanova Stadium (Noon, FloSports).
