On Friday, Oct. 3, Villanova (4-7, 1-1 Big East) traveled to Washington, D.C. to take on Georgetown University (3-8) and registered a Big East Conference win, 5-0.
Two days later, Villanova took on American University (5-4) in Washington, D.C. and suffered a 3-0 defeat.
In the net against American, freshman goalie Sophie Volkel saved seven out of the 10 shots on goal.
“Right off the bat, she saved three in a row that were really impressive,” head coach Joanie Milhous said. “She had a really good game.”
Graduate forward Ava Borkowski and junior back Gemma Lysaght each managed one shot on goal. In total, the Wildcats took six shots, only two on goal against an Eagles defense that remained strong throughout the game.
Borkowsi currently leads the Wildcats in goals (six), shots on goal (16) and points (12) this season. Lysaght has two goals and seven points.
In the first quarter, the Wildcats gave up four corners and six shots. At 6:21, American’s Jordan Reicher scored the Eagles’ only goal of the quarter, despite solid effort by Volkel in the cage.
Villanova had two corners in the first, leading to its two shots of the quarter, both taken by Lysaght. One was blocked and the other hit the post.
The quarter ended with American ahead, 1-0.
Roughly five minutes into the second quarter, American took another shot, saved again by Volkel. Just 34 seconds later, Borkowski managed her own shot, but it was saved by American goalkeeper Pauline Gineste.
“It’s kind of hard because we scored five goals on Friday,” Milhous said. “So that was really good production. But we have to be better at scoring open field goals.”
The Wildcats got a penalty corner a minute later, allowing for another shot by Lysaght. This shot was also saved by Gineste.
At 25:54, an additional goal was scored by Reicher, pushing American up, 2-0. No more penalties, shots or goals occurred during the remaining time of the quarter.
At the beginning of the third quarter, an American player was given a green card due to lack of fair play.
Around 36 minutes in, American managed a shot, which was blocked again but led to another penalty corner. Off of the corner, the Eagles took three shots, the first two saved by Volkel. On the third shot, Alyssa Freeman scored, raising American’s lead, 3-0.
At 43 minutes, Villanova got two penalty corners, both taken by sophomore back Molly Zimmerman. Off the first corner, junior back Addie Froehlich managed a shot, but it was blocked.
“The girls know the talent we have,” Milhous said. “It’s showing that…we’re growing and we’re learning. The girls are seeing what the potential is, because we’re showing it. We just need to now show it consistently.”
In the fourth quarter, at 48:38, Volkel was subbed out, opting for the team and defense to collectively protect the goal.
Next, Villanova will host Old Dominion University (4-7) on Friday, Oct. 10 (1 p.m.). The Wildcats have previously demonstrated weakness against Old Dominion, with an overall record of 2-13.
“I’m expecting us to be very strong on Friday and show up and show how consistent we can be,” Milhous said. “I’m expecting a lot out of us on Friday and I’m excited because it’s going to be a really good game.”
However, with the powerful and harmonious 2025 team on both offense and defense, the Wildcats have a strong chance of their first win over Old Dominion since 2018.
Last season, Old Dominion defeated Villanova, 2-1, at L.R. Hill Sports Complex.
