Villanova field hockey came out of a five-game losing streak with a resounding, 4-2 victory over Providence on Friday, Oct. 24.
Freshman midfielder Erin Mitchell led the way with two goals for Villanova (5-11, 3-3 Big East). Senior forward Barrett Trigg and graduate forward Ava Borkowski also scored a goal each.
While defeating a Big East opponent was essential, head coach Joanie Milhous said that the team’s offensive production was her most important takeaway from the contest.
“Goal scoring has been our struggle,” Milhous said. “We’ve been doing everything right except scoring goals, so it’s been frustrating. But the team has been working really hard. Yesterday was huge because it was a must-win game for us, and scoring four goals was fantastic.”
In each of the previous five losses, the Wildcats were unable to manage more than one goal. Friday’s four-goal victory brought sparks back to the offense.
Both teams took 14 shots during the game and had seven shots on goal each. But a strong defensive performance and the efforts of freshman goalkeeper Sophie Volkel made the difference for the Wildcats. Volkel made five saves against Providence.
“Sophie came up with some really incredible saves for us,” Milhous said. “She’s very athletic, very dynamic, and really quick. By only allowing two goals, she kept us in that game.
In the first quarter, only Providence was able to take a shot on goal, but it was blocked by Volkel.
Providence’s Florencia Talarico scored the first goal of the game at 21:50.
With less than two minutes left in the first half, Trigg responded for the Wildcats. She put in a goal at 28:52, assisted by junior forward Colleen Finnan.
Mitchell then scored back-to-back goals to put Villanova up, 3-1.
She first struck less than a minute into the second half off an assist from junior midfielder Jane Bresnahan. Early in the fourth quarter, Mitchell scored another goal at 49:02 with an assist from Trigg.
A penalty corner granted the Friars another chance to score, with Providence’s Bo Martina narrowing the deficit to just one goal with seven minutes on the clock.
But Borkowski came in with the final goal of the day for Villanova, at 56:02, with an assist by senior forward Eileen Mazzaro.
The Wildcats currently are in fourth place in conference standings and still have hopes of a postseason Big East Tournament appearance. Villanova must prepare for a matchup with Big East No. 1 team Liberty (14-2, 6-0 Big East).
Ending Liberty’s undefeated streak in conference play would secure Villanova’s spot in the postseason. If the ‘Cats do not come out with a win, they will depend on UConn to defeat Quinnipiac on Friday.
“We’ve got some pretty high percentages of being that fourth team in, so we can control our own destiny by defeating Liberty,” Milhous said.
The Wildcats head to Lynchburg, VA to take on the Flames this Friday, Oct. 31 at 3 p.m.
