Women’s soccer was able to keep Brown off the board and defeat the previously undefeated Bears, 1-0.

Shortly after the Senior Day ceremonies, a right end-line cross from Allison Breed set up midfielder Brice McInroy for a put away to the far-side corner of the goal in the 10th minute of the game. The Wildcats would cling to this early lead for the rest of the match, as they only managed one more shot on goal.  

While the first half was played mostly even aside from the goal, Brown dominated possession in the second half and kept the Wildcat defense on it toes. The Bears would keep the ball on Villanova’s side of the field for much of the second half, helping them secure eight corners. 

Brown would threaten the lead in the 64th minute, on a strike deep inside the box by Ava Sellenfreun was batted away by graduate keeper Rebecca Gartner. Other than that chance, Villanova’s defense kept Brown from any serious opportunities and pushed through for a hard-fought win. 

Fatigue from Thursday’s game against Princeton surely played a role in the second half, as it was apparent the Wildcats were leaning on their defense to hold on. Coach Chris McLain acknowledged this, as he said, “They left the game pretty open for us to bury it, but the legs of our players were just too heavy from the overtime game with Princeton this past Thursday.” McLain was pleased with the way his team challenged a strong opponent in Brown, calling them “one of the toughest teams in the country to coach against” and applauding his players for adjusting to the aggressive second half approach of the Bears.

This win moves the Wildcats to 4-3-2 and hands Brown its first loss, making it 6-1-1. 

With non-conference play wrapped up for the Cats’, the team will move on to Big East play and host Xavier on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 1 p.m.