Final Stats

VILLANOVA, Pa. -- An undermanned Villanova Wildcats unit fought for 90 minutes on Saturday afternoon but fell victim to a pair of late goals in a 2-1 loss to Xavier (8-4-1 overall, 2-2-1 BIG EAST).

The Wildcats were without regulars Christopher Bared, Max Kroschwitz, Zach Zandi, and lost senior center back Colton Bryant to injury late in the first half.

"Our guys battled," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "We had guys in all different spots than where they usually play. Xavier stuck with it. We got caught defending and our possessions weren't great and the game probably went back and forth a little bit more than we wanted to near the end.

"It's unfortunate. I'm proud of the guys' effort. To lose a game like that in the last five minutes when you are up 1-0, is tough."

The Wildcats (7-6-0 overall, 2-3 BIG EAST) had jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the 16th minute off a set piece. Senior Sean Sheridan sent a ball from the left side into the 18-yard box that sophomore Miguel Polley re-directed to junior John Jlopleh. The forward blasted a shot past Xavier goalkeeper Dallas Jaye into the left side of the net to give the Wildcats the advantage.

The Musketeers would out-shoot Villanova 24-6 on the afternoon but strong work from goalkeeper Will Steiner (10 saves) and sound play in the defensive third made that margin stand up into the 86th minute.

Villanova used only two reserves on the day, Damilola Adetola, for less than 10 minutes and Fabian Gonzalez, who came on for Bryant. There was little chance for the Wildcats to catch their collective breath as Xavier frantically pushed forward in the final 20 minutes.

The equalizer came when Majed Osman sent a cross from the left side that Todd Pratzner was able to re-direct past Steiner into the net.

Xavier's pressure continued even after the game was deadlocked. At 87:43, Osman fired a low ball inside the near right post and the Musketeers had their first lead of the game with 2:17 to play in regulation.

The Musketeers gained possession and Villanova could draw no closer as time expired.

"Xavier has a lot of attacking personnel and they are pretty tricky in their scheme," Carlin stated. "They overload on the flanks and create a numerical advantage out wide. That really stretches you. We managed that for most of the game but they hurt us late."

The subtraction of Bryant meant that VU was down to one back who was in the starting lineup when the season got underway: senior Chris Hill. Bryant, Bared, Randy Falk, and Kian Zapata have all subsequently been sidelined.

"We started the season with six backs and five of them were out," noted Carlin. "We have midfielders on the back line. They battled and did what they could. It's unfortunate we didn't get out of here with the result."