VILLANOVA, Pa. – After a convincing 5-0 victory over Delaware in its season opener, Villanova takes to the road Tuesday evening to meet William & Mary (0-1 overall, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association) at Martin Family Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. and the match will be streamed via CAA.TV.

The Wildcats (1-0 overall, 0-0 BIG EAST) notched five goals in a season opener Friday for the first time since 2012. Five different Villanova players registered goals, including Conor Bradley, Evan Vare, Lyam MacKinnon, Anthony Dragisics and Jack Gilliam. MacKinnon, a native of Switzerland, was also credited with a pair of assists in his debut in the Blue and White.

"We've got to learn from this one and get ready for the next one," stated Conor Bradley in the aftermath of Friday's impressive triumph over the Blue Hens.

William & Mary – picked fifth in the preseason CAA poll – dropped its opener at High Point 2-1. Last season, the Wildcats edged the Tribe 3-2 in overtime at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats hope to build on Friday's momentum in their first road clash of the campaign but the Tribe have been historically effective at home. It is 30-9-2 in home openers since 1978.

The Wildcats were honored Tuesday when Conor Bradley was named Philly Soccer Six Player of the Week while Lyam MacKinnon was named Soccer Six Rookie of the Week. Conor Bradley was also named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll. 

Villanova received a huge boost from its newcomers in the win over the Blue Hens. In addition to Dragisics and MacKinnon, freshman Josh Belluz (one assist), Viktor Benediktsson, Marcus Brenes and Gray Ricca all saw substantial action. Redshirt freshman Seidu Shamsudeen also made his Wildcats debut after missing all of 2018 with a knee injury.

Seniors Shane Bradley, Conor Bradley, Luca Mellor, and junior Richie Schlentz are among the returning stalwarts who played a large role Friday and will be counted upon heavily in the first regular season road matchup of 2019.

"It's huge," noted Conor Bradley of the leadership component the upperclassmen are tasked with in 2019. "We've got a lot of freshman coming in and playing.  We can teach them, we've been there. (Head Coach Tom) Carlin always talks about leadership and that's something all of us are trying to do our best with."

The Wildcats have been strong on the home turf at Higgins Soccer Complex in recent seasons, but things have been tougher on the road. In 2018, Villanova knocked off Delaware on the road to open the season but that would turn out to be its only triumph away from home.

"You learn from the past and move on," Carlin stated. "I think we've done that and now we're looking forward to our next challenge at William & Mary."

After its visit to Williamsburg, Va., Villanova is slated to return to campus ahead of a pair of non-conference home matches. Philly Soccer Six rival Temple visits the Higgins Soccer Complex Saturday at 1 p.m. with Fordham set to travel down from New York City for a 4 p.m. battle on Tuesday, Sept. 7.