WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – A strong first half and a second consecutive clean sheet helped lift Villanova (2-0 overall, 0-0 BIG EAST) to a 1-0 win over William & Mary (0-2 overall, 0-0 Colonial Athletic Association) here Tuesday night.
A pair of freshmen helped the Wildcats secure the win as Marcus Brenes (Wayne, N.J.) took a feed from Lyam MacKinnon in the 39th minute to score the night's only goal. Goalkeeper Carson Williams posted his second consecutive shutout for Nova.
"I thought we had a good first half," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "We lost our composure a little bit in the second half. It felt like we were rushed at times but Carson, Luca Mellor and Shane Bradley were strong and helped pull us through it."
Over the early minutes of the match, Villanova generated a pair of dangerous free kick opportunities. The first came when MacKinnon was fouled just outside the box near the end line. The resulting free kick was in harm's way but was cleared away by the Tribe. The second free kick came shortly thereafter and ended up on the foot of freshman Anthony Dragisics, whose bid sailed just wide to the right of the cage.
In fact, Villanova recorded the first five shots of the evening and nearly moved in front on a header from MacKinnon in the 15th minute that the Tribe keeper Kieran Baskett deflected over the net.
In the 32nd minute, William & Mary generated its first strong scoring chance of the night at the Martin Family Stadium. Dibo Nwegbo came through with space on the right side and powered a ball that went just to the right of the net.
Yet that was merely a brief interlude in the consistent Villanova pressure. MacKinnon found classmate Marcus Brenes – who entered the game as a substitute for Evan Vare – outside the top of the box. Brenes curled a ball just below the crossbar in the right corner of the net at 38:36 to stake the 'Cats to the 1-0 advantage.
"Lyam made a quick turning cut out of being pressed and sent a great ball to Marcus," Carlin said. "Marcus had gotten a similar shot a little bit earlier in the game and he rushed it. He learned from that though, and hit a great ball the second time."
A Tribe counter-attack was soon shut down by the Wildcats and Villanova walked off the field at halftime with a 1-0 edge on the scoreboard. They also enjoyed a 10-2 advantage in shots that reflected their control of the first 45 minutes.
"We were glad to get that goal," noted Carlin, "but we needed a second goal to gain some separation. When we didn't get it, that gave them some life"
William & Mary created a couple of dangerous situations in the 55th minute. A foul Villanova on the right side set up a free kick that the Wildcats knocked over the end line. That set up a corner kick that the 'Cats were able to direct away from danger to maintain their advantage.
A Villanova corner kick in the 63rd minute found its way to freshman Viktor Benediktsson, whose header attempted went just above the crossbar.
The Tribe turned the heat up, forcing Williams to make his first save in the midst of a series of William & Mary pushes. The Tribe reeled off four straight shots off a series of free and corner kicks that had the Wildcats back on their heels as the contest rolled into the 70th minute.
MacKinnon nearly pushed the advantage to two goals in the 81st minute. His shot from just outside the top of the box caromed off the crossbar. Another near miss came when Seidu Shamsudeen sent a header off a free kick that went off the outside of the net.
Villanova held off the Tribe as it pushed forward in the final minutes to earn its second straight win over William & Mary. It downed the Tribe 3-2 in overtime in 2018. The road victory was also a positive step for the Wildcats, who won just once away from home in 2018.
"This team's different," said Carlin. "We've got a lot of leadership from guys who have been through this a few times and that really helped us get the result tonight."
The Wildcats resume action Saturday at the Higgins Soccer Complex on Villanova's West Campus at 1 p.m. Philly Soccer Six rival Temple (0-2 overall, 0-0 American) will be on the turf for the continuation of a local rivalry.
