VILLANOVA, Pa. – After notching a victory in the BIG EAST Conference opener Saturday night, Villanova steps out of league action for a Tuesday night clash at Penn State (4-2-1 overall, 1-0-0 overall).
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Jeffery Field in State College. The game will be live streamed on Big Ten +.
The Wildcats bring a 5-1 overall record into this match, 1-0-0 in the BIG EAST. Since falling 2-1 to Albany at the Higgins Soccer Complex on Sept. 3, Villanova has reeled off three consecutive victories with two of those coming on the road at Temple and Marquette.
"We came out from the loss to Albany looking at a tough stretch," noted Wildcats' head coach
Tom Carlin. "It began with a good Yale team at home and then three straight on the road. The response from the guys has been tremendous. I'm proud of the resolve we've shown."
Freshman
Balthi Saunders has scored goals in each of those three victories, including the game-winner Saturday night in Milwaukee. Carlin also lauded the work of his back line, led by juniors
Josh Belluz and
Viktor Benediktsson, and midfielders
Dylan Middlebrook and
Dominic Cyriacks.
Tuesday night presents another challenge.
"It's really about recovery for our guys with a short turnaround," stated Carlin. "We had a lot of guys log heavy minutes Saturday night and we are up against an outstanding Penn State team on its home field. We're looking forward to the challenge."
The Nittany Lions downed Northwestern 2-1 in its last outing Friday night. It began a three game homestand on Sept. 13 with a 1-0 loss to No. 15 Pittsburgh.
This will be Villanova's eighth visit to State College and they are seeking their first points (0-7). That includes a 1-0 loss to Penn State on Sept. 13, 2019. The Wildcats did post a 2-1 win over the Nittany Lions at the Higgins Soccer Complex on Sept. 8, 2018 (a match that was originally slated for Subaru Park in Chester, Pa., before a rain deluge forced a postponement.)
Villanova will resume BIG EAST action with its conference home opener Saturday afternoon at Higgins Soccer Complex. Butler will be on West Campus for a match slated to get underway at 1:05 p.m. (BIG EAST Digital Network on Flo Sports).
