SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – A goal registered in the 75^th minute broke a 1-1 tie and carried Seton Hall to a 2-1 victory over Villanova in a BIG EAST match played Saturday night. The Wildcats had tied the game just bit more than three minutes before the deciding goal came.
 
The match was scoreless through the first 45 minutes. Seton Hal (7-2-3 overall, 4-1-4 BIG EAST) enjoyed a 7-2 advantage over the Wildcats in first half shots yet Nova's defense held firm.

"I thought they had the better of play in the first half," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "They had us on our heels a little bit. But we hung in there and got to halftime."
 
Matters shifted quickly in the second half.
 
Seton Hall tallied a goal 50 seconds into the new period. Johannes Pex set up JP Marin, who put the ball into the net to stake the Pirates to a 1-0 lead.

"We conceded one," Carlin said. "It was just kind of an awkwrd goal that went in off the post. Just unfortunate for us."
 
Villanova pushed forward and generated more on the attack than it had in the first 45. The Wildcats got the equalizer they were seeking in the 72^nd minute. Balthi Saunders first fired a shot that Hall goalkeeper Hannes Ronholem made the save on. Just 21 seconds later Viktor Benediktsson scored off a Saunders assist to level matters at one.

"We really did a goot job of creating chances in the second half," Carlin said. "We had some good chances and were able to get Viktor one off a set piece. We were right there.'
 
But Seton Hall picked up the decisive goal just 3:18 after the Wildcats had tied the contest up. James Boote scored the goal with assists being credited to Quenzi Huerman and Andrea Borg at 74:48.

"They just went down and made a play," Carlin said. "He hit from 20 yards out."
 
The Wildcats had several shots in the final minutes, the last of which was a bid by Vincent Petrera that Ronholem made the save on in the 89^th minute.
 
Kent Dickey made four saves for the Wildcats on the night. Saunders' four shots paced the Villanova attack.

"This game was kind of a microcosm of our season," stated Carlin. "We played well in stretches, we battled at all times, but found ourselves on the wrong end of the result."
 
Villanova (5-8-2 overall, 2-6-1 BIG EAST) returns to action Tuesday at the Higgins Soccer Complex when it hosts the United States Naval Academy in a non-league match at 3 p.m. Villanova will honor its seniors prior to kickoff at 3 p.m. (Villanova Sports Network).