VILLANOVA, Pa. –  The Villanova Wildcats departed campus Thursday morning, headed up I-95 to Belson Stadium, soccer home of the St. John's Red Storm. Those two sides will meet Friday evening in Queens in a match that kicks off just after 7 p.m. The game will be streamed via the BIG EAST Digital Network.
 
For both the 'Cats and Red Storm, the collision on Friday will be their second of 10 league matchups on the 2022 regular season slate. Villanova (2-2-2 overall, 0-0-1 BIG EAST) played preseason BIG EAST favorite Providence to a 1-1 draw last Saturday afternoon. Anthony Cousins Jr., sent a corner kick that Viktor Bendiktsson re-directed with a diving header into the goal in the final minute of the first half. The Friars got the equalizer late in the second half.
 
St. John's, meanwhile, was the only conference team to register a victory on the opening weekend of conference action (the other four BIG EAST matches ended in a tie). The Red Storm knocked off defending BIG EAST champion Georgetown last Friday evening 3-1 at Belson Stadium. Antek Siekel's goal in the 83^rd minute clinched the win for St. John's. It was his fifth goal of the 2022 fall campaign.
 
These two teams battled into overtime in their meeting last October at the Higgins Soccer Complex. The Red Storm broke a 0-0 tie in the 93^rd minute to gain the 1-0 win on Oct. 9. In their most recent visit to Belson Stadium, goalkeeper Carson Williams helped Nova post a 1-0 win in March 2021 (when the 2020 regular season was played due to COVID-19).
 
The Wildcats have taken three of the last five matches between the two teams at Belson Stadium dating to the 2014 season.
 
Villanova remains in search of its first road victory of 2022. It dropped a 1-0 decision at Stanford on Aug. 25, played a 1-1 draw at California on Aug. 28, and fell to Yale 1-0 on a goal scored late in the second half. The 'Cats are 2-0-1 at home thus far, outscoring the opposition 8-1 on the turf at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
As noted, the 'Cats faced the league's preseason favorite in their opener. The Red Storm, were picked third in the preseason league poll, behind defending BIG EAST champion Georgetown in second place. The Wildcats were in sixth place.
 
"We're facing a talented, well-coached group that has always been tough at home," noted Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "We've had a few days this week to recover from a busy stretch and we're excited for this opportunity."
 
The Wildcats have been without co-captain and key midfielder Josh Belluz since the senior suffered an injury in the first half of a game at Yale on Sept. 11. Villanova has relied on the bolstered depth of an experienced roster to help fill that void.
 
Redshirt senior Kent Dickey is the BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Week after posting an 0.50 goals against average last week. Senior back Viktor Bendiktsson was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll after scoring goals against NJIT and Providence to complement his usual sound defensive efforts.
 
Next week, the Wildcats host Penn State on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Higgins Soccer Complex. The game is a Villanova Student Bonus lottery game and Villanova will also salute the Team Impact organization as part of the day's festivities.