VILLANOVA, Pa. – A goal in the 85^th minute by Balthi Saunders helped Villanova earn a 1-1 draw with Army on a brilliant fall afternoon Tuesday at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
Army held the lead after notching a counter attack goal at 22:25 from Jacob Lee and maintained that until the pivotal moment with the sun beginning to fade in the west. Freshman Diego Valles dribbled the ball on the left side just outside the 18-yard box. His cross found Saunders who sent past Aiden Rice of the Cadets at 84:14 to pull Villanova even.
 
"That was huge," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin of the late score. "We had a ton of looks at it leading up to that point. We hit a lot at their keeper. He made the saves and did a good job. I thought we needed just a little more quality or a lot more quality in that final third.
 
"On the play (Valles) made a great play, plays into Balthi who hits a one-time finish. It was just a little bit of composure, a little bit of quality that led to the goal."
 
The Wildcats (1-7-6 overall) held a 29-15 edge in shots on the day and forced Rice to make 12 saves. Villanova dominated the first 20 minutes in time of possession but was dealt a blow when the Cadets ran a nifty counterattack that resulted in the Lee goal.
 
"We were very good in our possessions early," Carlin said. "We had the ball moving and they were chasing us. We had some chances and didn't get one out of it. It's kind of a balancing act between attacking with the numbers with the ability to stop transitional moments. On that one, we got caught. They did a great job and made us pay.
 
"I thought we had a good response to that. But the reality was that outside of our possessions we were on our back foot defensively. We weren't working hard enough in transition and Army did a good job of making us pay the price for that."
 
Villanova really pressed its case over the final 45 minutes, compiling a 19-6 edge in shots. But even after the equalizer it needed a bit of help from its goalkeeper, Michael Sheridan. His best of six saves of the day came with the clock ticking down towards 90 minutes when he leaped to knock an Army shot that appeared headed for the top of the net over the crossbar with his hand and out of harms way.
 
The horn sounded moments later.
 
"We were a little sloppy there," Carlin noted. "Mike bailed us out. Good for him."
 
Prior to the contest, Villanova honored eight members of its senior class including Akinjide Awujo, Jack Bonas, Anthony Cousins Jr., Dominic Cyriacks, Jorge Garcia, Branden Johns, Luke Pompliano and Sheridan.
 
"We talked with them before the game about the perseverance they have showed," Carlin stated. "As freshmen, they lived the COVID year, playing games in the spring semester and not showing how we wanted to. They persevered and made it to the NCAA Tournament as sophomores. That's what they will leave. It's a legacy of perseverance, fighting through, not letting records or outcomes define them. Ultimately, that led us to an NCAA Tournament win."
 
The Wildcats have two regular season games remaining. The biggest of those comes Saturday at DePaul (2 p.m./BIG EAST Digital Network). The two teams are still alive for the eighth and final spot in the BIG EAST Tournament which gets underway on Saturday, Nov. 4 at campus sites. Three other BIG EAST sides also retain hope of earning that last slot.