VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova earned a 1-1 draw Monday with Michigan State on a sunny day with temperatures dipping into the low 90s. The match – moved up four hours from its original 3 p.m. kickoff – drew a packed house to the Higgins Soccer Complex in what has become a West Campus Labor Day tradition.
 
The Wildcats earned a penalty kick in the fifth minute that junior Balthi Saunders (Brooklyn, N.Y.) buried inside the left post at 4:17 to stake Nova to an early lead.
 
"It was hot," stated Villanova head coach Tom Carlin. "I think that took some of the sting out of the game. There was a lot of 'just keep things in front of you' because of the heat.
 
"I thought early on we were really moving the ball well in space. We were really backing them up and finding advanced pockets. We were even threading the ball in behind (their back line). That was nice to see. We really hadn't established that as much as we would have liked to in the first couple of games.
 
"We created some chances and scored a goal."
 
The Wildcats (0-2-1 overall) dominated the possession through the first 20 minutes of the first half. But the Spartans found their legs and began to turn the tables on Villanova, creating significant offensive pressure over the final 25 minutes of the period.
 
"I think we took our foot off the gas a little bit," noted Carlin. "We became a little sloppy. Some of our decisions came right back at us. We weren't winning first balls in the air. It became us having to defend and weather some things."
 
The Spartans' (2-0-1 overall) pressure produced a goal at 38:11. The sequence began with a corner kick sent into the box by the Spartans' Jeremy Sharp. The Wildcats were able to knock away Michigan State's first bid but Will Ebey nudged the ball over the goal line off a rebound to level matters at one. Sharp received an assist on the play.
 
The match remained deadlocked at one at intermission.
 
The heat from the Spartans continued early in the second half. At one point, Michigan State held a 17-3 edge in shots (they would end the afternoon with a 27-11 advantage in that category). But Villanova held firm with goalkeeper Kent Dickey coming up with a handful of key saves.
 
Over the final 20 minutes, the Wildcats began to tip the scales back in their favor. Branden Johns nearly won a race to the ball with MSU goalkeeper Zac Kelly outside the 18-yard box but Kelly was able to make the save. Tommy Johnson sent a brilliant cross that nearly connected with a run by Anthony Cousins Jr. And just before the final horn sound, a Saunders bid for a game-winning goal just missed.
 
"The good thing is," Carlin said, "we held up strong. We created momentum going forward. Even when we got stuck in, we didn't just stay. We were able to respond and create some chances later in the game."
 
Villanova ended up utilizing 18 players while the Spartans called on 17 players on the warm, sun-splashed turf at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
"This (Labor Day) is a great game every year," said Carlin. "Every year the Nova Nation comes out. For us to be able to play in front of a crowd like that, gets you through the heat a little bit."
 
This match kicked off a series of four straight for the Wildcats on their home pitch at the Higgins Soccer Complex. Fairleigh Dickinson will be on West Campus to meet Nova on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 1 p.m.