TEANECK, N.J. – A late goal by senior Vincent Petrera helped Villanova rally to earn a 2-2 draw in Saturday night non-conference soccer action at FDU.

"We really felt like we had a good pulse on what FDU likes to do and how we could counteract that," stated Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "For most of the game, we were able to do that. When we scored our first goal, it really felt like we were in control and that we were going to be able to hold them in check.

"It didn't work out that way. FDU did a good job of pressuring us and we made a couple of mistakes. They took advantage of them. But we kept fighting – as we have all season – and were able to get the second goal."

Rutgers transfer Jason Bouregy assisted on the Petrera goal in his return to New Jersey.

"I thought this was Jason's best game this season," said Fetrow. "We have high expectations for him because we saw the kind of impact he made in the Big Ten. I thought tonight he was very impactful for us and that's a good sign moving forward."

The Wildcats (0-3-3 overall) and Knights met on a warm late summer night here at University Stadium. Villanova applied some early heat on FDU, producing the first four shots of the evening and a corner kick. None, however, broke through and the match was level at zero 10 minutes into the match.

FDU's first scoring bid of the night came in the 22^nd minute and it was a premium chance. Kevin Ruiz sent a shot from 12 yards out that sailed just over the crossbar.

Bouregy generated the Wildcats' first shot on frame in the 30^th minute, sending a shot on net that Knights' goalkeeper Spencer King made the save on.

Perhaps the best chance of the first 45 minutes came with time winding down in the period. Bouregy sent a free kick into the box that found Luke Haggerty. The freshman's re-directed bid was well-timed, but a Knights' defender got a boot on the ball,
knocking it up into the air. FDU ultimately cleared the ball and the game was level at zero at halftime.

Villanova enjoyed an 8-3 edge in first half shots.

The Wildcats came out with a jump in their step in the early moments of the second half, producing four shots in the first five minutes of the period.

A breakthrough came in the 67^th minute when Colby Raymond picked up his second goal of the season off a feed from Josh Oladele.

However, the lead lasted only a short while. FDU forced a turnover inside the Villanova box and quickly capitalized on a bang-bang play. Eric Diabal collected the ball and sent a cross to Kevin Leonhard, whose shot inside the left post tied the match at 68:33.

A Haggerty shot in the 74^th minute forced King to make a save to keep matters level at one. Bouregy soon followed with another shot, this one towards the lower right portion of the net, that King was forced to stop. That play was set up by a nice run and feed from senior Jordan Canica.

After some more Wildcats' pressure, FDU struck again on a counterattack. The same combination of Diabal (assist) and Leonhard (goal) to push the Knights to a 2-1 lead at 77:02.

The match provided another dramatic twist in the 87th minute. Bouregy sent a ball from the left side into the box, where Petrera received it with a bit of space. Petrera quickly fired the ball inside the left post to deadlock matters at two.

A final bid by the Wildcats, a point-blank shot from Canica on the right side, was stopped by a sliding King with just eight seconds remaining in the contest.

"The last 25 minutes were more chaotic than we would have hoped for after Colby's goal," Fetrow stated. "We want to get to the point where we can shut other teams down when we get a lead. But the belief from the guys helped us get the point. We did a lot of good things tonight. Now we just have to clean up some of the mistakes, especially the ones in our own end."

Villanova returns to the Higgins Soccer Complex Friday as it opens BIG EAST Conference play against Marquette. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.