VILLANOVA, Pa. – A Fynn Lahrsen goal in the 70^th minute allowed Villanova (2-2-3) to forge a 1-1 draw with DePaul (2-1-5) in the BIG EAST opener for both sides on a warm and sunny late summer afternoon at the Higgins Soccer Complex.
 
The Wildcats enjoyed a possession advantage in a bounce back effort after a 3-0 loss to Princeton at home last weekend.
 
"We knew this was going to be a hard test," stated Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow. "DePaul has been good to start the year. They are stingy and don't give up many goals. They're hard to defend on set pieces and play a real pragmatic system.
 
"We wanted to be better collectively with our defending. I thought we did a good job with that. On the low block we really compacted the shape well and had good communication."
 
Villanova built a 7-4 advantage in shots over the first 45 minutes by retaining the ball for big chunks of the period, though neither team found the back of the net.
 
"The guys showed more composure today, starting from our backs up to our midfielders," Fetrow said. "I thought there was less pressure on the ball than we saw in our last game, so we had bigger pockets to play through. We've still got to be more clinical in getting from the middle third into the attacking third."
 
The game's first goal came when the Blue Demons' Nathan Laird found Tyler Flowers with a pass. Flowers then deposited a shot into the Nova net and grabbed the one goal edge.
 
"It was just a great goal on their part," stated Fetrow.
 
The Wildcats fought back quickly, generating more attacking pressure on the Blue Demons. Finally, a ball with pace on it was sent towards the sideline in front of the Wildcats' bench. Redshirt sophomore midfielder Luke Martelli managed to knock the ball down with his left boot, collect it, and sent it on to Lahrsen just inside the 18-yard box. Lahrsen took care of the rest, notching his second goal of the season and the Wildcats first in 340 minutes.
 
"Unbelievable," said Fetrow. "The fact that he got to it and was able to keep it in play, enter it to Fynn, is exactly why we have so much confidence in Luke. He's never going to give up on any ball that's played.
 
"Fynn did a great job on the turn and had a good finish. It's important for him. He's a guy that we're putting a lot of responsibility on to score goals. For him to get that one through the run of play will give him a big lift moving forward."
 
This match began a rather busy stretch for the Wildcats over the last 11 days of September. On Tuesday, Villanova will take on Philly Soccer Six rival Penn in Center City at 7 p.m. (Rhodes Field). The Wildcats are 1-0-0 in Soccer Six action this season, having edged Saint Joseph's 1-0 on Sept. 1.
 
Nova will then head north to Storrs for the first BIG EAST road matchup of 2025 versus UConn on Saturday, Sept. 27. Kickoff for that match will come at 6 p.m.