Among the Ranks: Villanova sits at No. 22 in the TopDrawerSoccer poll for a second consecutive week, marking its fourth appearance in the ranking this season. It previously held spots at No. 23 and No. 25, respectively, on September 7 and 14. The last time Villanova found itself ranked in any national poll was back on Sept. 16, 2008 when the 'Cats were No. 19 in the NSCAA (now United Soccer Coaches) poll.

A Zap of Scoring: Junior forward Dez Zapata is having a breakout year, leading the team with 16 points on five goals an a team-high six assists. She has accounted for at least a point in five of the last seven games including a career-high five points at Providence where she played a part in all three of Villanova's goals, scoring two and assisting on the other to earn BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week honors. Her 16 points this season are the most for a Wildcat since Susanna Soderman recorded 17 in 2024. She is third in the BIG EAST for points but is tied for the lead in assists, putting her at 55th in the nation.

Moving the Net: Zapata became the fourth Wildcat this season to log a multi-goal game with her showing at Providence. She, Morgan Kotch (Lehigh) and Bella Panaccione (Iona) have all had a brace this season while Avrie Nelsen (Iona) has the lone hat trick.

I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends: Villanova has accounted for 38 assists this season from 15 different Wildcats. That marks the most for a Villanova team since the 2008 squad racked up 42. The program record was set back in 2002 at 42.

• Seton Hall has built a strong campaign after going 3-10-5 last year with a 0-9-1 record in conference play. The Pirates are tied for fifth in the league standings with six points and have faced just one loss, falling 2-0 to Xavier on Oct. 3 to end an eight-match unbeaten streak. Since then, the Pirates have recorded a pair of shutouts with a 0-0 result at UConn on Oct. 7 and a 1-0 win over Providence this past Saturday.
• Similar to Villanova, the Pirates' backline has been a stout one this season. They boast the BIG EAST's best goals-against average (0.273) and save percentage (.932) and are the nation's leader with a .818 shutout percentage and just three goals allowed. They join the Wildcats in pacing the league with nine total shutouts.
• Sophomore goalkeeper Kate Kleinsmith has been the primary keeper this year, seeing seven solo shutouts in her 10 starts. Those seven shutouts are tied for top in the league and place her at 20th nationally while her .927 save percentage is pacing the nation.
• Offensively, Gianna Angelillo and Kileigh Gorman lead Seton Hall with three goals each. Angelillo has packed the biggiest punch in scoring for the group, adding two assists for a team-high eight points.
• The Pirates have yet to face a loss on their home field this season, coming into Wednesday's contest 4-0-2 in home matches.
• Villanova has built a four-match unbeaten streak in the series with Seton Hall, leading 21-9-3 overall. The 'Cats are 3-0-1 in that time with a 5-1 scoring advantage. Trips to South Orange are 10-5-2 in favor of the Blue and White with six-straight unbeaten showings. The last time the 'Cats fell there was Oct. 20, 2013, 5-0.

• Butler has fallen in back-to-back matches coming into Saturday with losses to Creighton (2-1) and Georgetown (2-0). It sits in that three-way tie for fifth with UConn and Seton Hall, all with six points on the conference table.
• Prior to the loss to Georgetown, the Bulldogs had gone four games without a loss on their home pitch. They are 2-2-3 in Indy this season and are outscoring their opponents 12-6 in those contests.
• Chloe Brecht and Riley Gumm are the team's leaders on offense this season. Brecht leads the BIG EAST with 17 points, seven goals and .50 goals per game while Gumm is third in the conference with five assists and second with two game-winning goals.
• Addison Ash has started in all 14 contests for the Bulldogs this season with a 6-4-4 record. She has made a league-high 59 saves, averaging 4.21 saves per game and has recorded five shutouts.
• Unlike the series with Seton Hall, Villanova is looking to turn the tide in its all-time series with Butler. The Wildcats have not seen a win in the series since a 1-0 win at Butler on Sept. 25, 2014. Since then, they have gone 0-7-3.

Villanova 3, Providence 3 | October 10, 2026 - Providence, R.I. - Chapey Field at Anderson Stadium

After building a two-goal lead, Villanova could not answer a pair of Providence goals in the final 25 minutes of action as the sides drew 3-3 on Saturday. Dez Zapata put Villanova up early on a set piece in the fifth minute. Gabby Koluch's free kick sailed into the penalty area where Zapata was running toward the left post sandwiched between a pair of Friars. She was able to get a quick boot on the ball that went past Caitlin Daley and into the net. Providence answered in the 24th minute with a goal from Singe Tingager off a corner. Zapata played a ball deep into the 18-yard area from the top of the box where Avrie Nelsen got a touch near the left post. Morgan Kotch was close enough to punch a look into the net to make it a 2-1 lead for the 'Cats. In the 50th minute, Zapata cemented her brace on an electric breakaway chance. After picking up a pass near the centerline from Kaydee Amorosa, Zapata raced down the sideline with a Friar on her heels until she got about 10 yards to the right of the 18-yard box. She rocketed a cross that made its way into the left side of the net for a 3-1 advantage. The Friars got back within one in the 66th minute on a goal from Kaitlyn Brady. Jocy Koffi created space from the three Wildcat defenders around her deep in the box to get a cross to Brady who quickly tapped the ball into the open part of the net to make it 3-2. Amaya Coffie played a long ball ahead to Koffi that she played through to Carolyn Hinkle. She was able to get past an oncoming Blue and White defender to get a touch on the ball that went through Hannah Dickinson's legs and into the net for a 3-3 score.

Read the full recap here.