VILLANOVA, Pa. - Villanova women's lacrosse welcomes No. 12 ranked Stony Brook on March 17 and Xavier on March 21 at Villanova Stadium. First draw is set for 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The matchup with Xavier will mark the Wildcats' first BIG EAST contest of the season and will also serve as Senior Day.
The Wildcats (5-2) are coming off a weekend off after registering two wins against Siena and Vermont. In the 11-5 victory at Siena, Mary Moore paced the 'Cats with three goals. Madison Freeman also added two goals, three ground balls and a caused turnover. In the 14-12 victory at Vermont, Emma Verhoest set a new single-game and program record with 19 draw controls.
The Seawolves (6-2) earned an 18-8 victory in their first conference game over Monmouth on Sunday, while Xavier (2-7) dropped a 15-2 contest to Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon.
Villanova trails in the all-time series with Stony Brook, 0-3. The last matchup between these two teams last season on Feb. 19, when Villanova fell 12-5 at home. During the contest, Verhoest won nine draw controls while Makenzie Fisher made 10 saves in goal.
Villanova leads the all-time series with Xavier, 3-0. The Wildcats earned their first win over the Musketeers on April 19, 2023, in Cincinnati, where Gabriella Henson-Vendrell scored her first collegiate goal. In the most recent meeting on April 12 of last season, Villanova secured an 18-9 victory at home behind hat tricks from Elena Torres and Bella Piselli. Verhoest also recorded 17 draw controls in that contest, which stood as her program record until she surpassed it this season with 19 against Vermont.
Both games will be streamed on ESPN+ (Stony Brook, Xavier), with live stats available on StatBroadcast (Stony Brook, Xavier).
SENIOR DAY SPOTLIGHT
Villanova will honor its 13 graduating seniors in a pregame ceremony Saturday against Xavier. Villanova's senior class features midfielders Piselli, Georgia Sobocinski, Isabella Henson-Vendrell, Gabi Henson-Vendrell and Amber DeRosa; attackers Torres, Ashlyn Hickey and Quinn McKiernan; and defender Juliet Walls. This group has totaled over 30 wins across the past four seasons and helped lead the program to its first BIG EAST title game appearance in school history.
GAMEDAY DETAILS
Tickets are sold online here with single game tickets available for purchase, though walkup ticket purchases are allowed at the will call window. Parking for this game on Saturday, March 21 will remain free, though the remaining three home games of the season will require payment for parking.
