Facing a St. Joseph’s (PA) team mired in the midst of a 24 game losing streak, the Men’s Soccer team was in an unenviable position entering its Philly Soccer Six match-up with the Hawks. However, they were able to maintain the good run of form from the weekend, walking out 3-0 winners on the day.
Any fears of a potential upset were allayed early on, when junior captain Kevin Garcia scored his second goal in as many games a mere two minutes into the match.
Garcia attempted to bend a kick around the St. Joe’s wall from 20 yards out. His strike deflected off of the wall and into the back of the net to give ‘Nova a 1-0 advantage.
Fifteen minutes later Garcia was at it again. Receiving a ball 25 yards out in the middle of the field, the Queens, NY native unleashed a blast that once again ricocheted off of a St. Joe’s defender and into the net.
The second half yielded more opportunities for the Wildcats, with Joe Schmid, Dylan Renna, and Jordy Griffith all coming close to adding a third.
The final strike of the match came off of the boot of freshman Will Cason. Following a foul 25 yards from goal, Cason lined up the set piece and lobbed a gorgeous strike over the St. Joe’s wall to provide the icing on the cake.
The ‘Cats are now 4-2-1 on the year as the enter Big East play this Saturday against Seton Hall. The match is at 12 noon on Villanova’s West Campus.
For more on the game and thoughts from Coach Tom Carlin, check out Villanova.com