Villanova Men's Soccer Falls To Rutgers 3-2 In Overtime

Editors Note: Villanova lost 1-0 to Louisville over the weekend prior to the Rutgers game.

Villanova went into a road clash with Rutgers needing to secure points to clinch a bye in the Big East playoffs, but they fell short with a heartbreaking 3-2 loss in overtime at the hands of the Scarlet Knights.

A frantic finish would rule the night as the teams entered the break even at 0-0 as both teams found scoring chances hard to come by, but things would open up in a big way in the 2nd half.

Rutgers would strike first in the 77th minute when Mitchell Taintor nodded in a cross to give the Knights the lead. Villanova would answer straight away though as Kyle Soroka sent in a free kick in the 81st minute.

"You really saw Soroka's impact on the game over the final 15 minutes and into overtime," stated Carlin. "He scored the first goal and really created our second goal with his work."

It would be Rutgers however that would claim the lead back in the 87th minute through Kene Eze. Villanova had other plans however, as Soroka, Dylan Renna and Hayden Harr combined and Harr's shot on goal was ruled an own goal by Rutgers.

The game moved into extra time and Rutgers was able to secure the winner 9 minutes into the first session. It was Eze again who finished off another cross to sink the Wildcats.

Villanova will face Pittsburgh on Saturday and will need to win the game to give themselves a chance to make the playoffs for the sixth consecutive year. However, they will also need help from around the league to secure their spot. How quickly things change.