Boston College Athletics
Women's Soccer Game Preview- Villanova
September 14, 2004 | Women's Soccer
Sept. 14, 2004
This Friday women's soccer squares off against its first in-conference opponent. The Wildcats of Villanova are currently 5-1-0 and are also untested in the BIG EAST. The game will begin at 1 p.m.
SCOUTING REPORT: VILLANOVA
At this point in the season, the Wildcats are among the best four teams in the BIG EAST. Although they are not as highly touted at Notre Dame and UCONN, Nova has shown that its ability to turn heads as they took the BIG EAST title last season, stemming from the bottom seed in the Mid-Atlantic Division.
The Wildcats upset teams throughout the tournament. First, they downed UCONN then rolled through West Virginia. The last time the Eagles and the Wildcats have faced each other was in the 2003 BIG EAST final when Nova dropped BC in penalty kicks.
This season Nova returns some offensive firepower. Senior Laura Johnson was thought to take the offensive reins, yet freshman Nikki Mabury has led the Wildcats thus far. She has posted three goals this season.
The match-up between this offense and the Eagle defense will be important. The BC defense has been able to shut down offenses without one dominant scoring force. Enacting strong plays in the Eagle zone is difficult and BC will work to keep the ball in the hands of its forwards.
Offensively, BC has put up similar numbers in terms of goals, yet the Eagles have out-shot Nova by an impressive margin. The Wildcat defense has only let up 54 shots this season, so the 100 shots that the Eagles have taken in the first five games should provide a bit more of a challenge for Nova.
The Wildcats boast a notable returning defense. They nursed 16 shutouts last season as well as three this season. Yet, in the past four games, BC has netted 14 goals. The impact of Kia McNeill will be important for the Eagles as she can power the ball in the zone and create scoring chances.
