Villanova’s women’s field hockey team won, 9-0, against Queens on Friday, Sept. 9. The ‘Cats picked up their second consecutive shutout victory to improve to 4-1 while Queens fell to 1-4.
The offensive success began in the first three minutes of the game with graduate Ava Borkowski scoring her fourth goal of the season.
Twelve minutes in, senior Colleen Finnan scored, her third of the season, to extend the lead, 3-0. Villanova finished the first period with 13 shots on goal and three penalty corners.
Coach Joanie Milhous is confident about the team’s offensive improvements this season. They have already scored 28 goals through five games compared to only 25 goals all of last season.
“In the past few years, we have really struggled to score goals,” Milhous said. “It has been really nice to have the scoring opportunities and having the girls convert on the opportunities.”
Villanova surged in the second quarter, scoring four goals on eight shots.
Borkowski completed her hat trick, while senior Addie Froehich, Finnan and senior Carey Werley also found the back of the net. Foscarini created an opportunity off a penalty corner just a minute after being substituted into the game by finding Froehich, who assisted Allysen Whitehead with the finish.
Finnan and Werley finished off the quarter with goals to make the score 7-0.
“There’s no selfishness,” Milhous said. “It’s more of setting each other up because they’re looking for team success versus individual success.”
Three minutes into the third, the Wildcats scored again. Freshman Adie Minnella found Borkowski for her fourth goal, breaking her previous career high of three. Freshman Sophia Wenk finished the scoring for the day with her first career goal.
Borkowski finished with four goals, six shots on goal, and Finnan finished with two goals, two shots on goal and two assists.
“Between the two of them [Borkowski and Finnan], they’ve had some nice goal scoring, but I feel like they are working really well together,” Milhous said. “[Borkowski] did a really great job of her shot selection. She took quicker and smarter shots, which was really nice to see because she has been working really hard.”
The Wildcats’s offensive momentum tapered off in the fourth quarter with no goals. Queens finished with two shots, two penalty corners and eight saves, while Villanova finished with 31 shots, eight penalty corners and one save.
Villanova’s success this season can be traced back to the work the team put in during the offseason.
“We really focused on our offseason training,” Milhous said. “We focused on our off-ball movement. We focused on our finishing skills. We have a few of the same people here, along with some really nice editions. So I would say the experience of the girls that are in there have gotten it done. They have always worked hard, but they are working smarter.”
Villanova’s women’s field hockey team continued its strong start to the season Sunday, shutting out Lehigh, 2-0, to earn its third straight win and improve to 6-1 for the season.
The ‘Cats controlled possession throughout the game, with 23 shots on goal and 11 corners, while consistently pressuring Lehigh’s defense. Villanova generated nine shots and six penalty corners in the first quarter alone. Despite the offense, Lehigh goalkeeper Kate Burgess recorded seven saves, leaving the score unchanged.
“Lehigh’s defense did a really good job of packing it in their defensive circle,” head coach Joanie Milhous said. “We were also kind of pressing ourselves, because we had a lot of players. Our forwards and our mids were all inside the circle.”
Villanova continued to fight on the offensive in the second quarter and finally got a goal with less than five minutes remaining in the half. Senior back Gemma Lysaght scored off a penalty corner set up by junior Molly Zimmerman and senior Maeve Boston, giving VU a 1-0 lead at halftime..
Villanova carried its one-goal advantage into the third quarter, continuing to apply pressure while its defense prevented Lehigh from generating any significant offensive momentum.
The defensive performance was notable because Lehigh did not have a single shot recorded on goal.
“That’s like unheard of, having no shots on goal,” Milhous said. “You never see that.”
Senior goalkeeper Maddi Sears was never forced to make a save and recorded her fourth shutout of the season.
Villanova recorded six shots and two penalty corners in the third quarter, but the score remained 1-0 going into the fourth.
Lehigh increased their defensive pressure, limiting Villanova’s shot opportunities.
After Lehigh pulled Burgess, Minnella stepped up and earned a penalty stroke. She scored her second goal of the season, with 2:20 to play.
The shutout marked Villanova’s fourth of the season and its third consecutive shutout. Additionally, the team has scored more goals so far this season than it did all of last season.
Villanova will remain on the road for its Big East opener against Connecticut on Friday, Sept. 18. The match will begin at 3 p.m.