Webber, Scioscia Buoy Villanova in Victory
from press release
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- No. 13/12 Villanova (10-4,
4-1 Big East) brought home another conference win on Saturday
afternoon, downing Providence College (0-13, 0-5 Big East) 9-5 at
the Friar Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex. The Wildcats tallied
five unanswered goals in the third and fourth quarters to propel
themselves over the PC defense.
Seniors Paul Webber (Manhasset, N.Y.) and Mark Scioscia (East
Hampton, N.Y.) led the Wildcat offense, providing the team with
four points each and combining for five goals. Junior LSM Brian
Karalunas (Dewitt, N.Y.) tallied six ground balls and five caused
turnovers, while freshman goalie Billy Hurley (Morristown, N.J.)
captured 10 saves in the first half to lead the VU defensive
effort.
Head coach Mike Corrado states, "Today's game was an important Big
East win to get us to 4-1 in the conference. Billy Hurley had a
great game for us making 10 saves in the first half, especially
when we weren't playing particularly well to keep us in the game.
Our seniors in [Paul] Webber and [Mark] Scioscia really stepped up
with five goals for us today."
A defensive minded first half saw only four scores, with two apiece
going to each side. Villanova bookended scoring with Scioscia and
Webber notching their 19th and 27th goals of the season,
respectively.
Scioscia was the lone scorer of the first quarter, finding the net
with 6:10 left in the period.
PC saw goals in the second fifteen minutes coming from Evan Helda
and Kyle Dexter, with assists being credited to Mike Feldberg and
Garrett Kanter. Webber's goal at the 4:37 mark tied the game at
two-all going into intermission.
Villanova finally found their rhythm in the second half, capturing
scores from freshman Jack Rice (Baltimore, Md.), sophomore Kevin
Cunningham (Garden City, N.Y.) and Webber. Rice's goal at the 9:21
mark gave the Wildcats a one goal cushion at 3-2, but PC responded
with scores from Jackson Fallon and Evan Olsen to put the Friars
ahead with 4:50 remaining in the third period.
Cunningham's man-up goal from Webber with 3:37 left in the quarter
began VU's scoring streak, with Webber tallying his second score of
the game off a Scioscia pass to end the period. Going into the
final stanza, VU held a slight 5-4 lead over the Friars.
The fourth period began with freshman Will Casertano (Millbrook,
N.Y.) finding the net with 10:06 remaining and giving VU a 6-4
advantage over the Friars, while Webber and Scioscia tallied scores
at the 8:32 and 4:12 marks.
PC's Daniel Textor scored with 48 seconds remaining to put the
score at 8-4 in favor of the Wildcats, but Cunningham answered with
an open net tally from a Mike Brennan (Manhasset, N.Y.) assist to
close out the game with 15 seconds remaining.
Defensively, Hurley is credited with his sixth win of the season
and made 12 saves in the net for Villanova. PC's Christian
Dzwilewski recorded 14 saves in the defeat.
The Wildcats will next be in action on Saturday, May 8th when they
host their final game of the season against No. 14/15 Georgetown at
Villanova Stadium. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.
Corrado states, "We're excited to play another top-ranked team on
our home field against Georgetown. It's our last game of the season
and senior night and it will be a great atmosphere as always."
