Sept. 10, 2007

A pair of Villanova Wildcats who were instrumental in three victories last week, were honored on Monday by the BIG EAST Conference.

Senior Jason Friel (Dublin, Pa./Pennridge High School) was named BIG EAST Goalie of the Week for his work last week. Friel posted a pair of shutouts and was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2007 Duke/addidas Classic in Durham, N.C. On Friday night he stood tall in net with 10 saves as the `Cats upended No. 1/2 Duke 1-0 on its home field. He followed that with another shutout in a 1-0 win over North Carolina State on Sunday. Friel now owns a 0.75 goals against average in four games this season.

Another senior, defender Matt Sleece (Clifton, N.J./Clifton High School), was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week. Sleece was named to the all-tournament team at the Duke/addidas classic for his work as the anchor of Villanova's suffocating defense. Villanova has not allowed a goal in its last 237 minutes of soccer, dating back to a 2-1 win over Siena to open last week.

NOTES: The Wildcats victories in Durham, N.C., were their first ever over an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent... The triumph over Duke, which was ranked No. 1 by College Soccer News and No. 2 by Soccer America and Soccer Times, was the highest ranked opponent ever defeated by Villanova ... On Wednesday afternoon the Wildcats return to action with a Philadelphia Soccer Seven battle against Saint Joseph's at 3:00 p.m. at the Soccer Complex.