April 15, 2006

VILLANOVA, Pa. - Just 26 seconds after seeing the match tied 8-8 with 1:07 to play, the Wildcats tallied the game-winner with 41 seconds showing and went on to a 9-8 victory over Siena on Saturday evening at the Villanova Swim Center. Earlier in the day, Villanova (5-12, 4-2 MAAC) was defeated by Wagner 13-6 at its home tournament.

The split on Saturday leaves the Wildcats in excellent shape in the MAAC standings. Villanova started the day in a tie for second place in the league with Marist, and remained in that position as the Red Foxes also split their two contests.

"It is encouraging to have gotten some tough victories in the past two weekends," Villanova head coach Damon Newman said. "Last weekend we were able to come from behind against Iona and today we won a close match against Siena. We are looking forward to the upcoming weekends and hope to put ourselves in good position for the conference tournament."

The top four teams in the six-team league will play in the MAAC Championship. The Wildcats play their final four matches against league foes next weekend, including a battle against Marist next Sunday. Last season, Villanova earned the #2 seed in the conference tournament and advanced to the championship game before being defeated by top-seeded Wagner. The Seahawks are 25-1 against league competition in the regular season since 2003.

As for today's matches, Villanova was once again led by senior driver Kim Pare (East Grand Rapids, Mich.). Pare scored three goals in both contests today, while adding three steals and four ejections drawn against the Seahawks. The Wildcats trailed just 5-3 at halftime against the perennial conference power, but Wagner scored five unanswered goals in the third quarter to stretch the margin.

Sophomore driver Carla Martinez (Caguas, Puerto Rico) and sophomore defender Christina Dopp (Stockton, Calif.) scored two goals apiece in the win over Siena. Villanova led 6-4 at halftime after scoring four goals in the second period, but the Saints came back to tie the score at 7-7 heading into the final seven minutes.

In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats led 8-7 until Siena tied the score at 8-8 with 1:07 left in regulation. That goal proved only to set up the game-winner for Villanova, which came out of a timeout and scored on its first opportunity in the closing minute.

Senior goalie Jessica Wells (Newport Beach, Calif.) had seven saves in the win after registering eight stops against Wagner. She faced 22 shots from the Saints and also assisted on two of the Wildcat goals, including the game-winner.

Villanova returns to action next Saturday when it plays matches against Iona and St. Francis (N.Y.) at Wagner's Spiro Sports Center. The next day, the Wildcats will be at Iona's home facility to take on Marist and get another shot at Wagner.

Marist is the host site for the MAAC Championship, which is slated for April 29 and 30.