Hare's First of the Season Lifts Women's Soccer Over Villanova

Saturday, October 17

Philadelphia, Pa.

12 P.M.

Xavier University

7-7-1, 2-4

Villanova

1-14, 0-6

Xavier

Villanova

Hare's First of the Season Lifts Women's Soccer Over Villanova

10.17.15 | Women's Soccer

Box Score

Dewey adds insurance goal in the second as Musketeers pick up the road win

By: Hayley Schletker, Xavier Athletic Communications

VILLANOVA, Pa. - In her first start of the season, junior Maggie Hare scored early in the match to give the Musketeers the only goal they would need as Xavier women's soccer topped Villanova, 2-0, at Higgins Soccer Complex on Saturday afternoon.

At the 12 minute mark, Addie Englehart brought the ball up field on the near side. Englehart played the ball ahead to Emily Calvani who crossed to Hare just outside the box. Hare finished to the far corner of the net for the game winner.

The goal marked the first of the season for Hare, who has been dealing with injury for much of the past two seasons. The West Chester, Ohio (Lakota West) native started each of the eight games she played in as a freshman, scoring three goals, including a pair of game winners, during her rookie season.

The Musketeers added an insurance goal in the 79^th minute after Samantha Dewey, shortly after checking back into the game, scored from just outside the six yard box off a pass from Skylar Groth to set the final score at 2-0 in favor of the Musketeers. The goal was Dewey's sixth of her freshman season, matching Kenadie Carlson for team high.

Villanova started out pressing offensively, taking 10 shots to two for the Musketeers in the first half, but Xavier returned the favor in the second half, using strong winds to their advantage.

"Villanova had a couple of really good chances, fortunately Piccus came up big," said head coach Woody Sherwood. "It was a tale of two halves today, in the first half we absorbed pressure going against the wind. In the second half, we created a lot of good chances when we had the wind.

Rachel Piccus finished with nine saves and her seventh win of the season. Maria Libertin, Courtney Kobashigawa and Carly Alfano each played the entire match on the backline for the Musketeers to help put together the seventh shutout of 2015.

The win is the second of the BIG EAST play for the Musketeers, giving Xavier six points total in conference standings as XU works towards the goal of making the conference tournament.

"Anytime you get three points on the road in this conference it's a great day," said Sherwood. "After an emotional 24 hours, all of our thoughts and prayers are back in Cincinnati with Coach Bowman and her family."

Xavier will return home before heading out to New York later this week to finish a three-game road swing at St. John's on Thursday, Oct. 22.The Musketeers and Red Storm are set for a 7:00 p.m. first touch. Links to live stats will be available at GoXavier.com and a live stream will be available through ESPN3.com.