Villanova field hockey tries to snap a two-game losing streak when it hosts Temple at noon Friday, Sept. 25, in a BIG EAST matchup at Snell Field at Ursinus in Collegeville.

Both teams enter at 5-3 overall, but they're trending in opposite directions. The Wildcats fell 3-1 at then-No. 10 UConn on Sept. 18 and 2-0 to Drexel at home on Sept. 20, according to Villanova athletics. Temple has won three straight, beating Rider 5-0, Georgetown 2-1 and Hofstra 4-2.

The conference records reflect that split. Villanova is 0-1 in BIG EAST play after the UConn loss. Temple is 1-0.

Friday's game doubles as Villanova's annual Whiteout Game and Parent and Family Day. The Wildcats are 3-1 in their last four Whiteout games, including a 3-2 win over Temple in 2022.

Borkowski leads the BIG EAST in goals

Graduate forward Ava Borkowski, the preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year from Conshohocken, leads the conference with eight goals. She scored Villanova's lone goal in the UConn loss, but the offense went silent in the Drexel shutout.

Head coach Joanie Milhous told The Villanovan on Sept. 23 that the team's intensity picked up late against Drexel. "In the fourth quarter, we started generating more offensive opportunities … Our intensity increased. We started playing more like ourselves," Milhous said.

The scoring drought stands out. Villanova had scored 28 goals through its first five games, more than the 25 it scored all of 2025, The Villanovan reported Sept. 16.

Senior goalkeeper Maddi Sears, from Avondale, posted a .775 save percentage across the two losses while facing 18 shots.

Temple spreads the scoring around

Ten different Owls have scored this season, and 11 have recorded at least one point. Junior Rozlyn Maciejewski and Lucia Magro each lead the team with 11 points. Maciejewski earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Sept. 22 after scoring both goals in Temple's 2-1 comeback win over Georgetown and adding an assist against Hofstra. She has four goals and three assists through eight games.

Goalkeeper Alex Lepore has played all but 15 minutes this season, posting a .681 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-allowed average.

The Owls average 2.62 goals per game, sixth in the BIG EAST. They are 1-2 on the road in 2026, with losses to then-No. 13 Maryland and Lafayette.

Series history favors Villanova

Villanova leads the all-time series 19-10 across 29 meetings and has won three of the last four, including a 2-0 road win last season. Head coach Michelle Vittese, in her sixth year at Temple, led the Owls to a 12-6 record in 2025.

Friday's game streams on Villanova Athletics' YouTube channel starting at noon.