Villanova women's soccer head coach Samar Azem reached 100 career victories Wednesday, Sept. 30, as the Wildcats beat Creighton 2-1 at Morrison Stadium in Omaha, Nebraska.
The milestone win kept Villanova (7-0-3, 2-0 BIG EAST) unbeaten and matched the program's total victory count from all of last season with seven wins through 10 games. It was Azem's 29th victory at Villanova, according to the university's game recap. She entered the week at 99-84-38 in 13 years of coaching.
Sophomore midfielder Kaydee Amorosa broke the scoreless deadlock in the 14th minute. Gabby Koluch delivered a corner kick into the box, and Amorosa finished a one-timer that slipped past three defenders for her fourth goal of the season.
Junior forward Isabelle Chukwu doubled the lead in the 39th minute. She collected a clearance near midfield, beat multiple defenders and fired a shot from the top of the 18-yard box for her second goal of the year. Villanova led 2-0 at the half and held a 7-4 edge in shots.
Creighton (4-4-2, 0-1-1 BIG EAST) pushed back in the second half. Gabby Wagenfuhr tested goalkeeper Hannah Dickinson twice, in the 57th and 63rd minutes. Dickinson stopped both.
The Bluejays finally broke through in the 81st minute. Radleigh Childers converted a follow-up chance off a corner kick after Dickinson got a hand on the initial delivery and Taylor Yablonski nudged it ahead. It was only the third goal allowed by Villanova's defense all season.
Creighton had one last look with four seconds remaining, but Sarah Hyde's shot sailed high over the net.
Azem said the match was unlike anything her team had faced this fall. "We wanted to control the tempo and it was very different than a lot of the games that we've seen this season," she said. She praised her players for adapting and building on the team's identity as the year progresses.
Dickinson, the Preseason BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, made four saves and improved to 7-0-3 on the season. The Wildcats outshot Creighton 12-9 overall and 6-5 on goal.
Villanova hosts Georgetown on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Higgins Soccer Complex with a 4 p.m. kickoff. The Wildcats face a steep challenge: Georgetown was picked first in the BIG EAST preseason coaches' poll, and the Hoyas have won 12 straight in the series, outscoring Villanova 39-2 in that stretch. Villanova's last goal against Georgetown came Oct. 12, 2016. The program's last win in the series was Oct. 19, 2012.
