Villanova men's soccer fell 3-2 to George Washington on Sunday, Sept. 13, at the Higgins Soccer Complex after a late two-goal rally came up short.
The Wildcats (3-2-2) trailed 3-0 before scoring twice in the final 10 minutes. Sophomore center back Brody Crampton redirected a corner kick into the net at 81:30, and Fynn Lahrsen buried a penalty kick at 89:54 after senior forward Sam Nyenka was fouled inside the box.
The loss stung because Villanova controlled the early run of play. In the first 27 minutes, the Wildcats put five shots on frame, three from Nyenka, but George Washington goalkeeper Diego Pena saved every one.
"Everything changes if we get one there … You've got to finish one of those early chances because then it's an entirely different game," head coach Mark Fetrow said.
GW broke through first. Joe Brayson finished a set piece at 26:53 to make it 1-0 at halftime. The Colonials then scored twice early in the second half. Finn Roberts converted a pass from Yago Torres at 51:16, and Torres added a goal of his own less than eight minutes later to push the lead to 3-0.
It looked over.
Crampton's header off the corner gave the Wildcats life, and Lahrsen's penalty in the 90th minute made it a one-goal game. But time ran out before Villanova could find an equalizer.
Freshman goalkeeper Dane Johnstone made seven saves in his first regular-season college action, filling in for Alex Yagudayev. Center back Lorenzo Avalos also did not play. Villanova's athletics department described both as "defensive linchpins" but did not specify the nature of either absence.
Fetrow said his forwards are staying after training each day for extra reps and expressed confidence the finishing will come.
Villanova opens BIG EAST play Friday, Sept. 18, at St. John's. The Wildcats were picked sixth in the conference's East Division preseason poll, while St. John's was slotted fourth.
