College Soccer
Villanova winning streak ends on questionable penalty call
Villanova was looking to extend a four-game win streak and was looking promising in their battle at Princeton on Thursday night when a questionable penalty call that led to the lone goal of the match derailed their effort.
With the game scoreless just before the hour mark, referee Franco Somma inexplicably pointed to the spot after Villanova defender Kate Dobsch tackled the ball away from Princeton attacker Ally Murphy inside the box. Murphy then stepped up to convert from the spot and the hosts won the match 1-0.
“It was a fantastic performance by the team tonight,” head coach Samar Azem told Villanova.com. “There were so many moments where we made it really difficult for Princeton to do what it wanted to do. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in the game; momentum shifted, I would say. Kate (Dobsch) had a fantastic tackle in the box, just the situation was unfortunate, and things are going to happen.”
Villanova goalkeeper Hannah Dickinson made six saves on the night to lead the Wildcats while Amalia Cardo paced the attack registering four of the team’s 10 shots on the night. Princeton rookie Nina Cantor (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) had some lively moments for the hosts and Murphy was a handful but the defensive effort was also impressive for the visitors, which held up well under pressure in a match the hosts outshot them in 18-10.
Villanova (4-3) will wrap up their non-conference slate with another difficult road game against an Ivy League opponent when they visit Penn on Sunday evening. They then return home for a two-game home stand against Seton Hall and Creighton.
This was the penalty called against Villanova last night. pic.twitter.com/GWodR6hZqh
— Philadelphia Soccer Now (@phlsoccernow) September 12, 2025
