College Soccer
Villanova women beat Xavier to win the Big East for the first time since 2003
Villanova’s incredible 2026 season continued last night with a thrilling 2-1 win over Xavier in the Big East Championship at Maryland Soccerplex.
Morgan Kotch scored an early goal to stake the Wildcats to a 1-0 lead and after a second half Xavier equalizer Amalia Cardo delivered a free kick that deflected off a Xavier defender and went in to put Villanova back in front.
Gritty defense from the Wildcats – a strong suit all season for a team that has recorded 13 shutouts – saw the game out with Big East Defender of the Year Meredith Palmer battling injury to help seal the win and the Wildcats defender absorbing tremendous pressure from the defending champions.
Xavier outshot the Wildcats 20-8 and had 10 shots on goal, all but one denied by Hannah Dickinson, a Seattle native who in a postgame interview on the ESPN+ broadcast said winning the Big East was exactly why she transferred to Villanova from USC three years ago.
Cardo was credited with a goal and an assist in the game and Kotch, a Yardville, N.J. native and former Real Futbol Academy star, was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Offensive Player. Dickinson received the Most Outstanding Defensive Player recognition for tournament.
The Big East crown is Villanova’s second as a program and first since 2003. Their automatic bid to the NCAA tournament will mark their first appearance since 2009.
The turnaround of the program from four straight losing seasons from 2021-2024 to Big East champions has been remarkable. Samar Azem took over the program in December 2021 and has overseen a dramatic rise to a 14-win season this year after going 9-8-1 last year.
The Wildcats lost at Xavier 9-0 last season and played them to a scoreless draw at home early last month. Their win in the Big East Championship final was their 9th over a Big East opponent this season.
