VILLANOVA, PENNSYLVANIA — St. John's (NY) overcame a scoreless first half to defeat Villanova 3-1 on Saturday, improving to 8-5-3 with a dominant second-half performance. The Red Storm broke through early in the second period and added two more goals within nine minutes to put the match out of reach before the Wildcats mounted a late consolation effort.
Antonio Biggs opened the scoring in the 46th minute off a corner kick, assisted by Jeremy Sharp and Guilherme Gomes. The goal came immediately after halftime as St. John's capitalized on set-piece opportunities that had eluded them throughout the first 45 minutes. Gabe Smyth doubled the advantage just nine minutes later at 55:36, also assisted by Gomes, who proved instrumental in St. John's attacking setup.
Villanova's discipline issues compounded their defensive struggles. A red card for abusive conduct in the 55th minute left the Wildcats undermanned, followed by a straight red to St. John's' Luca Fargnoli moments later. Despite the numerical disadvantage, St. John's maintained control through the final stages. Fynn Lahrsen pulled one back for Villanova in the 78th minute, assisted by Michael teDuits, but the hosts could not generate sufficient pressure to threaten an equalizer.
St. John's dominated possession and created more dangerous chances, recording eight shots on goal compared to Villanova's five. The visitors' defensive organization, particularly after the red card, prevented the Wildcats from capitalizing on their 12 corner kicks