Villanova women's soccer beat Georgetown 1-0 on Saturday, Oct. 3, snapping a 12-match losing streak against the Hoyas that stretched back to 2012.
Sophomore forward Avrie Nelsen scored in the 11th minute off a cross from junior Dez Zapata, as first reported by The Villanovan. It was Nelsen's team-high sixth goal of the season.
The streak was over. Nelsen's goal was also the first Villanova had scored against Georgetown in nearly a decade. The last came Oct. 12, 2016, in a 5-1 loss.
The shutout was Villanova's eighth of the season and came in the 34th all-time meeting between the programs, a series dating to 1983.
"This is a huge win … So much respect for this Georgetown team," head coach Samar Azem said. "I think we haven't beaten them in 15 seasons. And haven't scored on them in 11. So to get the shutout against them is a big deal."
Azem singled out junior Meredith Palmer for her defensive work over the final 20 minutes, along with sixth-year holding midfielder Bella Panaccione and Zapata for creating the goal.
The Georgetown victory capped a two-win week in Big East play. On Wednesday, Sept. 30, the Wildcats beat Creighton 2-1 on the road in their first away match since late August. Sophomore Kaydee Amorosa opened the scoring in the 14th minute off a corner kick from senior Gabby Koluch. Junior Isabelle Chukwu added a 39th-minute goal before Creighton pulled one back in the final 10 minutes.
That Creighton win was Azem's 100th career victory and her 29th with Villanova. It also matched the program's total win count from all of last season.
Villanova now stands at 8-0-3 overall and 3-0 in Big East play. The Wildcats have not been unbeaten through 11 matches since 2007.
The Wildcats host Xavier (8-2-1, 2-0-1 Big East) at the Higgins Soccer Complex on Wednesday, Oct. 7, at 4 p.m., then travel to Providence (2-2-7, 0-1-1 Big East) on Saturday, Oct. 10.
