The Official Newsletter of Villanova Athletics
Good Morning, Nova Nation. Put another W in the books for the ‘Cats!
What all do we have in today’s edition? Check it out below!
⚽️ Alexander The Great
👏 Accolades Aplenty
🏈 Poll Position
🔷 And much more!
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🔼 Alexander The Great. When he rose Tuesday morning with a tender back, Alex Yagudayev wasn't sure he would be able to make the start in a match that kicked off at 4 p.m. at the Higgins Soccer Complex against Fordham.
The Wildcats were certainly glad that he did.
Yagudayev was brilliant between the pipes, making 13 saves against relentless Fordham pressure over the final 40 minutes to help Nova hold off the Rams 1-0 on a steamy late summer day on West Campus.
The victory kept the ‘Cats unbeaten in 2026, moving to 3-0-1 on the year.
In his 21 career games at Villanova, how many saves has Alex Yagudayev piled up with the ‘Cats?
Got a guess?
Scroll to the bottom to see if you know your stuff!
🔼 Three’s Company. After an undefeated week that saw the Villanova women’s soccer team outscore its opponents 13-0, three Wildcats earned BIG EAST Weekly Honors.
Avrie Nelsen and Meredith Palmer were tabbed Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively, while Hannah Dickinson landed a spot on the Weekly Honor Roll.
These are the first honors of the year for Nelsen and Palmer while Dickinson has been an Honor Roll selection for a second consecutive week.
🔼 Praisin’ A Pair. Villanova field hockey collected two weekly awards from the BIG EAST following a 2-0 start to the 2026 campaign.
Back Gemma Lysaght was named the Offensive Player of the Week while goalkeeper Maddi Sears was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week.
Lysaght and Sears mark the seventh pair of Wildcats in program history to win Offensive and Defensive player of the Week in the same week. The most recent pair was Ava Borkowski and Sears on October 29, 2024.
🔼 National Nelsen. After a stellar week of scoring that saw her account for four of Villanova's 13 goals across two games, Avrie Nelsen has earned her first placement on TopDrawerSoccer's Team of the Week.
Nelsen is the second Wildcat to be recognized this season by the organization with Morgan Kotch landing an Honorable Mention nod back on August 21. This is her second plaudit in as many days, landing BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week status on Monday afternoon.
🔼 M'm! M'm! Good. Junior Campbell McKinnon of the Villanova Volleyball team doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
After helping the Wildcats to a pair of wins in California last weekend, McKinnon was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll. In the three matches, the junior piled up 38 kills and 21 blocks to lead the way.
🔼 Poll Position. The Villanova Football team will be looking to bounce back after a tough loss in the season opener when they make the short drive north to Bucknell on Saturday evening.
The Wildcats will do so as the #18 team in the country in this week’s poll. It marks the 39th consecutive Top-25 poll that Villanova has appeared in, which is the fourth-longest active streak in the country.
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*All times listed in ET
Wednesday, September 2nd
🐦⬛ Weekday Bird Walk At The Tyler Arboretum
Thursday, September 3rd
🎶 Jamey’s House of Music: Live Music
⚽️ Women’s Soccer vs. Penn @ 4 pm
Friday, September 4th
🍷 Red Brick Winery: Tasting Room Open
🏐 Volleyball vs. Princeton @ 12 pm (Colgate Volleyball Classic - Hamilton, N.Y.)
🏑 Field Hockey at Penn State @ 3 pm
Saturday, September 5th
🍎 Swarthmore Farmers Market
🏐 Volleyball vs. Arizona State @ 3 pm (Colgate Volleyball Classic - Hamilton, N.Y.)
🏈 Football at Bucknell @ 6 pm
⛳️ Men’s Golf at Alex Lagowitz Memorial (Hamilton, N.Y.)
Sunday, September 6th
🍻 Ship Bottom Beer Garden at Linvilla Orchards
🏑 Field Hockey vs. New Haven @ 12 pm (Collegeville, Pa.)
🏐 Volleyball at Colgate @ 2 pm
⛳️ Men’s Golf at Alex Lagowitz Memorial (Hamilton, N.Y.)
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Have a great one, Nova Nation!
