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The Villanova Wildcats are the 31st team in our 2018 schedule preview series and the fourth team from the Big East. The Wildcats finished second in the Big East with a 4-1 conference record before being ousted by Providence in the Big East semifinals.
Here’s the entire 2018 schedule:
Villanova’s 2018 Schedule
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Road Team | Home Team | Special Notes | Last Year's Meeting(s) |
| 2/3 | Villanova | Penn State | 17-12 L | |
| 2/17 | Villanova | Yale | In Frisco, Texas (The Ford Center at The Star) | 16-11 L |
| 2/24 | Villanova | Hofstra | First meeting since 2009 (9-7 W); Former CAA rivals | |
| 2/27 | Drexel | Villanova | 15-13 W | |
| 3/3 | Villanova | Delaware | 13-10 L | |
| 3/6 | Brown | Villanova | 17-15 W | |
| 3/10 | Villanova | Penn | First meeting since 2016 (16-8 W) | |
| 3/17 | Maryland | Villanova | 13-12 W/OT | |
| 3/24 | Fairfield | Villanova | 18-9 W | |
| 3/31 | Villanova | Marquette | Big East | 10-9 W/OT |
| 4/7 | Denver | Villanova | Big East | 16-11 L |
| 4/14 | Georgetown | Villanova | Big East | 17-12 W |
| 4/21 | Villanova | St. John's | Big East | 18-3 W |
| 4/28 | Providence | Villanova | Big East | 15-7 W, 10-7 L |
Monmouth and Bucknell are replaced with Hofstra and Penn, after their city rivalry was halted for a year.
Let’s check out some notable games on this schedule:
Best Nonconference Game: @ Hofstra
Hofstra had a heck of a year in 2017 before falling apart late in the season and in the CAA semifinals. A core that includes Ryan Tierney, Dylan Alderman, and goaltender Jack Concannon will push the Wildcats in this early season matchup. Villanova’s starting defense should stay the same, and they’re aided by graduate transfer Matt Barrett in goal.
Best Conference Game: vs. Providence
The Friars earned revenge in the Big East semifinals just five days after losing to the Wildcats in Providence. The Friars return nearly everyone on offense, as well as goaltender Tate Boyce. Providence will be eager to get that number two seed in the Big East tournament.
Under The Radar Game: @ Delaware
Despite a new head coach in Ben DeLuca, the Blue Hens still bring potential for teams to bring their best this season. Just look at what happened when Rutgers came to visit. The Wildcats didn’t have a good start to their season either, losing to Monmouth in their season opener as well as to Delaware at home.
Possible Upset: vs. Yale (in Frisco, Texas)
The Bulldogs are third in the Face-Off Yearbook rankings and have the squad to win a national championship this season, led by senior attackman Ben Reeves. But could Yale be ranked too high? Villanova’s ranked 21st in those same rankings, and hope to stymie Yale’s defense with Christian Cuccinello and Danny Seibel, along with others, on offense.