Villanova

Villanova Won a Soccer Game Despite Being Outshot 43 to 8

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Sep 3rd, 2026 · 11:43 AM EDT

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This is wild:

Official stats say 43-8.

— Dylan Johnson (@bydylanjohnson) September 2, 2026

Fordham took 43 shots and scored 0 goals. How is that possible? You take that many shots and surely you get a deflection or a rebound or someone makes a mistake. Something like that.

Furthermore, the official box score says the Rams only put 14 of their 43 shots on target, which is 32.5%. Even the Philadelphia Union strikers not named Milan Iloski hit the target with more than one-third of their shots. Nova’s keeper made 13 saves, which means that 27 shots were either blocked or missed the frame entirely. They clanked two off the post, according to the Villanova recap, which also says this:

“I loved the performance of (goalkeeper) Alex Yagudayev,” said Villanova head coach Mark Fetrow after watching his side up its mark in the young season to 3-0-1. “What an unbelievable game by him. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a keeper make as many saves as he did in this match.

…

Villanova had a lead to protect thanks to a set piece goal in the first half. Junior Luke Martelli fed the ball into the box where Brody Crampton got a piece of it before it landed on the foot of Lorenzo Avalas. The junior from California wasted no time in firing the ball past Shayon Kashi in the Rams’ net at 19:51.

“We set a goal before the game that we wanted to score a goal in the first 25 minutes understanding that it was hot out and it would be tough for teams to press,” Fetrow stated. “We accomplished that goal.

Good game plan, coach. It was indeed hot as balls outside, just terribly muggy, and if you get the first goal, you can sit back and defend. Make the other team work. They can’t press you if you give them the ball and say “come break us down.“

This may not be sustainable, but a win is a win. When Jose Mourinho parked the bus, did anybody care? Remember, they don’t ask how, they ask how many.

By the way, this lede in the Fordham writeup is great:

Villanova, Pa. – In his song Legacy of Rentals,  Craig Finn sings “The numbers never lie, but they also never tell the whole truth.” That rang true for today’s Fordham-Villanova men’s soccer match at the Higgins Soccer Complex. The Rams were credited with an unofficial school record 43 shots to just eight for the Wildcats and Fordham had 13 corners to just two for the home team. But in the end the only shot that mattered was the one taken by Villanova in the 20^th minute that got by Fordham keeper Shayon Kashi as Villanova defeated Fordham, 1-0.