Here’s how youth, not experience, guided Villanova to its best start in women’s soccer in six years

A college soccer team typically is anchored by seniors who’ve weathered the ups and downs of seasons past.

In Villanova’s case, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The Wildcats won their third straight on Wednesday, beating Marquette, 3-0, for their ninth win and eighth shutout of the season.

The last time the team won eight more than nine in a season was six years ago. Now, with five games left in the regular season, Villanova (9-5, 4-2 Big East) is headed for its best finish since 2019, when it went 10-7-3.

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A substantial part of Villanova’s success has come from a newcomer, forward Avrie Nelsen. The freshman leads the team in goals with five and points with 10 and has started in 13 of Villanova’s 14 games.

“She’s one of the fastest players in the league, in my opinion,” coach Samar Azem said. “So that makes her the fastest player on our team, objectively speaking, as well. In soccer, we recruit really early on. So we started watching Avrie as a freshman. She could get in behind teams. She was a dangerous threat, hard to find, hard to keep up with.”

In a 3-1 win over Penn on Sept. 14, Nelsen became the first Wildcat to have two goals in a game this season.

Nelsen had game highs of four shots on goal and four points and earned Big East freshman of the week honors.

Her contributions helped Villanova score its most goals against Penn since 2008 and collect its fifth win, tying last season’s win total in just eight games.

“After scoring two, I felt like I found my confidence and who I am as a college player,” Nelsen said. “Like, I can do it. And from then on, just continue to do what I’m doing. The work that I was putting in ahead of that game had led up to that moment. So definitely not taking my foot off the gas from then on.”

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Nelsen, a Dix Hills, N.Y., native, notched 30 goals in three varsity seasons at St. Anthony’s. In 2023, she was named the New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association offensive player of the year.

The biggest factor Nelsen has had to adjust to is the physicality. Azem noted that Nelsen has done so with efficiency.

“For me, speed is one of my strengths,” Nelsen said. “So staying 100% is something that’s a challenge because game after game, it can get tough, especially coming from a club where it was maybe like one game a weekend.”

In college, players are tasked with multiple games per week. Because of that, Nelsen has prioritized recovery just as much as her training.

“Taking care of my body is super important,” she said. “I think our [sports performance coach], Beth [Lazarus], really helps with that. And the coaches as well, like, managing our bodies so that we’re not doing too much. But, yeah, definitely the physicality is much higher than what I’m used to.”

“She absorbs coaching points pretty quickly,” Azem said. “As a freshman, when you come in, you’re used to playing against 17-year-olds. When you get to college, you’re playing against 23-, 22-, 21-year-olds. And the speed of play is completely different. The physicality is completely different. That’s an adjustment period. And Avery has really transitioned into that adjustment period pretty quickly because she’s so coachable.”

Nelsen said the team’s sophomores helped her adjust.

“Yeah, for the sophomore class, [the freshmen] are super close with them,” Nelsen said. “We look up to them so much. They’re a huge help, whether it’s soccer or even school, in helping us find our classes on the first day. On the field, I really look up to them. It’s easier to connect with somebody who’s closer in age to myself. And I feel like they’re always pushing me to do my best, giving me tips whenever they can.”

Sophomore forward Morgan Kotch is tied for second behind Nelsen in points with eight. Sophomore defender Meredith Palmer earned Big East defensive player of the week honors in the 1-0 win over Seton Hall on Sept. 20.

It was the first time the Wildcats did not allow a shot on goal since 2008.

With five Big East games left until the conference tournament, Nelsen says there are still things to improve upon, both for herself and the team.

“For my personal goals, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing,” Nelsen said. “Don’t take my foot off the gas, and try to bring something new each day to training. And then for the team, our bond is insanely strong off the field.

“We have to push each other on the field as well. Keep each other motivated again with the mentality. But I think we’re doing a great job of that. Showing up to training every day and wanting more is what we have to keep doing.”

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