VILLANOVA, Pa.—Villanova field hockey is set for two important matchups as they travel to Temple on Friday followed by Drexel on Sunday.

Villanova currently sits at third in the BIG EAST standings with two conference games remaining against the Owls and Providence next week. Temple and Providence are both 2-3 in conference play and have the same overall record as the Wildcats at 8-6. Villanova controls its own destiny which is key as last season they needed help that did not come when Temple jumped Villanova for fourth curtesy of a win over UConn on the final day of conference play. Because Villanova owns the head to head tie breaker over Quinnipiac, they need one more win to clinch their first BIG EAST Tournament birth since 2018.

The matchup with Temple is an intriguing one as the Wildcats rank second in the conference with 42 goals this season and the Owls rank last with just 12. Temple is a defensive minded team that held Old Dominion, the conference’s top offense, to one goal in their 1-0 loss on September 22. They have allowed 18 total goals this season to Villanova’s 47 and shutout the likes of UConn, Delaware, and LIU. Something has to give on Friday when two polar opposites play for what could decide a postseason berth.

Drexel is having one of their best seasons in program history. The reigning CAA runner ups are 11-4 and have outscored opponents 45-16 this season. The Dragons are led by forwards Van Van Hellemont and Natali Foster with 25 points each. They sit one game back of Monmouth for first place in the CAA ahead of Friday’s matchup against Delaware and hold notable wins over No.20 Albany and American.

Villanova’s ultimate goal this season was to make the BIG EAST Tournament. They have a chance to clinch that and take home city six bragging rights this weekend. Friday’s game is set for 1 p.m. at Howarth Field in Philadelphia with Sunday a three o’clock affair at Buckley Field in West Philadelphia.