VILLANOVA, Pa. - La Salle freshman Mackenzie Karcher made her first collegiate goal a memorable one, as her game-winning tally in the 54th minute propelled the Explorers to a 2-1 victory at Villanova on Sunday afternoon. Junior goalkeeper Rachel Hartman made nine saves to anchor the Blue and Gold defense.

"It was a great win," Hartman said. "Coming off a tough loss on Friday, we all really wanted to win today. From the moment we stepped on the field the energy was buzzing from each person and it didn't stop until the buzzer."

Junior Gina Smith opened up the scoring for the second straight game, taking a pass from sophomore Sophie Lozowski and finding the back of the cage in the fifth minute.

Ten minutes later, the Wildcats tied the game up at 1-1 when Francesca Bello tallied her first goal of the season.

The game remained deadlocked until Karcher's heroics with just over 15 minutes to play. Sophomore Kendall Kreider was credited with the assist.

"Scoring my first college goal was such a rush," Karcher said. "I'm so happy that I could help contribute to beating a city rival."

"Our defensive end really stepped up today," Hartman said. "We communicated and played very well together today."

Villanova (0-2) held a 18-12 advantage in shots, while La Salle (1-1) had a 8-6 lead in corners. Nova's Erika Miller had eight stops for the hosts. 

The Explorers return to action on Friday with a visit to Georgetown. 

"Today was a true team win," Hartman said. "We couldn't have done it without every single person on and off the field."