Box Score Vincent Mitchell found the net twice as Butler opened the BIG EAST portion of the 2015 schedule in fine fashion with a 3-0 win Saturday night at the Butler Bowl. The victory kept the Bulldogs' slate clean for the season at 4-0-3 and 1-0 in conference play. Villanova fell to 4-3 (0-1 BIG EAST) on the year.
The first of Mitchell's two goals came in the 30th minute as he and Eric Leonard combined on the offensive. Mitchell fed the ball to Leonard who got inside the box and played the ball toward the net. Mitchell collected the rolling ball, side-stepped the Villanova goalkeeper and scored with his left foot from six yards out.
Mitchell's second goal of the match (70th minute) was the final tally on the night as he took a feed from A.R. Smith and bent a strike from 10 yards out just inside the right post. It was Mitchell's sixth goal of the season and his fifth in the Bulldogs' last three matches.
Freshman Michael Peay scored his first Butler goal in the 57th minute off a pass from classmate Jared Timmer. Peay avoided the goalie and scored from six yards out with his left foot to provide Butler with the insurance goal.
Butler held a 17-11 advantage in shots, including 12-6 in the first half. Villanova had six corner kicks to Butler's three. Goalkeeper Eric Dick anchored the defense, posting his third shutout of the season. He had three saves on the night in 90 minutes of work.
Both of Mitchell's shots found the net. Timmer and Jeff Adkins led the Bulldogs with four shots apiece, followed by three for Leonard.
The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday for a non-conference trip to Evansville to face the Purple Aces. Butler then travels to Providence for a BIG EAST match-up Saturday, Oct. 3.
