VILLANOVA, Pa. — The Sacred Heart University football team wrapped up its 2025 regular season on Saturday afternoon, falling 34–10 to nationally ranked No. 9/7 Villanova at Villanova Stadium.

The Pioneers (8–4) moved the ball effectively throughout the day—outgaining the Wildcats through the air and finishing with 374 total yards—but were unable to overcome Villanova's explosive plays and a pair of second-quarter touchdowns that created early separation.

With his 113-yard, seven-catch performance against the Wildcats, Payton Rhoades officially eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark for his career. 

Final Score:
Sacred Heart 10
#9/7 Villanova 34

Records:
Sacred Heart (8-4)
#9/7 Villanova (9-2)

Top Performers:
Offense – 
Jack Snyder: Passing (28-35, 286 yds, 1 TD, 1INT) | Rushing (8 carries)
Trey Eberhart III: 6 carries | 59 yards
Jason Palmieri: 10 receptions | 95 yards | 1 TD
Payton Rhoades: 7 receptions | 113 yards

Defense:
Kymari Latney: 7 tackles | 2.0/3 TFL/Yds | 1 forced fumble | 1 pass breakup
Maximus Mongelli: 5 tackles 

How it Happened:
Sacred Heart set the tone early by generating the first scoring opportunity of the afternoon. On Villanova's opening series, the Pioneers swarmed the football and came up with a takeaway at the Wildcat 28-yard line. 

SHU immediately translated the turnover into points, piecing together a composed four-play drive before Matt Kling drilled a confident 37-yard field goal at 13:01 of the first quarter to give the Pioneers a 3–0 lead on the road.

Sacred Heart threatened to close the gap late in the second quarter, driving inside the Wildcat 15, but a 31-yard field-goal attempt was blocked with 4:08 left. Villanova capitalized once again, engineering its longest drive of the game—a 14-play, 80-yard possession capped by a 10-yard touchdown pass from Pat McQuaide to Ja'briel Mace with just 27 seconds before halftime, extending the lead to 21–3.

Despite Villanova adding a pair of third-quarter field goals off extended possessions, the Pioneers continued to hang tough defensively, limiting the Wildcats to just six points in the frame to keep the margin at 27–3. 

Sacred Heart opened the fourth quarter with its best drive of the afternoon, piecing together a nine-play, 78-yard possession. Jack Snyder completed six passes on the march, including a six-yard touchdown to Jason Palmieri on a slant route with 13:15 remaining, cutting the deficit to 27–10.

Villanova, however, responded with a clock-draining, nine-play, 71-yard drive on its next possession, pushing the margin to 34–10 with 7:37 to play and closing the day's scoring.