Water polo redeemed itself with two wins at the Bison Invitational after opening the season on a poor note. 

The Wildcats opened the Bison Invitational against George Washington on Friday still seeking its first win of the season. The match didn’t favor Villanova in the first half of play as the ‘Cats found themselves down by one. George Washington, nursing a 4-3 lead, had no answer for Villanova, however, in the final half. With a 3-1 goal advantage, the ‘Cats rallied to take the lead and held on for the 7-6 victory. Junior Maria Apablasa and sophomores Jen Soares and Sara Kane scored two goals apiece, while freshman Hannah Ishida scored what amounted to Villanova’s winning goal. 

In the game against Indiana, Villanova failed to find the same level of success. The Wildcats lost to their nationally-ranked opponent by a score of 11-2. 

The No. 19 ranked Hoosiers’ Jakie Kohli scored four goals to lead both squads. Kathleen Maloney and Maria Apablasa scored one goal apiece for the Wildcats.

In their final match of the invitational, the Wildcats defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers in overtime by a score of 11-10.  The game was by far the most thrilling and rewarding of the ‘Cats’ season.  

Soares and Maloney scored a season-high five goals apiece, with junior Nicole Lum notching the other Wildcat point.

Now that they have gotten their season back on the right track, the water polo team will  hop back in the pool during the semester break when they will travel to the west coast to participate in the Cal Lutheran Invitational. 

There, the Wildcats will attempt to improve upon their disappointing 2-5 record on March 5 at 12:45 p.m.