This past weekend, the Villanova women’s water polo team went 2-1, falling to No. 23 LIU, 11-9, on Saturday, March 23rd,  but bouncing back with a 20-7 win over VMI, followed by another win over La Salle, 9-8. 

Villanova led just once during the game against LIU, scoring the opening goal before the Sharks took the lead for the rest of the game. 

Senior Emily Morrissey led Villanova with four goals and a steal, while senior Allie Hansen and junior Stella Byles scored two goals each; Hansen also added on two assists.

LIU answered Villanova’s opening goal with a pair of goals, going on a 3-0 scoring run over the final four minutes of the first quarter, and leading, 5-2, into the second quarter. 

LIU then extended its lead, 6-2, within the first minute of the second quarter. Villanova was able to cut the deficit to 7-6 with a goal from sophomore Emily McKenzie, which was then followed by another goal from Morrissey. 

However, in the fourth quarter LIU took the lead, 11-7. 

Hansen scored back-to-back chances to cut into the lead, but it wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to make a comeback. 

In the loss, sophomore Sarah Shaw made seven saves and three steals for Villanova, and the Wildcats’ offense saw at least four goals scored in each period of play. 

Despite the loss, the team bounced back with a powerful offensive performance in their next game, picking up a 20-7 win over VMI. 

Freshman Ella Mattocks led the team with four goals, while Hansen had three goals and three assists for six points. 

Villanova took a 5-0 lead in the first quarter with five different Wildcats scoring goals. VMI was able to get on the board with a powerplay goal, but Villanova extended its lead, 6-1, with Hansen’s goal in the second quarter. 

Right before halftime, Villanova scored five more consecutive goals to take an 11-3 lead. 

In the third quarter, VMI outscored Villanova, 4-3, but the Wildcats continued to score in the fourth quarter to secure the win.

Following the VMI victory, the Wildcats made another splash in the final game of the weekend against La Salle. 

The ‘Cats scored the opening goal — but didn’t see another lead until the final two minutes of the game.

Despite La Salle building a 3-0 lead, Villanova managed to tie the game halfway through the third quarter. The game saw three more ties before Villanova finally took the lead. Hansen scored the deciding goal with 1:41 left to play. 

“The team went into the weekend with the attitude of just ‘go out and play,’” head coach Larry Sanders said. “The team has grown so much over the season and it was displayed in their execution of the game plan.” 

Next up, the 13-13 Wildcats will take to the pool to take on take on Saint Francis on April 2nd.