This past weekend, Villanova’s women’s water polo team opened its season with a 4-0 sweep at home, sending a statement to begin an ambitious 2025 season.
On Saturday, Jan. 25, the Wildcats claimed victories over Gannon, 16-8, and Iona, 17-5. Villanova then defeated Mount St. Mary’s, 12-6, and Mercyhurst, 17-4, on Sunday, Jan. 26.
“I was very impressed with how the team played,” head coach Michael Gordon said. “We had some mistakes in our first game, but the second game against Iona we really tightened it up, and really executed our game plan, and played phenomenal defense.”
The Wildcats had a very strong start to Saturday’s doubleheader, scoring two goals in the first three minutes and 10 seconds of the match against Gannon.
Freshman attacker Layla Canales was able to score and extend Villanova’s lead in her first collegiate game. The Wildcats managed to put in five goals before the Golden Knights scored.
The Golden Knights would eventually cut into the Wildcats’ lead, scoring three goals at the start of the second quarter, making the score 6-3. It remained a close match through the rest of the game, with many defensive plays made by both teams.
Villanova did not let the scoring run by the Golden Knights last for long, as the Wildcats scored several goals in five minutes to take an overwhelming, 15-7 lead. Villanova scored one more goal before the final score of 16-8.
The Wildcats had five multi-goal scorers, with senior center Emily McKenzie notching four goals and freshman attacker Riley Hull adding two in her first collegiate game. Attackers Sara Withers and Anna Painter also scored two goals each.
Junior goalie Gracin Kerry collected 15 saves to help in the win. The victory marked Villanova’s 11th consecutive win over Gannon.
Villanova then took on Iona to collect its second win of the day.
Canales scored right out of the first quarter and sparked an early, 4-1 lead for the Wildcats. Canales continued her powerful performance, recording an assist and a block against Iona.
Villanova continued its momentum into the second quarter with a total of four more goals. The Wildcats’ defense made it difficult for Iona to score and had an 8-3 lead going into halftime.
Iona started the third quarter adding two goals. But that was the end of its scoring for the rest of the game. The Wildcats responded with a seven-goal scoring run to end the quarter with a score of 14-5.
Villanova started and ended Saturday with dominance. While Iona was not able to score a goal in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats were able to add three more goals for a 17-5 victory.
“I love how the team came together, and you could really see our chemistry throughout the whole day,” Canales said. “I thought we played really well as a team and as one unit.”
Day two of the season opening weekend began with a matchup against Mount St. Mary’s. The aggression from Saturday continued into Sunday, with the Wildcats scoring three times and Mount St. Mary’s scoring just once in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Villanova added three more early goals before the Mountaineers started to cut into the lead, scoring two more goals, making the score 6-3. Before the second quarter ended, the Wildcats were able to add three more goals to bring their total to nine heading into halftime.
The third quarter was quieter for both teams, with only two goals scored late in the quarter, both for Villanova.
In the fourth, the Mountaineers started to gain momentum and began to catch up to Villanova’s 11-4 lead. The ‘Cats stifled the comeback attempt and closed out the match with a 12-6 victory.
With the win, Kerry rose up in Villanova’s record books. She is now tied for fifth in program history in goalie wins, with 14.
To close out the weekend strong, the Wildcats took down Mercyhurst in a prolific 17-4 victory. The ‘Cats came out scoring three early goals before the Lakers got on the board.
Villanova then went on a 10-0 scoring run before heading into the third quarter, bringing the score to 13-2.
In the second half of the game, it was all Villanova. The ‘Cats were able to add four more goals to bring the game’s final score to 17-4. Hull continued her dominance, leading the team in scoring with four goals, with three coming in the first half.
Next weekend, the team will be on the road in Providence, RI, to play in the Bruno Invite. The Wildcats will take on the University of the Pacific and Marist College on Feb. 1, and then Salem University and Brown University on Feb. 2.
