This past weekend, Villanova’s water polo team faced three ranked opponents in a challenging slate of matches at the Crimson Classic, hosted by Harvard.
The Wildcats (6-5 overall) finished the tournament with a decisive victory over No. 21 Brown, their first win over a nationally ranked opponent since 2021. Villanova lost to No. 13 UC San Diego and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara.
Villanova started the weekend off on Saturday with a loss to UC San Diego, 15-10. The Wildcats had a strong scoring start, notching two goals in the first three minutes. But the Tritons quickly ended the scoring run and took control, scoring eight of the game’s next ten goals.
After head coach Michael Gordon called a time-out to rally the team, Villanova scored six goals in a seven-minute span, reducing the gap to four goals. However, the Wildcats could not come all the way back.
Sophomore attacker Emmie Mallory led Villanova in scoring with four goals for her third hat trick in her last five matches. Junior attacker Anna Painter finished with five points, scoring two goals and having three assists. Painter also capitalized during power play, and had a goal and two assists.
Freshman attacker Riley Hull obtained four exclusions to keep the offense going. On the defensive side, junior goalie Gracin Kerry recorded nine saves, including two when Villanova was down a player.
In the second match of the day, the Wildcats lost to UC Santa Barbara. Both teams traded goals early in the game. But Villanova was unable to close the gap after the Gauchos’ late first-quarter burst.
Freshman center Ella Mattocks had a standout game, scoring two backhanded goals to score a hat trick. Hull, sophomore attacker Tiffany Maguire and freshman attacker Layla Canales scored two goals. Mallory kept up her goal-scoring run from the first match of the day.
Hull also drew four more exclusions against the Gauchos, which provided the Wildcats with crucial extra-man opportunities.
Kerry was a force in the goal despite the defeat, blocking nine shots and saving a crucial penalty. After day one, Villanova’s overall record was 5-5.
Heading into the final game of the Crimson Classic, the Wildcats took on Brown to emerge with an 11-8 victory.
The Wildcats quickly established dominance, taking a 3-0 lead in the first quarter. By halftime, they had increased their lead to 6-3.
Although Brown scored four goals in the third quarter to narrow the gap, Villanova’s defense was too strong in the last period. The Wildcats gave up only one goal, while scoring two of their own to seal the victory.
Hull recorded four goals and one assist, while drawing six exclusions for a season-high. Kerry maintained her excellent play in the goal with 15 saves, including two while Villanova was down a man, and another on a penalty attempt. Painter and sophomore center Lauren Short each provided several goals.
The Wildcats return home to take on Siena College on Saturday, Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. at the Villanova Swim Complex.
