Villanova water polo started off Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play going 2-1 this past weekend at the VMI-MAAC Showcase in Lexington, VA.
Villanova (15-7, 2-1 MAAC) lost to Mount St. Mary’s, 10-9, on Saturday, March 15. It then defeated Siena College, 18-14, and Virginia Military Institute (VMI), 20-10, in back-to-back games on Sunday, March 16.
“We played well, but did not play to our full potential,” head coach Michael Gordon said. “We need to tighten some things up both offensively and defensively and make plays down the stretch in these conference games.”
The MAAC opener between Villanova and Mount St. Mary’s resulted in a tough loss despite a fierce defensive effort.
Freshman goalie Rachel Stephens, the reigning Co-MAAC Defensive Player of the Week, recorded a career-high 12 saves. Meanwhile, junior utility player Sara Withers made history by surpassing 100 career assists, becoming only the seventh player in program history to reach this milestone.
Freshman attacker Riley Hull had a fantastic five-goal game, but the Wildcats could not defeat the Mountaineers, who countered each of Villanova’s attacks.
Both sides traded goals in the first quarter, which ended in a tie at two goals each. The Mountaineers scored a goal, while freshman attacker Layla Canales and Hull scored two goals for the Wildcats.
In the second quarter, Hull found the back of the net twice, completing her hat trick. But the Wildcats were unable to score again for the rest of the game.
Mount St. Mary’s capitalized, scoring four goals to lead, 6-4, at the half.
Junior center Ella Mattocks scored twice in the first 1:35 of the third quarter to even the score at six. But the Mountaineers took back control and increased their lead to two by the end of the period.
Hull notched her fourth and fifth goals of the day at the start of the fourth quarter, which tied the game, 9-9. But with 1:27 remaining, Anita Radaelli from Mount St. Mary’s managed to put one in the net, securing the game-winning goal.
“[Even though we lost] our coach is really great about when we lose, we really use it as an opportunity to build off of our abilities and see what we can do better in the future,” Mattocks said. “As a team we do a really good job at not dwelling on a loss and talk about the things we could do better.”
The following day, the Wildcats regrouped and won their first conference game of the season, defeating Siena.
The Wildcats’ offensive efficiency was front and center as they shot an outstanding, 18-for-26 (.692%). Stephens’ desperate attempt at the end of the second quarter kept Siena’s goalie to just one save in the first half.
Junior attacker Anna Painter and Hull scored 10 of Villanova’s 18 goals, spearheading the scoring surge. With seven of their goals coming in the second half, Painter scored a career-high five goals.
With goals from Withers, Mattocks and two from senior center Emily McKenzie, Villanova came out on top, scoring four of the first five goals. The Wildcats led, 6-3, at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Siena outscored Villanova, 5-4. In the second quarter, Siena fought hard and outscored Villanova, 5-4. Nevertheless, Painter and Hull maintained their offensive authority, giving the Wildcats a 10-8 lead at halftime.
Painter, Mattocks, and Hull all scored goals as the Wildcats opened the game with a 4-1 run in the third quarter. The lead was increased to 14-11 when sophomore attacker Tiffany Maguire scored.
With a convincing victory over Virginia Military Institute to close the weekend, the Wildcats earned their second MAAC victory of the season. The Wildcats’ 20-goal game was their highest-scoring performance since defeating Salem University on March 9, 2024.
The Wildcats had 11 different players from all over the roster help to contribute, including seven with multiple goals.
Hull and Mattocks led the way with three goals apiece. For the fourth time this season, the Wildcats’ bench was cleared, and every active Villanova player got to play.
In the first three minutes of the first quarter, both teams traded goals, tying it, 2-2. But the Wildcats answered with a three goal run making it 6-2. Villanova opened up the second quarter and continued building on its lead by scoring six unanswered goals to take a 12-2 lead.
With goals from Painter and sophomore center Lauren Short, Villanova led 13-3 coming out of halftime. Six of Villanova’s final seven goals were scored by freshmen, including freshman center Charlotte Summe, scoring her first collegiate goal.
Freshman attacker Catharine McCann, capped off Villanova’s performance with the Wildcats’ 20th goal.
Following Allyson Gillespie, who led the team to consecutive seasons with 15 or more wins in 1999 and 2000, Gordon became the second coach in program history to record multiple seasons with 15 or more wins.
On March 22, The Wildcats will return to take on LIU. They will then face Wagner College and La Salle University on March 23.
