In a high scoring game with a lot of back-to-back goals, Villanova was able to overcome William and Mary, 16-12, behind hat tricks from Katie Comerford, Juliane Puckette and Brittany Bruno.

Both teams started off hot, scoring a total of six goals in the first eight minutes of gameplay. The Wildcats then went on a run, scoring four consecutive goals, one of which gave senior attack Comerford a hat trick only 17 minutes into the game. 

The Tribe responded with three goals of their own, cutting the lead to 8-6. Each team would go on to score a goal in the last three minutes to make the score 9-7, Villanova, heading into the locker room. 

Villanova started the second half with four goals to William and Mary’s one, stretching the lead to 13-8. Junior attack Bruno scored her third goal of the game with 21 minutes remaining in the half, becoming the second Wildcat with a hat trick in the game. Junior attack Puckette scored two goals in the second half to make her the third player to score three goals for the Wildcats. 

Belle Martire scored four of the five William and Mary goals in the second half, with three coming in the last eight minutes. Goalkeeper Alex Moro had eight saves in the game, four in each half, helping the Wildcat’s defense prevent a second half push. 

The Wildcats finished the day with 40 shots, 23 ground balls and 18 draw controls. In addition, they were able to force 14 turnovers and hold the Tribe to only 23 shots and 12 draw controls.

The six players to score for the Wildcats were Puckette (three), Bruno (three), Comerford (four), Liz Trojan (two), Grainger Rosati (two), Ashley Lynch (one) and Libby McKenna (one). Having seven players score shows promise for the season and the depth that this team has. 

Villanova returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15 against Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. and is set to start at 1 p.m.