POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — After traveling to Indiana a week ago, Villanova water polo stayed on the East Coast this weekend, competing at the Courtney Fisher Invite at Marist. The Wildcats had two matches, first taking on Iona before going against Mercyhurst (DII).
In game one against the Gaels, Villanova just fell short of the victory, 14-12. Kaysie Stuba paced the offense with five goals, while Charlotte Curran added four to the total. Lauren Picard, Emily Morrissey and Amanda Rice each tallied one.
Villanova played Iona closely for the majority of the game, trailing by just one goal going into the final frame of play. That continued into the fourth, but the Wildcats were unable to come up with the timely play to put themselves ahead.
Against Mercyhurst, things worked out in the Wildcats' favor.
Stuba scored first, only to see the scored get tied shortly after. The sophomore added her second goal of the game to give Villanova a 2-1 lead, one that the team would not relinquish. After one half of play, the Wildcats led, 9-5.
In the third, the defense showed up and limited the Lakers to just one goal while the offense responded with a three-goal quarter. Mercyhurst outscored Villanova in the fourth, but the deficit was too much to overcome and the Wildcats came away with a 16-11 result.
Stuba and Morrissey both tallied five goals in the win, while Curran added three. Rice, Isabel Herbst and Allie Hansen each added one to the total.
The Wildcats will be back in action on Feb. 28 when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Princeton Tigers. That match is scheduled to start at 7:00 PM.
