LEXINGTON, Va.—A flair for the dramatic and a penchant for winning close games has been a consistent storyline so far during the 2021 season for Villanova (5-2, 1-0 MAAC), which opened conference play with a thriller in a 19-18 win over VMI (3-7, 0-2 MACA) at Clark King Pool on Saturday afternoon. Freshman attacker Stella Byles (Lexington, Va.) scored a school-record nine goals and the Wildcats hung on for the win after building leads of 10-9 at halftime and 15-12 at the end of the third quarter. The final score marked the third win of the season by two goals or fewer and the second by the narrowest of margins as the team continued its best start in four years.
 
The combined 37 goals scored in the matchup between Villanova and the Keydets made it the second-highest scoring game in school history, trailing only 41 goals which were scored in a 23-18 loss to George Washington on February 23, 2013. Saturday's game was the seventh time in program history that the Wildcats scored at least 19 goals in a game, while the 18 goals allowed were the most Villanova has ever given up in a win.
 
Byles was the offensive star of the day, scoring nine goals on 11 shots to break the old school record of eight goals in a game which had been accomplished five times. The most recent eight-goal game had been recorded by Dominique Clark on February 18, 2018 against Harvard. Byles drew two exclusions in the game, went 2-for-3 on power plays and contributed defensively with a pair of steals. She had scored six goals in the Wildcats first six games combined before Saturday's breakout performance extended her season totals to 15 goals, five assists and 20 points.
 
There was plenty of offense to go around however, as Villanova produced its highest scoring output since a 22-7 win over Penn State Behrend on March 30, 2019. Junior utility Isabel Herbst (Glenbrook, Ill.) scored four goals and sophomore attacker Allie Hansen (Friendswood, Texas) chipped in with two goals and two assists. Junior utility Kaysie Stuba (La Grange, Ill.) added a goal and two assists in the victory, while junior center defender Amanda Rice (San Jose, Calif.) also had a goal and an assist.
 
The score was tied, 3-3, after one period of play before a combined 13-goal outburst in the second quarter. Seven of those goals were scored by the Wildcats, who took a 10-9 lead into halftime. Villanova put five more scores on the board in the third quarter before withstanding a Keydets charge in the final period. VMI outscored the Wildcats by a 6-4 margin in the fourth quarter before the teams settled on the final 19-18 score. Both teams scored six of their goals on power plays, with Villanova going 6-of-12 and the Keydets scoring on 6-of-7 chances.
 
One of the big stories from the game was the play sophomore Emily Morrissey (Ambler, Pa.), who debuted in goal for the first time in her career and recorded six saves to go along with two steals. Morrissey has career offensive totals of 19 goals and five assists, including one score and three helpers this season. Her debut in goal was a victorious one and the Wildcats had nine steals in the game. Hansen, Byles and Stuba all joined Morriseey with two takeaways, while freshman Lillie Jones (Honolulu, Hawaii) also had a steal.
 
This is the fourth straight victory for Villanova in a conference opener. The streak dates back to 2017 since the team had not yet opened MAAC play when the 2020 season was halted and ultimately cancelled after 18 games. Saturday's decision was the third straight win for the Wildcats overall.
 
Villanova returns to action with a home conference game next Saturday against LIU at 6 p.m.