ERIE, Pa. – A combined 10-goal effort from Kaysie Stuba, Stella Byles and Emily Morrissey led Villanova to a 15-11 win over Mercyhurst at the Hallman Aquatics Center on Saturday afternoon.

That trio scored all nine of Villanova's (3-6) goals in the first half. As a whole, the team converted 15 of its 33 shot attempts in the victory. The Wildcats led wire-to-wire, leading Mercyhurst (1-4) by as many as five by nearly halfway through the second quarter. Byles led all players in scoring with six points, scoring three goals with three assists.

"Trio of Kaysie, Stella and Emily led the way on the offensive end," Villanova head coach Larry Sanders said. "If we can keep teams right around 10 goals and we score our goals, we should come out on top."

Villanova was the first team on the board with a goal from Morrissey just over a minute in. An answer from Mercyhurst's Alexa Anderberg was met with a 4-0 Wildcat run, including a successful five-meter attempt by Stuba. The Lakers scored in the final minute, cutting the Villanova lead to 5-2 through the first.

The Wildcats opened the second quarter's scoring with goals from Morrissey and Stuba. Sakura Gavin added a tally to the board for the Lakers at the 5:24 mark to make a dent in Villanova's lead, 7-3. Stuba added another goal with nearly four and a half minutes but Mercyhurst netted back-to-back attempts, getting it within three. Morrissey connected on a look as the clock expired, giving Villanova a 9-5 advantage at the half.

Both sides exchanged goals to open the third quarter until  Mercyhurst pieced together back-to-back scoring chances from Brean Jordan and Sara Martin, bringing the score to 11-9, still in favor of Villanova. Adrienne Grimes punched in a powerplay look to give the 'Cats a 12-9 lead through three.

Joia McKinney scored just under a minute into the final frame, marking a four-goal lead that Villanova held until the 2:27 mark when Phoebe Saunders ended the scoring drought with a powerplay goal of her own, making it a 13-10 Villanova lead. Grimes netted her final goal with 2:01 remaining but Gavin once again stepped in with a goal to get within three. Lauren Picard closed the book on scoring with 1:24 remaining in the contest.

Along with her six-point day, Byles also snagged three steals in the win. Stuba tacked on five points, adding an assist to her four goals. In the cage, Abigail Shelby made five saves, one of those coming on a five-meter attempt.

Gavin and Sara Marin led Mercyhurst with three goals each. The Wildcat offense forced goalie Marley Ramon to make 11 saves.

The Wildcats close out the weekend with two games on Sunday. Their day opens at 9 a.m. against McKendree before facing Gannon at 2 p.m.