Box Score ERIE, Pa. – Facing a one-goal deficit for most of the second half, Villanova completed a fourth-quarter comeback with a
Kaysie Stuba penalty shot and an
Emily Morrissey goal to defeat McKendree 11-10 on Sunday morning at the Curtis Robinette Memorial Invite from the Hallman Aquatics Center.
Villanova (4-6) held McKendree (3-1) scoreless in the final frame to cement its second consecutive win at the invite. Stuba led the 'Cats with seven points, scoring four goals and adding three assists.
Allie Hansen recorded five points, four coming from assists along with a goal.
"We had to fight through it to win," Villanova head coach
Larry Sanders said. "We did not play well but just enough to finish and be resilient."
Villanova grabbed an early 3-1 lead thanks to an opening goals from
Stella Byles, Isabel Herbst and a penalty attempt goal from Stuba. By the end of the first period, Villanova held a 4-3 advantage.
McKendree pulled ahead to a 5-4 margin early in the second with goals from Maddy Bolton and Abigail Burton. Herbst brought the score back even with 4:13 left in the half on an even strength look before Stuba
put Villanova back in the driver's seat, 6-5. The Bearcats scored twice in the final minute of the first with a powerplay goal from Sofia Dominguez putting McKendree ahead at the break, 7-6.
Byles found the back of the net at the 6:33 point of the third to end a 3-0 Bearcat scoring run spanning the first and second half, cutting Villanova's deficit to one at 8-7. Another Bearcat goal was answers by the Wildcats, this time with
Allie Hansen getting Villanova back within one on a powerplay. Stuba tallied the final goal of the third quarter followed by an
Abigail Shelby stop to keep Villanova down by a goal, 10-9, heading into the fourth.
A penalty foul on McKendree's Danielle Borelli set up a Villanova five-meter attempt. Stuba sent the ball into the back of the cage, tying the game at 10 with 5:49 remaining. McKendree was whistled for a foul late in the fourth, giving the ball to Villanova deep in the McKendree end with a six-on-five advantage. Nearly five meters out, Morrissey sent a look that flew past the outstretched hand of Bearcat goalie Sydney Kane, giving Villanova the final lead it needed.
Villanova made 13 steals in the morning matchup with Byles leading the group with five. Shelby held down the cage with six saves and a steal in the win.
Villanova's weekend finishes at 2 p.m. against Gannon.
