VILLANOVA – Joia McKinney and Kaysie Stuba provided an offensive punch for Villanova, netting three goals each in a 19-14 loss to No. 21 Princeton on Friday evening at the Villanova Swim Complex.

Villanova (0-4) shot at a .583 clip, making 24 attempts throughout the game while holding Princeton (4-2) to a .514 shot percentage. Stuba led the team with five points for a second straight contest, adding two assists to her goal tally. The trio of goals for her and McKinney mark season-highs. Five Wildcats scored multiple goals in the game.

"As I told the team, I think we had a step of improvement," Villanova head coach Larry Sanders said. "We learned from last week, moving on, applying to this game. Of course, there are areas we want to work on, but I think, overall, our improvement is better. One of those key things for us is how we handle the ball, communication is better, so just an overall performance of improving."

Amanda Rice put the Wildcats on the board first but the Tigers distanced themselves with a three-goal run that was stopped by a Stuba goal at the 1:16 of the opening period. Princeton got a goal back from CiCi Stewart in the final minute, leaving the score at 4-2 after the first eight minutes of action.

Villanova faced a 5-1 Princeton surge to open the second quarter before grabbing a run of its own. Sydney Bianchi opened the push for the 'Cats with 2:26 left in the frame. Stuba added on before Lauren Picard capped the run with nearly half a minute left, getting Villanova within three. Princeton's Delainey Whelan scored late, making it 10-6 at the break.

The Wildcats outscored the Tigers 4-3 in the third quarter. Stella Byles and Isabel Herbst scored a pair late in the stanza with Abigail Shelby providing a major stop in the waning moments on a five-meter, giving Villanova a 13-10 deficit heading into the fourth.

Princeton started the final quarter with back-to-back goals to push its lead to five. Each of Villanova's next two goals were quickly answered by the Tigers before they connected on a pair of looks with roughly two minutes of play, pushing the score to 19-12. Stuba got one back with just under two minutes remaining before McKinney picked up a big steal and score at the 1:19 mark for the final 19-14 tally.

Byles had the second-most points for Villanova in the loss, scoring two goals and two assists. Emily Morrissey and Allie Hansen each added two assists, as well. In net, Shelby made 12 saves and collected a steal.

Kaila Carroll led Princeton with five points on two goals and three assists while Nicole Kresich netted a team-high three goals. Goalie Isabel Zaller made three stops.

The next game on the docket for the Wildcats comes on Feb. 12 when the team heads to Princeton, N.J. for the Princeton Tournament. Villanova starts its weekend playing Harvard at 1:30 p.m. before a pair of Saturday games against Mount St. Mary's and Saint Francis.