PRINCETON, N.J. – After picking up a win over Chapman to start the day, Villanova closed out its weekend at the Princeton Invitational with a Sunday sweep, taking down Bucknell 13-7 at the DeNunzio Pool.
Stella Byles was a force on both sides of the ball for Villanova (4-7). Offensively, she scored on five of her six shot attempts while adding on a pair of assists for a seven-point day. She also had a team-high three steals and contributed a block. She was one of five Wildcats to score at least two goals on Bucknell (5-14).
Coco Jones,
Anna Painter,
Ella Mattocks and
Emily McKenzie all scored a pair each.
Bucknell jumped onto a 2-0 lead three minutes into the first period, but Villanova quickly gained ground. McKenzie and Jones netter a pair of even-strength shots to level the game 2-2 heading into the second.
The score stayed tied until Bucknell's Bella Moynihan but the Bison back ahead, 3-2. That lead was short lived with McKenzie scoring her second at the 2:39 mark of the frame to once again even the score. With 35 seconds left in the half, Byles connected on her first goal of the day, making it a 4-3 Villanova lead at the break.
Byles was the first to score in a third period that saw both sides combine for nine goals. Villanova took a 4-0 scoring run spanning the second and third quarters with three of those goals coming from the junior. Bucknell's Chloe Smith was whistled for a penalty with 3:15 left in the third. Byles connected on the five-meter attempt to make it a 7-3 lead for the 'Cats. The sides exchanged goals throughout the remaining three minutes, working to a 10-6 Villanova advantage by the end of the period.
Bucknell had a chance to cut into the lead at the 5:39 mark of the fourth on a penalty attempt but it was saved by freshman goalie
Gracin Kerry. The roles reversed seconds later as Bison goalie Annika Lampen drew a penalty. Byles lined up once again for a successful shot, pushing the Villanova advantage out to 11-6. Bucknell got a goal back on a powerplay with 4:45 remaining but any other chance at a comeback was thwarted by the 'Cats, scoring two more goals in the next minute to put the contest away.
Sarah Shaw picked up the win, making six saves in the first half and picking up a steal with three goals allowed. Kerry took her place in goal in the second half, making 6 saves.
Villanova heads to the West Coast this weekend to start a stretch of nine games in California. The Wildcats open the trip at the Convergence Tournament on March 3 and 4 where they will take on Santa Clara, California Lutheran, Occidental and Fresno Pacific.
