VILLANOVA, Pa. — The Villanova water polo team defeated No. 20 Wagner 15-14 in overtime at the Villanova Swim Complex Saturday afternoon.
The win was the 'Cats (15-7, 2-0 MAAC) first win over the Seahawks (8-10, 1-1) since March 28, 2015, a game Villanova won 9-8. Wagner is the highest ranked team the 'Cats have beat in 2026 and second ranked win.
Multiple career milestones were reached for VU in the contest.
Sara Withers broke the career assist record after recording six assists in the contest to put her career total at 166.
Layla Canales scored her 100th goal in the game, while
Ella Mattocks drew her 205th exclusion in her career.
Mattocks and
Riley Hull led the team in goals on the day with four each, followed by
Anna Painter and Withers, who both had two and rounded out by
Tippy Maguire, Canales,
Coco Jones with one.
Mattocks drew seven exclusions and was followed by Hull with four and
Annika Wise with two.
Villanova picked up its season-high in field blocks in the game with six on the day. Withers and
Tessa Pettit both had two.
The 'Cats had 11 steals on the day, led by Painter with three and Withers with two.
Tessa Pettit and Maguire had one steal each.
A close game throughout, both teams scored four goals in the first quarter. VU took a small lead before halftime at 7-6 after outscoring the Seahawks 3-2.
Wagner closed the deficit in the third quarter, scoring three to the 'Cats two to setup a 9-9 final quarter of regulation.
After trading goals back-and-forth the entire quarter, Villanova tied the game at 12-12 with 31 seconds left via a Withers goal.
Goals by Painter and Mattocks in overtime broke a 13-13 tie before the Seahawks got one back with a goal at the 2:14 mark in the second overtime period. However, VU's defense held in the final two minutes of the contest as the team stayed undefeated in MAAC play.
Gracin Kerry played all four quarters in net, saving 10 in 24 attempts. Kerry also picked up a steal in the contest.
Up Next
Villanova continues MAAC play Sunday against LIU. The game will be the 'Cats senior day and streamed on ESPN+.
