NORTHRIDGE, Calif. — The Villanova water polo team swept its games in Northridge, California Thursday, beating No. 23 CSU Northridge and McKendree.
The 'Cats (10-6) started the afternoon against the Bearcats (4-10), winning 19-7.
Riley Hull led the offense scoring five goals and assisting three.
Ella Mattocks followed with three, while
Abby Moffatt,
Catharine McCann.
Tippy Maguire,
Layla Canales,
Sara Withers,
Anna Painter,
Charlotte Summe,
Annika Wise and
Tessa Pettit all scored a goal each.
Defensively, Canales led the team with five steals, a season-high for the sophomore. Hull, Maguire and
Isabel Foley each had two steals, while
Coco Jones, Painter, Wise, Mallory and
Rosie Woodman each had one.
As a team, VU had 18 steals. Maguire picked up two field blocks in the contest.
Rachel Stephens played the first half of the contest in net, saving three in eight attempts and picking up an assist.
Reia Kimi came in during the second half and finished the contest with four saves in six attempts, also contributing three steals.
A tightly contested first quarter saw Villanova lead 5-3.
The 'Cats took a 9-5 lead into the break. Coming out of the half, Villanova improved defensively, giving up two goals the rest of the game, while scoring 10 to close out the win.
VU closed the afternoon with a 11-10 victory over the Matadors (10-5). The win was the 'Cats' first in program history over CSUN.
Hull once again had a stellar offensive game, scoring seven goals, which tied her for third in program history for goals scored in a single game.
Mattocks followed with two goals, while
Emmie Mallory and Painter scored one.
Along with the seven goals, Hull also drew five exclusions. Villanova drew 12 in the game.
VU picked up 12 steals, with Hull leading the team with four.
A back-and-forth affair, Villanova led 4-2 after the first quarter before CSUN stormed back and outscored the 'Cats 5-1 to lead 7-5 at the break.
Once again, VU surged defensively in the second half, getting within one of the Matadors in the third quarter after outscoring them 2-1.
Trailing 8-7, both teams traded two goals back-and-forth, before Villanova broke through in the final two minutes. Hull scored the tying-goal with 1:54 to play before netting the winning goal 41 seconds of game time later to go ahead 11-10.
Gracin Kerry played all four quarters between the pipes, saving 12 in 22 attempts. Kerry also assisted two goals.
Up Next
Villanova continues its California road trip, heading to the Convergence Tournament March 6-7 in Pomona, Calif. The 'Cats will face off against Chapman, CUI, Fresno Pacific and No. 3 USC.
