Box Score STORRS, Conn. – A spirited fourth quarter rally fell just short Saturday here, as No. 16 Connecticut held off Villanova 16-15 in a BIG EAST game played at Morrone Stadium.
 
The Wildcats (4-10 overall, 0-3 BIG EAST), trailed 13-8 entering the final period, twice got to within a goal of the Huskies but could not get the equalizer. Sydney Pappas led Villanova with four goals while Libby McKenna and Olivia Piccirilli added three each.
 
The Wildcats controlled the first two draws of the day and it led to a healthy amount of early possession. A UConn yellow card put the Huskies a player down and Villanova capitalized with a Caroline Curnal goal from directly in front of the cage off a feed from Sami Carey. That was followed by an unassisted goal by Libby McKenna and the Wildcats were up 2-0 just 2:43 into this BIG EAST matchup.
 
Grace Coon got the Huskies (11-2 overall, 2-1 BIG EAST) on the scoreboard with 9:51 to play in the first quarter. On the Huskies' next offensive possession goalie Alexa Moro thwarted another bid from Coon, making her first save of the afternoon to preserve the early one goal advantage for the Wildcats.
 
Curnal picked up her second goal of the day – and 33^rd of the season – at the 4:49 mark on a Free Position attempt to extend the Nova lead to 3-1. McKenna soon followed suit, notching her second of the day on a Free Position Attempt to make it 4-1 with just over four minutes left in the first period.
 
UConn goalie Landyn White had to make a huge stop on Sydney Pappas from close range to prevent Nova from adding to its lead. A Stephanie Palmucci goal brought UConn to within 4-2 with 1:40 left on the first quarter clock. A goal by Lia Laprise just 29 seconds later was the third goal of the day for the Huskies, making it 4-3.
 
But Villanova got its fifth score of the day from Sydney Pappas with just 24 seconds left in the period to give it a two goal cushion after one quarter.
 
Susan Lafountain opened the second quarter scoring with a goal for UConn with 10:16 on the clock. But Pappas converted another Free Position attempt at the 8:42 mark to push the VU lead to 6-4 at the 8:42 mark. Laprise, however, notched her second goal of the day less than a minute later to pull UConn to within 6-5. A Megan Reilly goal for the 'Cats made it 7-5 before UConn scored again, this time on Free Position goal by Sydney Watson, to close its deficit to 7-6 midway through the quarter.
 
A Watson goal with 4:29 left until halftime tied the game at seven. A Free Position goal scored by Jordan Coulon after a Wildcats' yellow card put them down a player gave the Huskies an 8-7 lead. A huge stop by Moro with just over one minute in the period kept it a one goal margin as the clock ticked under a minute to play in the first half.
 
More made a big save on a Husky Free Position attempt in the first minute of the period, which gave the 'Cats possession. At the other end, Pappas fired one into the net to deadlock this one at eight less than two minutes into the second half. Laprise put UConn back on top at 9-8 at the 11:14 mark of the quarter. Palmucci's unassisted goal less than two minutes later gave the Huskies a two-goal margin and subsequent goals from Morgan Carter and Watson put UConn up 12-8 with 3:18 left in the quarter.
 
When Coon converted a Free Position attempt with 41 seconds left in the third, UConn had its largest lead of the day at 13-8.
 
The Wildcats, though, kept the pressure on, scoring four goals to one for the Huskies over the first half of the fourth quarter to pull to within 14-12. Pappas' fourth goal of the afternoon came at the 7:47 mark.
 
Watson snapped the streak with a Free Position Goal at the 6:59 mark to make it a 15-12 edge for the Huskies. But Kayla Gulmi scored her second of the season with 5:59 left in regulation to narrow the gap to 15-13. Olivia Piccirilli's second goal of the half with just more than five minutes remaining in regulation narrowed the Nova deficit to 15-14.
 
A Villanova bid to tie was turned away and UConn got a goal from Lafountain with 2:33 on the clock to push its advantage to 16-14. But another draw control by the Wildcats – they held a 20-15 advantage in that department – produced another chance and Piccirilli fired one into the back of the net at the 1:49 mark to make it 16-15.
 
The Huskies, however, claimed the biggest draw of the day after the Wildcats' goal and were able to hold possession until four seconds were left. The final score was 16-15.
 
The Wildcats return to Villanova Stadium next Saturday to host Denver at 1 p.m.