VILLANOVA, Pa. – #23/25 Water Polo (7-5) recorded their seventh win of the season and fifth consecutive win at home with their defeat of the Siena Saints (1-10) on Saturday by a score of 16-13.

Emily McKenzie recorded nine points in the match, good for second in a single game in program history. She scored six goals, a Wildcat season high, and added three assists. The senior also had two steals.

Junior utility Sara Withers holds the record with 10, after scoring three goals and dishing out seven assists against Whittier College on March 2, 2024. Withers had three assists, three steals, and a block against the Saints in the match.

The promotion for Saturday's match was the team's annual Every Mind Matters game. Every Mind Matters is a group within UNITAS: Villanova's diversity, equity, and inclusion initiative that strives to maintain a welcoming community. The group works to increase mental health awareness and advocacy within the Athletic Department. They describe themselves as "a group of passionate student-athletes working alongside faculty and staff to create new initiatives and resources for the athletics community to better understand and support their mental health."

"I've had a great time this year getting our team more involved with UNITAS," junior center and Every Mind Matters treasurer, Ella Mattocks, remarked. "Also, getting the whole athletic community more involved with UNITAS has been a very rewarding experience."

Three other Wildcats tallied multiple goals as Layla Canales netted four, Riley Hull had a hat trick, and Tiffany Maguire scored twice.

The Saints jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first quarter, started with reigning MAAC Player of the Week Catherine Williamson finding the back of the net, until the Wildcats were able to fight back to knot the score at four.

Siena controlled most of the first half, with the Wildcats having to come from behind multiple times, as both squads entered the half tied at seven.

The first lead that Villanova saw was in the third when they went ahead 8-7, with both teams scoring three more in the stanza from that point on as VU led 11-10 after three.

The 'Cats finally pulled away in the fourth, scoring their most goals in a quarter on the day with five, while holding Siena at bay.

Defense proved to be the difference maker to close the victory out for VU. In the second half, the Wildcats outscored the Saints, 9-6, while also holding them to just one more goal in the entire half than they scored in the first frame.

Gracin Kerry made seven saves in the contest for the Wildcats, including a 5M stop.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats will have a week off before traveling to California to compete in the Convergence Tournament, hosted by Pomona-Pitzer College. They will take on Concordia University Irvine and California State Fullerton on February 28 at Chapman University, and Occidental College and California Lutheran University on March 1 at Occidental College.

SOCIAL
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