LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Villanova recorded their fourth win of the Convergence Tournament and sixth straight with a 13-10 victory over Division III No. 4 California Lutheran University.
The Wildcats were led by a blistering offensive performance by junior
Sara Withers. She found the back of the net a career-high five times on nine shots and dished out an assist. The utility also picked up two steals on defense.
Numbers five, six, and seven did the scoring in the first for the Wildcats as Withers picked up two goals, while
Coco Jones and
Anna Painter also chipped in a score, to jump out to an early 4-0 lead.
Cal Lu was able to find the back of the net as the quarter wound down to keep the Wildcat lead within reach after the first frame.
This first-quarter outburst would prove to be crucial for VU as the game continued.
Just 25 seconds into the second quarter, Withers recorded her third goal of the game, for the third hat trick on the day for the Wildcats.
The Regals answered back with a Miranda Miller goal, which fueled the Wildcats to go on a 3-0 run on goals by
Ella Mattocks,
Tiffany Maguire, and
Amelia Baca.
Cal Lu was able to answer back twice in the final 48 seconds of the half, cutting the Villanova lead to four entering the break at 8-4.
Three goals in 29 seconds was how the third quarter started, two coming from the duo of Miller and Bethany Metcalfe on the team in purple.
Layla Canales contributed her first score of the match to get the Wildcat lead back to three.
The two squads were able to trade goals to end the stanza, with the Wildcat's
Adrienne Grimes tacking on her third of the Convergence Tournament.
Although Villanova lost their first individual quarter in terms of goals scored in those eight minutes, they still maintained a three-goal lead.
In the fourth quarter, California Lutheran scored two goals, coming at four and two minutes remaining, respectively. Each of their goals was met with a Villanova goal on the Wildcat's next possession.
The two freshmen, Canales and
Riley Hull, were able to keep the VU momentum going despite the counterattacks from the Regals.
Withers added her fifth goal on a power play with 27 seconds remaining to extend the Villanova lead to 13-9.
Despite a goal by Cal Lu's Hudson Geier with eight seconds left, the Regals were unable to get back in the game, ultimately falling 13-10.
The Villanova defense held California Lutheran to just 24 shots and 0-5 on power play opportunities.
The Regals were led by Miller, who tallied a hat trick and Metcalfe, who had two goals and two assists. Izzy De Souza saved 16 Wildcat shot attempts, the most in a game for a goalie against Villanova this season.
Gracin Kerry picked up six saves in the cage and snagged a season-high five steals.
For the second game in a row, Villanova went undefeated in their four quarter-opening sprints.
This is the first time that the Wildcats have swept two tournaments in a season since 1999, when they went undefeated in the Occidental and CWPA Tournaments.
UP NEXT
The 'Cats have one game left during their time in the Golden State. To close out the weekend, they will be taking on the RV California State Northridge Matadors to wrap up their away non-conference slate at 2:00 P.M. EST (11:00 A.M. PST).
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