LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Women's Water Polo closed out their time in California in a match against the RV California State University, Northridge Matadors. They were unable to pull out the victory, falling 17-14, snapping their six game winning streak and suffering their first loss since February 8.
Villanova had a 4-1 record during their time on the west coast, including the sweep of the Convergence Tournament.
Riley Hull and
Layla Canales combined for nine of the Wildcats 14 goals in the contest.
Sara Withers continued her scoring streak as she also cashed in twice for her second multi-goal game of the weekend.
After the Matadors got out to a quick start on two goals by Dorottya Telek, Canales struck twice, once helped by an extra-attacker opportunity, to cut the deficit to 4-2, in favor of the home team.
Emily McKenzie,
Tiffany Maguire, and Hull found the back of the net in the next quarter, but CSUN's six goals in that second stanza made for a tough setback for VU.
The Matadors took a 9-5 lead into break, but the 'Cats were not deterred by the deficit as they came out firing to start the second half.
Hull took control in the third quarter, scoring twice, and Maguire added on to cut the CSUN lead down within reach as the Wildcats were just two goals behind with nine minutes remaining in the contest.
Five goals were scored in the first two minutes of the fourth period, with the Matadors tallying on three of them, extending their lead to four, ultimately being the deciding factor as they held that advantage for the rest of the game.
The three-time ACWPC All-American honoree Telek was the story of the game for the Matadors. She scored four goals in the first half and added another two to round out her performance. Anna Pal and Kianna Melvin also each had five-point games for CSUN.
Gracin Kerry had 10 saves in the net, while Hull's five goals made it the third consecutive game that a Wildcat has scored five times in a match.
The Wildcats drew 15 exclusions, led by Hull and
Ella Mattocks with three each, to set up new offensive opportunities, leading to second chance scoring efforts. They converted on eight of 13 power play attempts and Canales made the 'Cats only penalty shot.
UP NEXT
The 'Cats return home to the Villanova Swim Complex this upcoming weekend for alumni day as they will play two matches on Saturday, March 8. The first is an exhibition game against the Toronto Golden Jets at 9:00 A.M. In the afternoon, the Wildcats will face off against Salem University at 3:30 P.M., with the alumni game immediately following.
ALUMNI DAY
After the game against Salem on Saturday, March 8, the team will be hosting alumni day with a team and alumni luncheon in the O'Dea Terrace Lounge, followed by the match against the Tigers, and finally the alumni game. More information can be found at the link below.
https://vuevents.villanova.edu/website/82025/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab_ykqmi546g0fSltBd83KpwGUrIoi2AquRPU3bPYRio6kAw3EYxbSnf4_aem_3Oq_YnXbIEqhrJ9_uGpIiw
SOCIAL
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