PHILADELPHIA – Water Polo fought through their final two games of the La Salle MAAC Weekend, going 1-1 on the final day against No. 17 Wagner and La Salle.
Villanova was outlasted by Wagner by a score of 17-13 in a close matchup and defeated La Salle 14-13 in an overtime thriller.
WAGNER 17, VILLANOVA 13
Both offenses started quickly in what turned out to be a high-scoring affair between the two squads. Villanova picked up four goals in the first, but were outdone by the Seahawks, who totaled five, hopping out to an early lead that they never gave up.
Lauren Short led Villanova in the first match of the day with three goals. She also tallied seven exclusions, a season high for the sophomore, and for all Wildcats in 2025.
Aside from Short, nine other Wildcats scored in the contest, all nine totaling one goal each.
The Wildcats scored just four goals over the next 16 minutes, as Wagner held a 12-8 lead after three quarters.
Despite the 'Cats constant answers on second half scores, Wagner was able to pull away, tying the Wildcats with five goals each in the fourth.
Coco Jones,
Sara Withers,
Emmie Mallory, and
Riley Hull all tallied two assists each.
Gracin Kerry saved nine shots in goal, with three of those taking place a man-down.
VILLANOVA 14, LA SALLE 13 (OT)
The Wildcats were able to start out on top, as they jumped out to a 4-2 lead after one.
In the second, it was more of the same, as Villanova entered the break, up 6-4.
La Salle caught fire in the third, netting five goals to the Wildcats' two.
In the final frame, Withers tied the game up at 11, capping off the 5-2 run that Villanova went on over the final minutes of regulation.
That goal was Withers' third of the game, and she also dished out assists on four more. Placing her tied for fourth in program history for points in a game, a record she holds with 10 against Whittier in 2024.
Layla Canales found the back of the net to clinch the victory for VU for the first time in three years.
With her second of her three goals against the Explorers, junior center
Ella Mattocks scored her 100
th career goal.
Kerry saved 11 shots in game two of the day, two coming while La Salle was on the power play. She also picked up her second assist of the weekend.
FAST FACTS
Villanova now ranks third in the red division with a 3-2 record. The top six teams will clinch berths to the 2025 MAAC Water Polo tournament in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. in late April.
Against La Salle,
Ella Mattocks recorded her 100
th career goal, doing so in 88 games.
The Wildcats picked up their first win over the Explorers since March 26, 2023. In that game,
Emily McKenzie picked up a hat trick and drew eight exclusions, while then freshman,
Gracin Kerry, saved 12 shots.
UP NEXT
Villanova will be off this upcoming weekend. After they will return home to host a weekend of conference play on April 5 and 6, with Marist, Iona, and La Salle coming to The Main Line. Senior Day will take place on April 5 at 7:00 P.M. against the Iona Gaels. The four seniors,
Amelia Baca,
Emma Grabenstetter,
Adrienne Grimes, and
Emily McKenzie, will be honored for their time with the program.
SOCIAL
For all the latest updates surrounding the program, follow Villanova Water Polo on Instagram @novawaterpolo and X (formerly Twitter) @nova_waterpolo.
