POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — The Villanova water polo team lost 14-13 to No. 17 Marist Saturday morning at the McCann Natatorium.
The loss was the 'Cats (16-8, 3-1 MAAC) first of conference play.
Layla Canales scored four goals in the game, followed by
Riley Hull with three,
Ella Mattocks and
Anna Painter with two and
Tessa Pettit and
Emmie Mallory with one each.
Withers had four assists,
Coco Jones picked up three,
Isabel Foley followed with two and Hull, Canales and Mattocks both assisted one.
Canales was also effective on the defensive side of the ball, picking up five steals, Pettit and Jones followed with two and Painter had one.
Hull and Mattocks drew 10 exclusions between the two, with both drawing five.
A high-scoring affair to start, the Red Foxes (20-4, 4-0) led 7-5 after the first quarter. A Hull goal tied the game at 7-7 with 3:34 to go in the first half, however Marist held a 9-7 lead at the break.
The Red Foxes extended their lead to 12-9 in the third quarter. Hull scored with 5:38 in the third quarter to tie the game at 9-9. From that point in the third, Marist scored three unanswered to retake the lead.
After going down 14-11 with 2:45 to go in the contest, VU gave a final push with a Pettit goal at the 2:21 mark, but fell short despite a Painter goal as time expired.
The 'Cats kept Marist scoreless in the final 3:54.
Gracin Kerry played the entire game in net, saving four in 18 attempts.
Up Next
Villanova plays VMI at 9 a.m. in Poughkeepsie Sunday, looking to split the weekend.
