ORANGE, Calif. – Women's Water Polo took down California State University Fullerton to wrap up day one of the Convergence Tournament. This was the first meeting between the two teams, with the Wildcats coming out on top by a score of 11-10.
Riley Hull led the Wildcats with three goals, while
Emily McKenzie and
Amelia Baca chipped in two of their own.
The Titans struck first, but their lead did not last long as the Wildcats exploded for six unanswered goals to end the first quarter.
Riley Hull recorded a hat trick in the first frame, while
Emmie Mallory,
Isabel Foley, and
Sara Withers also found the back of the net.
Fullerton trimmed the VU five-goal lead down to three going into the break after scoring three in the second stanza. Baca recorded her first goal since January 29 against Mercyhurst to keep the Wildcats ahead 7-4 going into halftime.
The two teams traded a goal apiece in the third, as
Layla Canales scored on a man-up opportunity for Villanova.
In the fourth, the game got interesting as the teams traded goals with the Titans getting within two multiple times. McKenzie scored with 3:14 remaining in the contest to put the Wildcats ahead 11-8.
Cal State Fullerton scored and then immediately forced a turnover, leading to possession with less than a minute to play as they tried to come back. They netted a goal as time expired, but it proved to be just too late as they fell by just one goal.
The Wildcats improve to 9-5 on the season and 4-4 in neutral site games. They are 10-1 in the Allred Aquatic Center in program history, including eight defeats over Chapman.
Adrienne Grimes and
Tiffany Maguire added three steals on defense, which turned out to be crucial at the end after they thwarted six separate Titan possessions when the 'Cats ended up winning by one score.
Gracin Kerry recorded 12 saves to break her career high for saves in a season. Her day also included two saves while the Wildcats were a man down. She now has 142 through 14 games, averaging over ten saves per game.
UP NEXT
The 'Cats will play two more games tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, to wrap up the Convergence Tournament. They will play against McKendree University at 12:00 P.M. EST and DIII No. 4 California Lutheran University at 5:00 P.M. EST. All times are subject to change due to the tournament format and facility availability.
SOCIAL
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