NEW YORK – After finishing up with a statement 22-13 win over Virginia Military Institute, Water Polo captured a spot in the 2025 MAAC Water Polo Championship.
This will be their first appearance since 2016, where they will play as the No. 3 seed in the Red Division, with their opponent to be determined based off of results from games late Sunday.
The Wildcats went 1-2 on the weekend, falling just short against the overall No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the conference by two goals each.
VU scored 47 goals across the three games, setting the team record for goals in a season with 431 goals and counting.
Riley Hull tallied 11 goals on the weekend, setting the record for the most goals in a season by a freshman. She also tied for 5th all-time for goals in a season with at least one game still to play.
WAGNER 17, VILLANOVA 15
While facing off against the 9-0 in-conference Seahawks, the Wildcats were down quickly, losing 3-0 within the first 93 seconds of action. However, five different Wildcats notched goals to knot things up at five after the first quarter.
The scoring did not stop in the second quarter as Villanova and Wagner tallied five and six goals, respectively.
The two teams entered intermission with the Seahawks ahead 11-10, as Hull scored four times before the half, while Lauren Short and Tiffany Maguire added two apiece.
In the contest, Maguire also added another goal and three assists.
Wagner was able to go on a run in the third quarter while thwarting multiple Wildcat comebacks as the game remained close.
Hull and Ella Mattocks combined for nine exclusions drawn, continuing to be able to provide resets for the offense as they have done all season.
LONG ISLAND 12, VILLANOVA 10
In the Wildcats' second game of the day on Saturday, Long Island sped out to an 8-2 start after the first period in front of their home crowd.
Villanova did not let the game get away from them as they scored the next five goals to come within one before halftime.
Hull, Mattocks, and Adrienne Grimes each scored twice, totaling six of the Wildcats' 10 goals in the contest.
Mattocks also recorded five more exclusions, en route to 14 on the weekend, putting her in reach of being within the top five in kick-outs recorded in a career.
VILLANOVA 22, VMI 13
In the final game of the weekend, the Wildcats solidified their playoff positioning by defeating VMI while scoring their most goals of the season.
This is also their highest mark since defeating Whittier 22-9 on March 2, 2024.
Hull tied the program record alongside Carrie Boyle and Sara Withers, who did so in the 2024 game against Whittier, for points in a game with 10. The freshman tallied five goals and five assists, setting a career high in the latter.
Anna Painter followed suit, recording her 100th career goal on her second of four goals of the day. She also had five assists, tying her for second place in program history with nine points in a game.
Maguire and Mattocks added three goals of their own, while Withers had a standout off-ball performance, tallying three assists and snatching four steals.
The Wildcats hopped out to an 8-2 lead and never looked back, including a seven-goal third quarter to put the game out of reach for the Keydets.
FAST FACTS
Villanova captured their fourth 20-win season in program history and second in a row.
Michael Gordon has 12 career wins in MAAC play, the third most among all coaches in team history.
Anna Painter is the third active Wildcat to score her 100th goal.
Hull also entered the top 10 in program history for exclusions drawn in a season with 65, as she placed ninth, but with two more, she will slot into sixth.
UP NEXT
Villanova will learn of their opponent that they will face off against in the 2025 MAAC Water Polo Tournament late Sunday. They will play their next game on Friday, April 25, in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
SOCIAL
For all the latest updates surrounding the program, follow Villanova Water Polo on Instagram @novawaterpolo and X (formerly Twitter) @nova_waterpolo.
