EMMITSBURG, Md. (February 14, 2022) – After enduring a tough opener against Villanova, Mount St. Mary's women's water polo battled with the #17 team in the nation, falling to LIU 14-9.
 
Villanova 14, Mount St. Mary's 3
 
Team                   1    2    3    4
Mount St. Mary's       1    2    0    0
Villanova              7    1    2    4
 
Mount St. Mary's Goals: Vieira 1, Valentine 1, Sanders 1
 
Seven first quarter Wildcat goals sealed this game early on, and a shutout of the Mount in the second half helped them pull away. Ana Luisa Cotta tallied multiple assists and the team did have some solid stats with 12 drawn exclusions and nine steals.
 
Long Island 14, Mount St.  Mary's 9
 
Team                  1    2    3    4
Mount St. Mary's      1    3    2    3
Long Island           5    3    4    2
 
Mount St. Mary's Goals: Sanders 3, Thurman 3, Cotta 2, Van Kerckhove 1   
 
Trying to put the opener in the rearview mirror, the Mount struggled to rebound as the #17 Sharks shot out to a 5-1 lead. But then the Mountaineers rallied to stay competitive. Down 8-1, Cotta and Emily Van Kerckhove strung together a 3-0 run, including Cotta's buzzer-beater to make it 8-4 at half.
 
The second half stayed close with the Sharks edging the Mount 6-5 over the last 16 minutes. Serena Thurman and Naomi Sanders led the charge in goal scoring, with both earning hat tricks. Sanders added four steals to go along with her three goals.  
 
With their record at 3-5, the Mount hopes to reverse course with a weekend in Erie, Pa. The team will challenge Penn State Behrend before playing four games in Mercyhurst's Laker Invite.