EMMITSBURG, Md. (April 6, 2024) – By defeating La Salle 14-7, Mount St. Mary's women's water polo heads back to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament for the second straight year. The victory came on a split day, with the team falling 13-11 to Villanova in the evening.  
 
Ana Luisa Cotta scored seven times in the win over the Explorers to help propel the squad to its 14^th victory of the year. Rebecca Valentine, Anita Radaelli, and Anna Kegel added hat tricks throughout the day. Hannah Keyser posted a huge effort in the La Salle game with nine stops. Radaelli finished with five assists in the opening game and four steals against Villanova. Heather Lock supplied four assists in the nightcap and drew six exclusions over the course of the day.
 
After conceding four goals to La Salle in the first quarter, the Mount's defense locked in with three concessions afterward, including a shutout in the final frame. They transformed an 8-5 halftime edge into a decisive final score by outpacing the Explorers 6-2 in the second half. In the next contest, they battled back a couple times after falling behind early but were unable to take a firm grasp of the lead as Villanova made key plays down the stretch.
 
Two games help determine what seed the Mount will get when they head to Marist at the end of the month for the postseason. They also get the opportunity for a literal testing of the waters for championships by heading to Poughkeepsie for the regular season finales with the Red Foxes and Iona Gaels on April 14.
 
Mount St. Mary's 14, La Salle 7
 
Team                  1    2    3    4
Mount St. Mary's      5    3    4    2
La Salle              4    1    2    0
 
Goals: Cotta 7, Radaelli 3, Vieira 2, Valentine 1, Lock 1

Saves: Keyser 9
 
Villanova 13, Mount St. Mary's 11  
 
Team                  1    2    3    4
Mount St. Mary's      3    1    3    4
Villanova             5    1    4    3
 
Goals: Valentine 4, Kegel 3, Cotta 2, Currie 1, Radaelli 1  
 
Saves: Keyser 5; Vieira 1