Philadelphia, PA - The Iona College women's water polo team battled hard this weekend in
Philadelphia against two tough MAAC opponents. The Gaels (18-11, 4-2 MAAC) were
able to hold St. Francis (NY) to just two goals in the second half in a
12-7 win. Iona was just seconds away from a win against Siena, but
the Saints scored to send it to overtime where the Maroon & Gold
scored twice for a 19-18 OT win.
The Gaels had a 2-1 lead after the first quarter and the Terriers (9-9, 3-3 MAAC) tied it a 5-5 at halftime. The Maroon & Gold again went ahead by a goal after the third quarter and broke the game open and won it 12-7. Kathleen Link made 7 of her 11 saves on the game in the second half. Amanda Brucia scored five goals on 5-for-6 shooting, had three assists, three kickouts drawn and steal. Co-Captain Lauren Peterson continued to extend her single-season records with two goals and two assists and Meghan Keller added two goals and a steal. Maggie Wood had a hat trick, two steals and two kickouts drawn in the victory. Iona was 4-for-5 on man-up opportunities and held St. Francis (NY) to just 1-for-5.
In game two against Siena, the Gaels and Saints (7-16, 1-4 MAAC) were tied at 4 after the first quarter and the Saints had a 10-7 lead at halftime. The Maroon & Gold responded in the second half and outscored Siena 7-4 in the third quarter to reclaim the lead. In the fourth quarter, Iona held a 16-15 lead, but with 10 seconds left, the Saints scored to send the game to overtime. With a minute and a half left in the OT, the Gaels were down a goal, but stole the ball and scored and Peterson scored late to secure the victory, 19-18.
Peterson finished the game with six goals, four assists, two kickouts drawn and a field block. The single-season record for assists now stands at 54 and she trails Brucia's single-season goals mark by just 17 goals. She also has the single-season mark in points scored with 134.
Brucia scored five goals, had one assist, one steal and four kickouts drawn. Stephanie Klocke added a goal an a steal with Amanda Anastasio netting a goal, two assits and a kickout. Co-Captain Alicia Keating netted a hat-trick, one assist and Amanda Cody added her own hat trick with two steals and a kickout drawn. Keller had an assist, three steals and a kickout drawn, Sam Cody added two steals and Link had nine saves and two steals. This was Iona's third straight win over Siena this season.
The Gaels return to the pool on next Saturday, April 19 to take on St. Francis (NY) and Wagner in Brooklyn. On Sunday, April 20, Iona will face Wagner and Marist in MAAC action in Staten Island, NY.
