NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College lacrosse team won its 2009 home opener with a 15-10 victory over Villanova at Mazzella Field.  Freshman Casey Scully led the Gaels with four goals in head coach Michelle Mason's first win.

The Wildcats (1-1) scored four of the first five goals of the game to open up a 4-1 lead by the 18:51 mark.  Senior Charlotte Tietjen netted an unassisted shot to help Iona (1-1) break onto the score board at 21:54.

Trailing 4-1, the Maroon & Gold picked up five straight goals to charge to a 6-4 lead, with a pair of Godlewski goals sandwiching a Scully hat trick.  One of Scully's goals came on a free position shot while sophomores Elizabeth Coholan and Kerry Thompson each added assists on the 5-0 drive.  Taryn McKenna picked up the final goal of the half for Villanova, her third of the day, to bring the score to 6-5 at the midway point.

Iona's advantage stretched to 10-5 as the Gaels managed four unanswered goals in a three-minute span early in the second half.  Caitlyn Collins found the back of the net with 24:36 on the clock to kick off the run, followed by Scully's fourth goal on an assist from Godlewski.  Senior Lisa Baron added a pair of back-to-back goals, the second assisted by junior Courtney Hocking, to end the run.

The squads traded goals over the remainder of the contest, with Iona edging Villanova 6-5 over the final 20 minutes.  For the Gaels, Baron finished with three goals while also recording seven ground balls and two draw controls.  Tietjen picked up a team-high eight ground balls and caused three Wildcat turnovers.  Iona had eight different goal-scorers in the game.

The Gaels return to action on Mar. 4, traveling to face Sacred Heart on the road at 3:00 pm.