Loudonville, NY - The Iona College Women's Water Polo team entered Saturday's action with
sole possession of first place in the conference. A tough 7-5 morning
loss to Wagner and a 10-6 win over Siena in the afternoon put the Gaels
in a three-way tie for first place with Marist and Wagner.
The Seahawks (14-11, 6-2 MAAC) outscored the Gaels 2-1 in each of the first two quarters to hold a 4-2 halftime advantage. The Gaels (19-7, 6-2 MAAC) used a 2-0 third quarter to tie the score, but Wagner used a three-goal fourth quarter to put the game out of reach and take the win.
Cecilia Leonard netted two goals with three steals and three kickouts drawn. Meghan Keller added a goal and Maggie Wood had a goal with an assist. Amanda Brucia, who entered the game with 288 career goals, scored a goal with an assist and two steals. Sam Cody had a pair of steals and Amanda Cody had three steals. Kathleen Link finished with eight saves in the loss.
In game two, Iona jumped out to the advantage this time with a 2-1 first quarter and 3-2 second quarter to hold a 5-3 halftime edge over the Saints (10-15, 3-5). Another dominant third quarter by the Gaels saw three goals find the back of the net and despite each team netting two goals in the final quarter, the Maroon & Gold took home the win for the day split.
Lauren Peterson scored five goals with an assist and a kickout drawn. Brucia added a goal with an assist. Leonard netted a pair with two more steals and another kickout drawn. Amanda Cody scored with three steals and two kickouts drawn including a penalty shot. Keller netted the final Iona tally with a kickout drawn. Link played the full game with 13 saves and a steal.
The seeds for next weekend's MAAC Championship will be decided on the final day of the regular season. Iona is in Poughkeepsie to face Villanova at 10:30 am and the host Marist at 4:30 pm.
Score by Period 1 2 3 4 TOT
Iona 1 1 2 1 5
Wagner 2 2 0 3 7
Score by Period 1 2 3 4 TOT
Iona 2 3 3 2 10
Siena 1 2 1 2 6
