NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College women's soccer had a reason to celebrate on Sunday afternoon after getting a pair of second half goals to defeat Saint Peter's, 2-0, and clinch a spot in the 2012 MAAC Championship on Senior Day at Mazzella Field.
At the conclusion of the game, the Gaels (7-8-3, 5-3-1 MAAC) sat patiently in the brisk climate awaiting the outcome of the Marist/Rider contest, a game that saw the Red Foxes eliminate the Broncs,
1-0, allowing the Gaels a spot in next weekend's tournament, which is being hosted by Iona's semifinal foe.
Two weeks ago, Marist defeated Iona
1-0 on a goal by Amanda Epstein in the 23rd minute.
Iona was held scoreless through the opening 63 minutes of play until the hosts got on the board, courtesy of the Sam and Carly show. Junior
Carly Haden sent a perfectly scripted through ball to sophomore
Samantha Fiorenzo allowing the forward to score on a breakaway, giving the playoff bound Gaels a 1-0 edge.
"What an exciting moment for these girls and this program!,” said head coach
Mike Barroqueiro. “The girls have worked so hard all season long and they've earned the right to compete in the MAAC tournament. We have a very special group here and I could not be happier for them!"
With the Maroon & Gold leading by a single tally, a pair of give-and-go passes from just outside the 18-yard box added to the lead. Junior
Christina Tesoriero negated a potential takeaway by finding sophomore
Safi Ayinde who then quickly sent a through ball to sophomore
Melissa Frederick for the marker.
Iona finished the game with a 19-10 advantage in shots and an 8-2 lead in corner kicks. Junior GK
Trista Rivera picked up her fourth shutout of the season making five saves.
"This is a big moment for our program, so we are going to enjoy it but our goal all season has been to compete for a trophy so we will refocus tomorrow and prepare for the weekend”, exclaimed Barroqueiro.
Iona will hold tight in preparations of Hurricane Sandy and plan on getting a full set of workouts prior to Friday's 7 pm MAAC semifinal meeting with Marist. This will be the second game of a semifinal doubleheader, following a 5 p.m. matchup of #2 Fairfield and #3 Loyola.
