In a matchup of the conference's preseason favorites, the Gaels opened up the scoring in the 16th minute when junior Samuel Adjei beat his defender on a throw in by sophomore Giovanni Esposito.  Adjei then dribbled down the left side and put a shot past Fairfield keeper Michael O'Keefe from five yards out.

Fairfield knotted the game in the 39th minute before Iona regained the lead in the 42nd minute.  After a pass from junior Franklin Castellanos, sophomore Willya Mekolo rifled a shot into the net from 20 yards out to put the Gaels ahead 2-1.

In the 63rd minute, Iona pushed its lead to 3-1 on what ended up being the deciding goal.  After a foul was called on Fairfield just outside the Stags' net, Iona capitalized.  Senior Alvaro Torrecilla took the free kick and passed it to Castellanos, standing right beside him, who fired a shot into the far side of the net for his first goal of the season.

Less than 30 seconds later, Torrecilla put the game out of reach with another Iona tally.  Senior Ansger Otto beat his defender down the right side and crossed the ball to Torrecilla who put a header in, giving the Gaels a 4-1 lead.

In the 69th minute of action, Fairfield's Jake Zuniga put a corner kick in for his first goal of the season, but that would be as close as the Stags would get.

Overall, Iona lead in shots 11-10, including eight in the first half.  Sophomore Borja Barbero picked up his third win of the season, making three saves.  O'Keefe finished with three saves for Fairfield.

The Gaels conclude their non-conference schedule Tuesday, when they face Connecticut at 7:00 pm before resuming league play Friday at Manhattan.