NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College men's water polo team lost a heartbreaking 13-12 decision to No. 19 St. Francis (NY) Thursday evening at the Hynes Center in its 2012 CWPA North opener.
The Gaels and Terriers played tight throughout the game's 32 minutes. The Terriers were able to open up a 4-0 lead early in the first quarter on a goal by Mario Gencic. The Gaels battled all the way back as sophomore Jake Lloyd's goal with 14 seconds left in the frame knotted the game at four.
The two teams slowed each other's offensive momentum in the second, as both team scored just twice in the quarter. With Iona ahead 6-5, Gencic put across another goal that tied the game at six at halftime.
In the third, the teams once again matched each other in goals with the score tied at nine after three. Lloyd scored back-to-back goals to move Iona ahead 9-9 before a St. Francis goal with 2:30 remaining marked the final tally of the quarter.
In the fourth, after trailing 10-9, Iona grabbed the lead at 11-10, on a goal by sophomore James Ramaley, and 12-11, on a tip in by senior Connor Bracken, before St. Francis kept the Gaels out of the scoring column over the final 3:18 of play. The Terriers tied the game with 1:45 before netting the game winner with 1:12 remaining.
Lloyd led the Gaels with five goals on nine shots. Ramaley and Kyle Elmore each scored twice while Bracken and junior Matthew Stelnicki each scored one. Junior Stefen Hill had five saves.
Iona gets back in the water Saturday for two more conference games in Cambridge, MA. At 3:00 pm, the Gaels taking on MIT before ending the day with a matchup with Harvard at 9:00 pm.
