NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College women's water polo team moved to 3-1 in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action Saturday afternoon with a pair of victories in leagues games held at the Hynes Athletics Center. In their first contest, the Gaels defeated Villanova 16-9 before coming away with a one-goal victory over Marist, 14-13, in the day's finale.
Against the Wildcats, the Maroon & Gold took an early 3-1 lead after the first quarter, and never looked back. Four more tallies gave Iona a 7-3 lead at the half before the Gaels pushed across three more in the third and six in the fourth. Iona was led by six goals apiece from senior Amy Olsen and Erika Lauraitis. Senior Hannah Cross tallied two goals and classmate Sarah Hanly had two points on one goal and one assist. Senior goalkeeper Marisa Gaynor made seven saves in the victory. Defensively, the Gaels combined for 25 steals, including seven by junior Katie Stelnicki and four by Olsen. Iona also drew nine man-up opportunities, scoring three times on the six on five.
Against the Red Foxes, Iona held a comfortable 4-1 lead after the first quarter. In the second stanza, a 4-3 run by the Red Foxes trimmed the Iona lead to two, 7-5, at half. Five goals in the third period gave Iona a 12-9 advantage going into the final quarter. With Iona ahead 14-10, the Red Foxes scored the game last's three goals and had the last opportunity with six seconds left before the Gaels made a final stop on defense.
Lauraitis once again showed the hot hand in the contest, scoring five goals and adding one assist. She also went a perfect 4-for-4 on swimoffs. Olsen had three goals, drew three ejections, and had five steals. Sophomore Meghan Mahoney scored twice, while Hanly, Stelnicki, senior Georgina Lee and sophomore Rebecca Mathews tallied one goal apiece. In net, Gaynor made eight saves and grabbed two steals. Iona had 15 steals in the win, went 4-for-5 on man-up opportunites, and converted two five-meter attempts.
Prior to the start of the second contest, the Gaels recognized seniors Cross, Gaynor, Hanly, Lauraitis, Lee and Olsen for their contributions to the program. The sextet has combined for 80 wins over their four seasons with Iona, and have posted a 34-4 record in MAAC competition. They have also led Iona to three consecutive MAAC Championships and the program's first three appearances in the NCAA Championship Tournament.
The Gaels continue MAAc play Sunday, with two contests in Poughkeepsie, hosted by Marist. Iona begins the day with a 10:30 am matchup against Siena before taking on VMI at 2:30 pm.
