NEW ROCHELLE, NY - A young Gael squad featuring seven newcomers completed the team's non-conference slate on a bright note as Iona College men's soccer blanked Columbia 2-0 in its 2014 home opener at Mazzella Field. The Maroon & Gold played its first game in New Rochelle after beginning the season with seven straight road contests.
With the defensive focus on the Gaels' top sniper, senior MF Ignacio Maganto, both Iona goals were the first of rookie MF Matias Correa and sophomore F Teddy Forson's careers.
Iona had a golden chance before Correa found the back of the net in the 16th minute. Maganto hit the cross bar from 35-yards away after a keeper error left an open net in the seventh minute.
Correa jumped on an errant touch by the Lions' center back and blasted a shot into the top center of the net from the top of the penalty area to give the Gaels a 1-0 advantage just under 16 minutes into the contest.
Iona nearly made it 2-0 four minutes later as sophomore MF Alex Ramos point blank blast was tipped away by a Columbia defender.
Sophomore keeper Julian Petrello kept the Lions off the scoreboard with three solid saves in the 28th, 29th and 30th minutes, his only three saves of the half.
Action heated up in the final 15 minutes as the visiting team looked for the equalizer and the home team looked for insurance. Following a red card that sent off a Columbia midfielder with 13:15 remaining, Iona's pressure finally broke through in the 81st minute. With Forson coming off the bench less than a minute prior, he took a pass from rookie Luis Mendoza, engaged his defender and fired a shot from 15 yards out upper ninety into the left corner for the net.
"I think we came out with a lot of energy," said head coach Fernando Barboto. "The game wasn't very free flowing or smooth by any means but we scored two goals at home, kept a clean sheet and won the game."
Petrello made eight saves for his second shutout of the season. His counterpart, Kyle Jackson had one save.
The Gaels complete the non-conference part of their schedule with a 3-3-2 mark. Iona hosts Siena Tuesday (Sep. 30) at 3:00 pm to begin Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action.
