STATEN ISLAND, NY- The Iona College women's water polo team dropped both games Sunday afternoon, Apr. 12, and claimed the number three spot in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
Despite a strong first period, the team dropped a 19-5 decision to Wagner College in the first of two MAAC matches as the Gaels (19-13, 5-4 MAAC) wrap up their regular season.
Senior Monica Stiles, senior Jordan Carmody, junior Rebecca Mathews, freshman Paige Neary, and freshman Hannah Schultz scored one goal each.
Senior goalie Devin Green recorded two saves, junior goal Dana Delucchi had five and freshman goalie Britten Vilander had one. On defense, junior Sarah Bortz made three steals, while junior Meghan Mahoney, Neary and Schultz drew two Wagner kickouts each.
Wagner struck first with 1:22 gone in the match, but Neary tied the score at one with 4:52 left in the first period. Three straight Seahawk goals gave the host a 4-1 lead going into the second period.
The hosts hit four consecutive scores until Stiles' goal, assisted by junior Taylor Silva with 1:29 left. But Wagner answered 13 seconds later for a 9-2-halftime advantage.
After a Seahawk goal just 1:09 into the third period, Carmody scored to narrow the Wagner lead to 10-3 at the 6:28 mark. The hosts scored five more goals for a 15-3 lead as the final period began. Iona head coach Brian Kelly received a yellow-card warning in the third period.
Twenty-three seconds into the fourth quarter, Matthews scored, followed by Schultz 46 ticks later as Wagner led 16-5. The hosts scored three more times to seal the win.
Rebounding from a disappointing loss the Gaels closed out its season with 10-8 loss against Villanova University in the second contest.
Schultz took four goals, while Mathews, Koshy, Neary and Carmody tallied one each. Delucchi recorded nine saves and Green had one.
Schultz put the Gaels on the board with 28 seconds gone in the match, but the Wildcats hit two straight goals to tie and take the lead 2-1 at the 2:38 mark. Koshy tied the game at two with 20 seconds left in the first period.
Villanova regained the lead 3-2 with 3:39 to go in the second quarter, but Matthew's goal with 33 ticks remaining tied the game at three. Twenty-one seconds later, however, the Wildcats struck again for a 4-3 halftime advantage.
The third-seeded Gaels will face number two seed Wagner College in the MAAC Championship semifinals on Saturday, Apr. 25, at 12 pm, in Poughkeepsie. But first, the team will host an alumni game on Saturday, Apr. 18 at the Hynes Athletic Center Pool.
