PRINCETON, NJ – Despite a strong first half against a nationally ranked host team, the Iona women's water polo team fell 15-8 to #14 Princeton University this afternoon in the last of four matches this weekend at the 2016 Princeton Invitational at DeNunzio Pool.
Senior Rebecca Mathews led the Gaels with four goals, while sophomore Hannah Schultz scored three. Sophomore Kayla Allen had one goal.
Senior Dana Delucchi had 12 saves and three steals in goal. On defense, the Gaels made six steals and two blocks. Senior Dana Andrea was disqualified in the third period with three ejections.
Mathews needed only 34 seconds to put Iona on the board, but Princeton (#14) hit two five-meter penalty shots on its next two possessions to tie and go ahead 2-1 with 6:06 on the clock. Schultz retied the match at two 1:14 later, but the Tigers retook with lead 3-2 with 2:51 left in the first period. Twelve seconds later Allen knotted the score at three, but Princeton answered with 1:30 remaining. A tip by Schultz at 42 seconds made the score four each going into the second period.
With 5:54 gone in the second quarter, Mathews put the Gaels back on top 5-4. Neither team scored until the 1:47 mark when the Tigers reeled off three straight scores for a 7-5 halftime lead. The first half featured five ties and three lead changes.
Princeton opened the third period with two straight goals until Mathews' third score narrowed the host's lead to 9-6 with 5:08 to go. In the next minute, Princeton hit three straight goals, until Mathews scored again to close the gap to 12-7 with 3:05 left. Schultz followed with five ticks remaining as the host team led 12-8 going into the final period. In the fourth quarter, the Tigers outscored the Gaels 3-0 to seal their win.
Even with three losses this weekend, Iona head coach Brian Kelly was optimistic about “the big picture” for his squad this season.
“I thought this was a good weekend for us when you look at the big picture,” Kelly said. “We could have easily gone three-and-one instead of one-and-three.
“If our six-on-five advantage was just a little bit better, we would have been looking at three wins. We did not play a smart game against Princeton. We made way too many mental mistakes and allowed a close game to become one-sided.”
The Gaels will travel to Cambridge, MA, March 5-6 for the Harvard Invitational.
