LOUDONVILLE, NY – In a game that saw the Maroon & Gold lead from start to finish, the Iona seniors tallied 13 goals in a 17-7 victory over Villanova on Sunday. This was the most goals the Gaels have posted since April 15 of last season when they defeated La Salle 18-5.
Seniors
Megan Hofer,
Devika Joshi and
Hannah Schultz all tallied a quartet of goals. Joshi also secured a season-best five steals. Freshman
Jordan Van Reeken continued with another three goals and was followed by
Laura Rockett and
Karli Normand who each scored once.
The Gaels received strong play in net by both
Britten Vilander and
Jordin Hale. Vilander stopped nine Wildcats' attempts while conceding three and Hale made six saves and allowed four goals.
Schultz opened the scoring only 18 seconds into the game, giving Iona a lead that they would not relinquish. Joshi followed suit with her first of the game before Villanova cut the deficit to one with 4:35 remaining in the frame. Each team killed off man-advantages before Schultz connected with two more tallies in the final 2:16 as Iona took a 4-1 lead after eight minutes.
The Maroon & Gold outscored the Wildcats 4-3 in the second quarter. With 1:24 gone by, Hofer netted two goals within 27 seconds of each other and was followed by Schultz 40 seconds later as Iona opened up a 7-1 lead. The Wildcats cut into the Iona advantage with two goals before Van Reeken brought the Gaels back up five, 8-3. Villanova scored the final tally of the half with 57 seconds remaining.
Iona pulled away in the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 7-2. The Maroon & Gold scored five unanswered goals in the first 4:33 of the period coming from Joshi, Van Reeken, Joshi's third goal of the game, Normand and Hofer respectively. Villanova scored the next two goals but Hofer and Van Reeken found the back of the net to open up a 15-6 lead when the third horn sounded.
Joshi and Rockett each netted a goals in the fourth quarter to give Iona it's largest lead at 10, 17-6. Villanova's final tally came with 2:44 to play as Iona secured the double-digit victory.
The Maroon & Gold are off for the next two weeks before they play in their home-openers at the Hynes Center on March 24 and 25.
