NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The third time was the charm for the Maroon & Gold today at Mazzella Field. Lenworth Lopez's goal with 50 seconds left to play gave Iona its third lead of the afternoon en route to the 3-2 victory.

MATCH SUMMARY

Esad Mackic and Najim Romero got things started early for Iona; Mackic fed a ball through the defense to a streaking Romero who made one move toward the middle of the box and put a right-foot shot past Josh Savino.
 
Niagara, typically a defensive minded unit, ceded early opportunities to Iona's attack. Freshman midfielder Alessio Hernandez, in his first career start, tried a one-time shot from the top of the box that Savoni saved with ease.
 
Mackic tested the freshman keeper as well, using his back heel to guide a Christian Geddes pass on net. A diving Savino made his third save of the afternoon as he corralled the shot on his end line.
 
Just as Iona had done in the sixth minute of play, Niagara found a goal on its first official shot of the afternoon. Absalom Solorio-Villalpando's, the hero in Niagara's 2-1 overtime win over Rider on Saturday, scored on a header from the corner to level the match at one apiece.
 
Exactly two minutes after the equalizer, Mauro Bravo untied the match with a left-foot strike from outside of the 16-yard box in the 31^st minute. The score would hold at 2-1 as the two sides entered their respective locker rooms for halftime.
 
A very eventful second half opened up with two corners for Niagara, none of which produced a shot attempt. Romero and Josh Plimpton put shots towards goal in successive minutes as the Maroon & Gold tried to find some insurance, but Savoni was up to the task.
 
Iona's defense kept things easy for keeper Giuliano Santucci in the first 60 minutes of the match; the junior faced just three shots, none of which required he make the stop. The Gaels' lone save in the first half was credited to the team. Niagara's Mackenzie Roach directed the first shot on net against Santucci in the 61^st minute, but came away with nothing.
 
Niagara had dominated much of the possession in the early portion of the second period of play, but Iona was able to make some runs and create chances for its attackers. The Gaels however, could not finish on chances that would have provided a comfortable, two-goal cushion.
 
The Gaels caught a fortunate break in the 80^th minute when Rafael Freitas' second yellow card of the afternoon forced his team to play the final 10-plus minutes down a man. Despite the man-advantage, Iona allowed the game-tying goal with just under six minutes to play in the match.
 
The match seemed destined for overtime until a long run for Lopez ended up with him on the ground. Lopez was upended by Savino, who came off of his line to contest the charging Lopez, leading to a penalty with 50 seconds to play in regulation. 
 
Lopez's initial shot on the PK was stopped by Savino, but the ball bounded back out to the junior who finished the job off with a blast into the upper-left corner of the net to give Iona a lead for the third time in the game.
 
The Gaels would close out the final seconds of the match without issue and secure another win in New Rochelle.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• The Gaels got goals from Romero, Bravo and Lopez. The latter two of the three student-athletes lead the team with seven goals scored apiece.
• Lopez's game-winning goal was his second of the year and the missed penalty try makes him 1-2 this season on PK's.
• Today marks the fifth time this year that Iona has scored three goals. The Gaels are 5-0 when scoring three times in a match.
• The Maroon & Gold scored twice in the first half, the first team to do so against Niagara since Dartmouth back on September 21.
• Iona remains unbeaten (4-0-1) at Mazzella Field this season and improves to 11-1-2 in its last 14 contests in New Rochelle.
• The Gaels out-shot the Purple Eagles 16-7 on the afternoon. Iona held a 9-4 edge in shots on net.
• Santucci earned his fifth victory this season, improving his record in net to 5-2-0.
• Hernandez made the first start of his collegiate career for Iona, playing 51 minutes and directing his only shot of the afternoon on net.

UP NEXT

Iona heads back on the road this weekend to face Quinnipiac on Saturday, October 26 at 1:00 PM.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics and men's soccer on all social media platforms:  
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)  
Iona Men's Soccer: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)

Tweet #IMS
Tweet #MAACSoccer
Tweet #GaelNation