HAMDEN, CT – Iona men's soccer maintained its place in the conference standings as they beat Quinnipiac 2-1 on Saturday. Mauro Bravo assisted on Iona's first goal and scored the team's second as they continue to inch closer to a bye in the MAAC Championship.

MATCH SUMMARY

The Gaels got good looks for Bravo and Esad Mackic in the opening 15 minutes of play, but neither could put a shot on goal. The Bobcats tested Giuliano Santucci with their first shot of the match in the 19^th minute, forcing him to make a stop on the shot by Simon Hillinger. Two minutes later, Hillinger had another chance on goal, but his shot sailed too high.
 
Iona had its second and third corner kicks in successive minutes with about 15 minutes to play in the opening period, but could not muster a shot attempt on either chances. Both sides played well defensively and neither side registered a shot in the final eight minutes of the half. The two teams were locked in a scoreless tie after the first 45 minutes of play in Hamden.
 
The Maroon & Gold came out fast to open the second half, getting goals from Najim Romero and Bravo just 51 seconds apart. Romero beat Jared Mazzola to open the scoring in the 48^th minute and Bravo, who assisted on Romero's goal, scored in the same minute to give Iona a 2-0 lead.
 
The Gaels continued to apply pressure offensively, firing four more shots at the Bobcat keeper across the next 10 minutes. Iona came very close, ringing shots off of the woodwork on a couple of tries after the two goals.
 
On a long run in the 73^rd minute, Quinnipiac cut the deficit in half. Eamon Whelan, the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year, scored after a scramble in the box. The Bobcats followed up the goal with two corner kicks, but the Gaels did not allow them to get a shot off.
 
Alessio Hernandez was stopped by Mazzola in the 81^st minute, and as Iona transitioned back to defense, a foul was called and Romero was issued a red card. The Gaels would be forced to play the final nine-plus minutes down a man.
 
Domen Bozic tried a shot in the 85^th minute, but it was corralled by Santucci. Jason Budhai, who assisted on the Bobcat goal earlier, watched his shot in the 87^th minute sail over the crossbar.
 
Quinnipiac's final chance was a corner with 90 seconds to play, but they did not try a shot and Iona's 10-man unit closed out a win on the road.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Bravo now boasts a team-high eight goals and 21 points. Both of those stand as second-best in the conference.
• Romero's goal was his third of the year and Lotuzys' helper on the Bravo goal was his third of 2019.
• Santucci faced 11 shots, making two saves and improving to 6-2-0 on the season.
• Iona held a 15-11 advantage in shots and an 8-3 edge in shots on net.
• The Gaels, as of the final this afternoon, hold a three-point lead over the next closest team for the second spot in the table.
• The road win was Iona's sixth this season, the most among any team in the league.

UP NEXT

Iona returns home for a matchup with the Rider Broncs, the defending MAAC champion, on Wednesday, October 30 at 3 PM. The match will be broadcasted on ESPN+.

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