LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ – After being selected to finish in 10^th place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Iona College women's soccer team finished in a tie for sixth place after winning its season-finale at Rider, 2-0. The Maroon & Gold matched a decade-best with its seven wins this season, having notched seven victories in the 2012 and 2013 seasons as well.

MATCH SUMMARY

Iona started fast against Rider, controlling possession of the ball and the match early on. Amber Crispin and Kiera Haggerty tried shots in the opening minute for the Gaels, but it was Faith Preziosi's shot in the 12^th minute that opened the scoring. Preziosi scored in the upper-left portion of the net, giving the Maroon & Gold an early advantage.
 
Just over a minute later, Carmen Carbonell made a stop with her right foot on a one-on-one opportunity with Crispin. Ciara Guglielmo tested Carbonell in the 18^th minute but could not beat her. Even with the lead, Iona was not satisfied with just the one goal, they continued to pressure Rider's defense to try and find insurance.
 
Preziosi, Mackenzie Meixner and Julia Peschetti all registered shots for the Gaels before the Broncs' Madeleine Tarin tested Angelina DeCicco with a shot in the closing moments of the half. Iona's rigid backline did not allow a shot over a 38-minute span after Rider's first try in the opening minutes.
 
The Gaels entered the half with a one-goal lead and as they came out of the locker room they continued to couple their offensive pressure with excellent defense. Emily Curteis' shot in the 52^nd minute never made it on goal, as it was blocked away by an Iona defender. The Gaels proceeded up the field on a counter and Crispin's grounded shot was corralled by Carbonell.
 
As the match entered the 66^th minute, the Broncs had their best opportunities on tries by Russell, Ludwikowski and Rodrigues, but none of the three shots in a minute-span tested DeCicco.
 
Preziosi put the icing on the cake for the Maroon & Gold with a left-footed strike that found nylon in the 79^thminute. Samantha Hogan fed a ball up ahead for the sophomore and she finished it, putting the nail in the coffin for Iona as they rolled to another shutout victory.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Iona finishes the 2019 season with a 7-11-2 overall record and a 4-5-1 mark in league play.
• The Gaels' seven wins this year is one less than its total over the last three seasons combined. The seven-win season also matches the program's best mark of the decade, having won seven games in both 2012 and 2013.
• The Maroon & Gold finished in a tie for sixth place in the conference standings, missing out on a spot in the postseason by virtue of a tiebreaker with the Niagara Purple Eagles.
• Iona's last four wins have been 1-0 victories and five of the team's seven wins this season have been shutouts.
• Two of the Gaels' seven wins this year have come against postseason-bound teams (Rider and Quinnipiac) and the team's lone draw came against Marist, who will also play in the 2019 MAAC Championship.
• The win tonight at Rider is just Iona's second road victory of the 2019 campaign.
• Preziosi's scored two goals in the victory; it is the second time in her career that she has scored twice in a game against Rider.
• Katie Benson assisted on Preziosi's first goal. For Benson, it was her first point of the year.
• Hogan had the helper on the second score, her third assist of the year. The freshman finishes the season as Iona's third-leading point scorer.
• The win was DeCicco's fourth of the season and it was her second straight shutout. The junior, who saw action for the first time in her career this season, wraps up the year with a 4-0-0 record in net for the Maroon & Gold.

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