Iona Falls in Opening Round of NWPC Championship

The Gaels rally in the final quarter comes up short

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Despite cutting third-seeded Brown University's lead to two goals in the final period, the sixth-seeded Iona men's water polo team fell 13-11 this afternoon at the Northeast Water Polo Conference Championship hosted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

MATCH SUMMARY

Senior Phil Wachowski led the Gaels with three goals, while senior Quinn Lloyd, junior Andrew Brozovic, and freshman German Rodriguez had three goals each. Junior Brett Hofer and freshman Lester Machado scored one goal apiece. The Gaels scored 11 goals on 26 shots, and made five assists with two by Rodriguez.

In goal, senior Jorge Andres Torres made ten saves on 30 Brown shots while recording five steals.

On defense, Iona made 12 steals with three by Lloyd, who also blocked two Brown shots. The Maroon & Gold forced 13 Brown kick outs with four by Hofer and three by Machado, while being ejected 14 times. Iona scored seven man-up goals on 13 chances, while the Bears capitalized on seven of 14 of 6-5 advantages.

Lloyd needed only 1:01 to put the Gaels on the board first for a 1-0 edge. Brown reeled off three unanswered scores for 3-1 advantage with 4:17 left in the opening period. With 1:07 on the clock, Hofer capitalized on a man-up opportunity to trim the Bears lead to one 3-2. But the Bears answered 24 ticks later for a two-goal 4-2 lead going into the second quarter.

After the Bears tacked on two more scores in the opening 1:18 for a 6-2 advantage, Wachowski got Iona back within three 6-3 on a 6-5 advantage at the 6:09 mark. Brown hit two straight man-up scores for a 7-3 edge with 3:20 remaining. In the closing 3:05, before the first half ended the Gaels countered with its own 3-0 run with goals by Rodriguez, Brozovic and Wachowski to cut the Brown lead to two 8-6.

18 seconds into the third period, Brown upped its edge to three 9-6 on a five-meter penalty shot. The Maroon & Gold's next trip down the pool, Wachowski scored his third goal just 29 seconds later on a 6-4 advantage to pull Iona back within two 9-7. The Bears tacked on two more man-up goals for a 11-7 margin with 4:14 remaining. Lloyd's second score with 2:59 left narrowed Brown's lead back to three 10-8, but the Bears answered on their next possession for a 11-8 edge. Brozovic found the back of the net with his second goal to slice Brown's lead to three 12-9 going into the final period.

Rodriguez hit his second goal with 2:02 gone in the fourth period, but the Bears answered on their next possession to maintain a three-goal edge 13-10 with 5:21 on the clock. Machado got the Bears lead back down to two 13-11 only 28 ticks later, but the Gael rally fell short.

UP NEXT

Iona will look to end the 2019 season on a high note in the fifth place game where they will battle the fifth-seeded MIT tomorrow at 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

#6 Andrew Brozovic: UT; 6' 2"; Junior

#17 Brett Hofer: DR; 5' 11"; Junior

#4 Quinn Lloyd: DR; 6' 0"; Senior

#11 German Rodriguez: DR; 5' 11"; Sophomore

#1 Jorge Andres Torres: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#2 Lester Machado: Driver; 6' 4"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#6 Andrew Brozovic
: 6' 2"; Junior
: UT

#17 Brett Hofer
: 5' 11"; Junior
: DR

#4 Quinn Lloyd
: 6' 0"; Senior
: DR

#11 German Rodriguez
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: DR

#1 Jorge Andres Torres
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#2 Lester Machado
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: Driver