Iona Places Sixth at NWPC Championship After Loss to MIT

MIT offense too much to handle in the second half for the Gaels

CAMBRIDGE, MA – Despite a brief first-period lead, the Iona men's water polo team ended its 2019 season with a 16-6 loss to the host Massachusetts Institute of Technology for sixth place at the Northeast Water Polo Conference Championship this weekend.

MATCH SUMMARY

Freshmen German Rodriguez and Lester Machado led the Gaels with two goals each. Junior Brett Hofer and sophomore Justin Ginsburg scored one goal apiece. Iona made six goals on 25 shots and had three assists with two from Ginsburg. The Gaels scored five goals on 15 man-up chances, and the Engineers had four man-up scores on 10 chances. The Maroon and Gold turned the ball over ten times.

Senior goalie Jorge Andres Torres made seven saves on 26 MIT shots and two steals with 12 goals against. In the fourth quarter, senior Michael Banks faced seven MIT shots and made one save on a five-meter penalty attempt, the senior also recorded one steal and had four goals against.

With 2:29 left in the opening period, Hofer put Iona on the board first capitalizing on a man-up opportunity. The Engineers capitalized on a 6-5 advantage to tie the score at one with 37 ticks remaining. In the first period, the Maroon & Gold scored one goal on nine shots.

MIT took the lead 2-1 with 1:47 gone in the second period. Rodriguez scored on a 6-4 chance to knot the match at two at the 4:58 mark, but MIT answered with two straight man-up scores for a 4-2 edge with 3:57 on the clock. The hosts struck again 1:24 later for a 5-2 advantage at intermission.

In the third period, MIT scored two more unanswered goals for a 7-5 margin with 2:27 left. After an Iona timeout, Machado ended the Gaels offensive drought with a man-up goal with 1:34 remaining. Fifty-six seconds later, the Engineers retook a five-goal lead 8-3. Machado hit his second goal as time was winding down to cut the MIT lead back to four going into the final period.

MIT opened the final period with another run of unanswered goals, making it a 12-4 lead. Ginsburg found the back of the net to narrow the hosts' lead to 13-6 at the 3:47 mark. MIT added three more goals, including a five-meter penalty shot goal, in the closing 1:43 to seal the win.

COACH THOUGHTS

While disappointed with the weekend's results, Iona head coach Brian Kelly complimented his squad's fighting spirit throughout the season.

"This weekend was a summary of our entire season," Kelly said. "We play really well for an extended period of time, then run out of gas."

"I was happy with how the guys battled. We've been short handed all season. They fought the good fight all year."

SOCIAL MEDIA

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Players Mentioned

#1 Michael Banks: G; 6' 0"; Senior

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

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

#1 Michael Banks
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

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

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

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

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