BROOKLYN, NY - Recovering from some early offensive lapses, the Iona women's water polo team rallied to notch two key Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference wins with a 14-13 victory over Siena and a 13-9 win over Villanova at St. Francis College (Brooklyn).

GAME 1 | Iona 14, Siena 13

Thanks to a six-goal third-quarter rally, Iona overcame a 6-5 halftime deficit for a 14-13 win over Siena College in match that featured five lead changes and seven ties.

Freshman Maeve Wydan led the Gaels with four goals on four shots, while sophomore Jordan Van Reeken and freshman Taylor Hensley had three scores each. Freshman Jillian Schultz scored two goals, and sophomore Laura Rockett and freshman Karsyn Stewart added one goal each. The Gaels made  assisted on 10 goals, with five from Schultz.

In goal, redshirt junior Jordin Hale made seven saves on 30 Siena shots, and grabbed one steal and two assists.

On defense, Iona had 11 steals, with Rockett and Schultz making two each, along with three blocked shots with two by freshman Malia Naugle. The Gaels drew 14 Saints exclusions with Schultz and Rockett forcing four each, while being ejected ten times. Iona caused 15 turnovers.

Siena needed only nine seconds to take a 1-0 lead on five-meter penalty shot. Hensley put Iona on the board with 3:21 gone in the match to tie the score at one. With 2:43 remaining the first period, the Saints went on a 3-0 run on three straight possessions to go up 4-1 with 1:57 on the clock.

With 1:38 gone in the second period, Wydan hit two straight goals on consecutive Gael possessions to cut the Saints lead to 4-2 with six minutes remaining. Schultz continued Iona's 3-0 run to tie the match at four with 3:52 to go. Van Reeken gave Iona its first lead 5-4 with 2:19 left, but Siena retied the score at five just 22 ticks later. A Siena lob gave the Saints the lead back 6-5 with just five seconds to halftime.

Two straight Iona goals in the opening 1:23 of the third period tied the game, then put the Gaels up again 7-6. Siena answered 1:04 later to knot the game for the fifth time at seven each. Rockett's goal gave Iona the lead again 8-7 with 4:17 remaining, then two straight Siena scores put the Saints back up 9-8 at the 3:08 mark. Mounting a three-goal run in the closing 2:43, the Gaels regained their advantage with scores by Van Reeken, Hensley and Schultz for a 11-9 lead going into the final period.

Siena trimmed the Iona edge to one with 3:53 left, then Wydan's fourth goal restored the Gaels two-goal lead 12-10 only 22 seconds later. The Saints took advantage a 6-on-5 chance on their next possession to pull back within one 12-11, until Iona did the same for a 13-11 lead with 1:59 to go. On their next possession 18 seconds later, the Saints got within one again 13-12. Stewart scored on an open net to give Iona a two-goal cushion 14-12 with 22 seconds left. Siena came down the pool to score 12 ticks later, but Iona held on for the win.

GAME 2 | Iona 13, Villanova 9

With a slim 6-5 halftime lead, Iona outscored Villanova 7-4 in the second half, which resulted in a 13-9 win over the Wildcats for today's second MAAC victory.

Schultz led the Gaels with five goals on seven shots, while Van Reeken and Hensley had three scores each. Sophomore Danielle Hernandez and freshman Brianna Erickson scored one goal apiece. The Gaels assisted on four goals. In goal, Hale made four saves on 22 Villanova shots and four steals.

On defense, Iona made 15 steals with six by Van Reeken, and Schultz had the Gaels only blocked shot. Iona drew eight Villanova exclusions with four by Schultz and three by Van Reeken, while being ejected ten times. The Gaels turned the ball over nine times and  scored on one of eight man-up chances.

After Villanova got on the board first with 18 seconds gone in the contest, Van Reeken answered on the Gaels next possession 34 seconds later to tie the game at one. The Wildcats went up 2-1 on their next trip down the pool, but the Gaels took off on a 3-0 run with two goals from Schultz and one from Hensley to take a 4-2 lead with 3:53 left in the first period.

Villanova trimmed the Iona lead to one, 4-3 with 1:08 left, then Hernandez found the back of the net with one second left to give the Gaels a 5-3 lead going into the second period.

With 2:56 gone in the second quarter, Schultz's third goal upped the Iona advantage to three 6-3. When Hale was ejected, the Wildcats cut the Gael edge to two 6-4 with 3:53 remaining. Villanova pulled within one at the 1:12 mark as Iona led 6-5 at intermission.

Schultz's fourth goal gave Iona a two-goal cushion 7-5 with 1:21 gone in the third period. The Wildcats pulled back within one on their next possession, then Hensley answered with her second goal for an 8-6 Iona lead. After Villanova struck again, Hale saved a five-meter penalty shot, followed by Hensley's point-blank goal as Iona led with 3:12 left. The Wildcats converted a five-meter penalty shot, but Schultz closed out the third quarter with her fifth score for a 10-8 Gael advantage going into the final period.

After Hensley won the final period's swim off, her third goal upped the Iona edge to three 11-8, but Villanova answered to pull within two 11-9 at the 6:09 mark. Van Reeken's two straight scores gave the Gaels their largest lead 13-9 with 4:23 remaining.

Pleased with today's "hard-fought wins," Iona Head Coach Brian Kelly praised his squad's "resolve" in two tight wins with numerous ties and lead changes. "It's a great day whenever you get two league wins," Kelly said. "Both the Siena and Villanova games were back-and- forth games with many lead changes. "We showed a lot of resolve today pulling out two hard-fought wins. We had big-time performances today from Captain JVR, and three standout freshmen in Jillian Schultz, Maeve Wydan, and Taylor Hensley."

UP NEXT

On Sunday, Iona faces first-place Wagner College at 10:30 a.m., and LaSalle University at 3 p.m.

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