ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Iona College men's water polo team started its 2019 campaign with two losses at the 2019 Navy Open hosted by the United States Naval Academy in Lejuene Pool. The Gaels fell to No. 2 Stanford and neighborhood foe Fordham.

No. 2 Stanford 20, Iona 1

Despite a strong defensive effort its season opener, Iona managed only one goal on nine shots against nationally recognized Stanford. The Cardinals lost last year's NCAA championship game against the University of Southern California.

Sophomore German Rodriguez scored the Gaels sole goal on his only shot with an assist by senior Quinn Lloyd.  

On defense, Iona made five steals.  The Gaels forced two Cardinal ejections, while being kicked out three times.  Iona turned the ball over six times.

In the first half, senior goalkeeper Jorge Andres Torres made three saves on 19 Cardinal shots. He allowed 10 goals while collecting five steals. Fellow net-minder, senior Michael Banks, made three saves on 12 Stanford shots, and allowed eight goals against in the third period.  Freshman Kyle Laufenberg made his Gael debut in the fourth quarter and made one save on four Stanford shots and one steal with two goals against.

After striking first with 1:32 gone in the match, Stanford hit seven straight goals, while holding the Gaels scoreless for a 7-0 edge going into the second period.  Stanford continued its unanswered run with three more scores for a 10-0 halftime lead.

Rodriguez's goal with 50 seconds gone in the third period ended the Iona offensive drought. But Stanford took off on an 8-0 run to lead 18-1 going into the fourth quarter.  The Cardinal tacked on two goals in the final period.

Fordham 15, Iona

After falling behind 4-0 in the opening four minutes, Iona mounted a second-half, five-goal rally, but fell short to Fordham in Saturday's second match.

Rodriguez and sophomore Michael Feeley led Iona with two goals each, while senior Philip Wachowski, junior Patrick Hudak and freshman Lester Machado had one score apiece. Iona scored seven goals on 17 shots and made four assists.

On defense, the Gaels made seven steals and blocked three Rams shots. Iona drew nine Fordham ejections, while being kicked out twelve times. Iona committed seven turnovers. The Gaels scored on one of nine man-up chances, while Fordham capitalized on two of nine.

In goal, Torres made eight saves on 23 Fordham shots. He also collected two steals and one assist, all while allowing 13 goals against in the first three quarters. Banks had three saves on six Fordham shots and two goals against in the fourth quarter.

The Rams got on the board first with 37 ticks gone in the match, then scored three consecutive goals, including a five-meter penalty shot, to lead 4-0 with 4:18 remaining in the opening period. On a pool-length assist from Torres, Rodriguez's goal trimmed the Rams lead to 4-1 with 59 seconds left.  Fordham answered on its next possession 19 seconds later for a 5-1 edge going into the second quarter.

With two more unanswered scores, the Rams upped their advantage to 7-1 with 5:14 remaining in the second period. After two more Fordham goals, Feeley cut the Rams lead to seven with 53 seconds left in the half.  

Fordham struck again on its first possession of the second half, but Hudak pulled Iona within seven on a 6-5 advantage score with 6:57 left in the third period.  Over the next two minutes, two Ram goals increased the Fordham edge to 12-3.  With 54 seconds on the clock, Feeley's second goal cut the Fordham lead to 12-4, but the Rams answered with 17 ticks left.  Ten seconds later, Rodriguez's second goal got Iona back within eight, 13-5, going into the final period.

Only 24 seconds into the fourth period, Wachowski found the back of the net. Machado hit his first collegiate goal on a five-meter penalty shot with 41 left on the clock.

Coach Kelly Comments

"It was a tough day for us playing one of the best teams in the country," Kelly said. "Stanford is a national champion favorite, and Fordham is a very deep veteran squad. We did a lot of good things, but we have a long way to go."

UP Next

The Gaels take on Johns Hopkins University tomorrow at 11:45 a.m., and host Navy at 3:30 p.m.

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