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Iona University Athletics

Danielle Hernandez

Women's Water Polo Garrett Murray

Iona Women's Water Polo Drops a Pair in Cambridge

The Gaels offense comes out sluggish, as second half favors both Brown and Harvard

CAMBRIDGE, MA –  Having played four of their first five non-conference matches against nationally ranked teams, the Iona women's water polo team lost to Brown University and #17-ranked Harvard University in the Harvard Mini Tournament here today.

GAME ONE SUMMARY

Both offense came slow in this mornings match-up, heading into the second half facing a deficit of 5-2. Brown would come out on all cylinders out scoring Iona 9-4 in third and fourth quarter. 

Junior Laura Rockett led the Gaels with two goals. Junior Jordan Van Reeken, sophomores Malia Naugle, Carli Tovar, Maeve Wydan had one score each. Iona had six assists with two by Van Reeken and Wydan. The Maroon & Gold scored six goals on 21 shots.

In goal, red shirt senior Jordin Hale made 13 saves on 20 Bears shots and one steal. Freshman Zoe Metzger faced only one shot in the closing two minutes.

On defense, the Gaels made two steals and blocked two shots. Iona forced seven Brown kick outs with three by Van Reeken, while being ejected three times. Iona turned it over 12 times. Iona scored three goals on six man-up chances, while Brown did not capitalize on two chances.

Brown opened the scoring in the first 15 seconds of the match on a five-meter penalty goal, then scored again for a 2-0 lead at the 3:01 mark of the first period. With 1:05 left, Naugle capitalized on a man-up advantage to trim the Brown edge to one 2-1 going into the second period.

After Hale blocked a Brown five-meter penalty shot 21 seconds into the second period, the Bears upped their lead to two 3-1 with 6:28 on the clock. Rockett answered for the Gaels 14 ticks later to pull Iona back within one 3-2, but the Bears scored on their next possession for a 4-2 edge with 5:55 remaining. Brown tacked on another goal with 2:28 left for a 5-2 halftime lead.

The Bears opened the third period with two straight scores to go up five 7-2 with 4:24 remaining. Just 41 seconds later, Wydan cut the Brown back to four. But four straight Bears scores gave Brown a 11-3 advantage with 1:02 left. Van Reeken found the back of the net with six ticks remaining to pull Iona within seven 11-4 going into the final period. 

After Brown scored with 1:23 gone in the fourth period, Rockett's second goal followed by Tovar's score cut the Bears' lead to 12-6 at the 4:11 mark. Brown closed out the match with two goals for the 14-6 win.
 

GAME TWO SUMMARY

Although failing to score until 5:43 into the second quarter, the Iona defense held host Harvard (#17) to four first-half goals in a 10-4 loss in this afternoon's match.

Van Reeken led the Gaels with two goals, while Wydan and Naugle added one score apiece. The Gaels scored four goals, all man-up scores, on 19 shots, and Wydan had Iona's lone assist

Starting in goal for the second game, Hale made nine saves on 26 Harvard shots, and added one steal. On defense, Iona made two steals. The Maroon & Gold drew nine Crimson kickouts, while being ejected five times. The Gaels scored all four goals on nine man-up chances, while the Crimson capitalized on one of three chances. Iona had 13 turnovers.

In the opening 4:03, the hosts scored two straight goals, including a man-up score, for a 2-0 lead with 3:57 left in the first period. Harvard added another goal with 2:45 to go for a 3-0 lead as Iona failed to score on four shots in the opening quarter.

Harvard went up 4-0 with 1:19 gone in the second period. When Hale was ejected, Rockett blocked a sure Crimson score at the 4:55 mark. Wydan finally got Iona on the board with 2:17 remaining to trim the home lead to three 4-1 at intermission.

With three consecutive goals, the Crimson upped its lead to 7-1 with 2:47 to go in the third period. Van Reeken trimmed the hosts' edge to five 7-2 with 1:20 left, but Harvard answered 20 ticks later for an 8-2 advantage.
After Harvard tacked on two more goals for a 10-2 lead with 4:43 left in regulation, Van Reeken's second goal pulled the Gaels with seven 10-3 just 43 ticks later. Naugle scored on the Iona's next possession to continue the Gaels closing 2-0 run with 2:57 on the clock.
 

COACH THOUGHTS

Even though his squad has not yet gotten a win against "some really talented teams," Iona head coach Brian Kelly expressed confidence that his players will put together a strong season. "We have a tough early season schedule," Kelly said. "We open up against some really talented teams.  I'm not worried about our early season record. I'm worried about improvement, being consistent, and finding out what our strengths are."
 

UP NEXT

The Gaels will look to get their offense back on track before traveling to New Jersey on February 19, where they will battle Princeton.   
 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
Iona Water Polo: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)


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Players Mentioned

Jordin Hale

#1 Jordin Hale

G
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Malia Naugle

#8 Malia Naugle

DR
5' 7"
Sophomore
Laura Rockett

#7 Laura Rockett

DR
5' 11"
Junior
Carli Tovar

#13 Carli Tovar

UT
5' 7"
Junior
Maeve Ellen Wydan

#14 Maeve Ellen Wydan

UT
5' 10"
Sophomore
Zoe Metzger

#1 Zoe Metzger

G
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Jordin Hale

#1 Jordin Hale

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
G
Malia Naugle

#8 Malia Naugle

5' 7"
Sophomore
DR
Laura Rockett

#7 Laura Rockett

5' 11"
Junior
DR
Carli Tovar

#13 Carli Tovar

5' 7"
Junior
UT
Maeve Ellen Wydan

#14 Maeve Ellen Wydan

5' 10"
Sophomore
UT
Zoe Metzger

#1 Zoe Metzger

5' 11"
Freshman
G