NEW ROCHELLE, NY - Iona Men's water polo dropped a pair of NWPC games today, October 3. Both games were close defeats as the Gaels fell to Harvard, 18-14 and to Brown 15-12. Junior Mohamed Refaat led the Maroon & Gold offense with seven goals between the two games. Both Diego Gomez and Kyle Laufenberg split time today with Gomez playing the first game and Laufenberg mending the net for game two.  

Game One Harvard 18, Iona 14

The second quarter was the deciding factor In a high scoring game that saw 34 exclusions among both teams. Andrew Miller led the Gaels in game one with 4 goals on seven shots. Seven different players for the Maroon & Gold found the back of the net. In net Gomez made 11 saves for a .407 save percentage and added one steal. 

Harvard opened the scoring with a goal at 6:32 but junior Lester Machado tied it 1-1 just 14 seconds later. Over the next 2:30 minutes the opposing teams swapped goals, staying tied 2-2 with 3:50 left in the first quarter. The visitors scored two quick goals in 25 seconds and were looking at  a two goal lead, Trippe Bauman and Refaat scored their first of the day and knotted it back up, 4-4 entering the second quarter. 

The second quarter is where Harvard took control of the game and never released it. The opposition outscored Iona 6-2 in the second and entered the half time break up four goals. Miller and Machado were the two Gael spotlights in the second quarter. After the break Harvard did not let up and came out swinging with three straight goals. Bauman found the back of the net once again and made it a six goal deficit. With 11 minutes left to play in the game Harvard was once again looking at a seven goal lead, 15-8.

The gaels were able to out score the opponent in the final eight minutes but the mount to climb was too steep. Two goals from Miller and one from Jack Folan made it a five goal game before Diego Gomez secured his first collegiate goal on a five-meter opportunity with just :16 seconds left to play. 

GAME TWO BROWN 15, IONA 12

Game two was not much different from game one, Iona and Brown were tied 4-4 after the first and the second quarter seemed to plague the Gaels once again. Refaat led the offense with four goals on five shots, while senior Justin Ginsberg found the back of the net twice and added four assists. In net, junior Kyle Laufenberg made eight saves, added two steals and played all 32 minutes.  

The Maroon & Gold jumped out to a quick three goal lead, with a goal by Ginsberg and two from Machado. The Bears answered with a 3-0 run of the own to tie it at 3-3 with 2:01 left in the first. Machado scored his third and final goal of the game with 1:44 left. But right before the buzzer Brown tied it back up at 4-4. 

The second quarter woes continued with Brown out scoring the Gaels 5-2. Ginsberg and Refaat once again notched goals for the Maroon & Gold. Looking at a three goal deficit coming out of the half-time break, the Gaels needed more offense. They went to freshman Luksa Vlasic, he got Iona with one just 3 minutes into the second half. Iona kept it a one goal game until the 2:33 mark in the third quarter. Brown went on another 3-0 run and led 13-9. Refaat scored the Gaels final three goals of the game but the comeback fell short and the Bears closed it out with a final score of 15-12. 

UP NEXT

The Maroon and Gold head on the road Oct. 6 for a 7 pm game at St. Francis Brooklyn.

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