PROVIDENCE, RI – After kicking off a four-game road weekend with a 18-10 win over Connecticut College, the Iona men's water polo team dropped a Northeast Water Polo Conference match here this afternoon to Brown University 18-7.

Iona 18  Connecticut 10

Despite four ties in the first period, the Gaels rallied for a 18-10 non-conference win this morning in New London, CT, over Connecticut College with eleven players scoring.

Junior Mohamed Refaat led the Maroon and Gold with four goals on four shots, while freshman Luka Hastic scored three times on five shots.  Senior co-captain Justin Ginsberg and sophomore Andrew Miller had two goals each.  Senior co-captain Michael Feeley, junior Lester Machado, freshman Luksa Vlasic, sophomore Diego Gomez, freshman Aidan Finkler, freshman Jack Folan and freshman William Harrington scored one goal each. The Gaels scored 18 goals in 39 shots and made 12 assists with four by Machado and three by Vlasic.

In goal, sophomore Diego Gomez had 15 saves on 25 Camels shots, made three steals and 10 goals against, along with his third-period score. On defense, the Gaels made 11 steals with five by Refaat and two blocked shots.  Iona drew 11 Connecticut kickouts with five by Vlasic, while being ejected eight times. Iona scored three goals on 12 man-up chances, while Connecticut scored two goals on eight man-up opportunities. The Gaels turned the ball over five times. Iona drew 11 Connecticut kickouts with five by Vlasic, while being ejected eight times. The Maroon & Gold scored three goals on 12 man-up chances, while Connecticut scored two goals on eight man-up opportunities.   The Gaels turned the ball over five times.

With 1:02 on the clock, Refaat got the Gaels on the board first. After Miller missed a five-meter penalty shot, the hosts tied the match at one with 6:16 left in the opening period. Refaat's second score put the Gaels back up one 2-1 just 39 seconds later. On their next possession, the Camels answered to retie the score at two.  Refaat found the back of the net again to restore Iona's one-point edge, then Connecticut knotted the game for the third time at three with 2:42 left.   

Feeley put the Gaels back up 4-3, but a Camels five-meter penalty goal resulted in a four-all tie at the 1:46 mark.  Two straight Iona scores in the closing 50 seconds by Ginsberg and Harrington gave the Gaels a two-goal 6-4 edge going into the second period. Continuing a 3-0 Gael run, Hastic's score with 1:04 gone in the second quarter put Iona up three 7-4. With 23 ticks left, Hastic tacked on his second goal for a four-goal 8-4 halftime lead, as the Gaels held the Camels scoreless in the second period.

Thirty-five ticks into the third period, the hosts pulled within three 8-5. On the Gaels next possession, Miller put Iona back up four 9-5. After Gomez blocked a Camels five-meter penalty shot, Refaat added his fourth goal for a five-goal 10-5 Iona lead with 5:51 remaining. The Camels cut the Gaels lead back to four 10-6, but Hastic's third score put Iona back up 11-6 with 3:36 to go. After another home goal, Vlasic answered for a 12-7 Iona edge at the 2:42 mark.   That sparked a 5-0 Gael run with goals by Miller, Ginsberg, Machado, and Gomez's pool-length at the third-period buzzer.

With 3:18 gone in the final period, Finkler's first Iona goal gave the Gaels a ten-goal cushion 17-7, but the Camels sliced the Iona lead to nine 17-8 with 3:56 left. Following a Connecticut goal, Folan scored to seal the win, despite two Camels goals in the closing 1:35.

RV Brown 15 Iona 7

After failing to score in the opening period, Iona hit four straight goals to get within one, but managed only three goals for the rest of the match in a 15-7 NEWPC loss to Brown University. Ginsberg, Machado and Miller led the Maroon and Gold with two goals each, while Vlasic scored once. The Gaels scored seven goals in 28 shots and made three assists with two by Refaat.

In goal, junior Kyle Laufenberg had eight saves on 26 Bears shots, two steals and had 15 goals against.  
On defense, the Gaels made 10 steals with three by Ginsberg. Iona drew 10 Brown kick-outs with five by Feeley, while being ejected seven times. Iona scored four goals on ten man-up chances, while Brown scored four goals on eight man-up opportunities. The Gaels turned the ball over four times.
Just 27 seconds into the match, the Bears capitalized on a man-up chance for a 1-0 lead. Brown followed with three more unanswered goals for a 4-0 advantage with 2:51 remaining in the opening quarter. The Gaels failed to score on six shots and three 6-on-5 opportunities in the first period.

Thirty ticks into the second period the Bears scored on a man-up chance when Laufenberg was ejected for a 5-0 lead. On the Gaels next trip down the pool, Miller got the Gaels on the board with a man-up score to trim the home lead to four 5-1. Continuing a 4-0 Gael rally on straight possessions, Ginsberg's breakaway goal pulled Iona within three 5-3 on the Gaels next possession with 6:25 to go. Vlasic found the back of the net 32 seconds later to cut the home edge to two 5-4 only 40 seconds later. Machado needed just 28 seconds to score as the Gaels sliced the Bears edge from five to one in five minutes.  In the closing 4:44, Brown mounted its own 3-0 run for an 8-4 halftime margin.

The Bears opened the third period with another answered goal to go up five 9-4. Machado's second score got Iona back within four 9-5 with 6:21 on the clock. Twenty seconds later, Brown started a 4-0 run for a 13-5 advantage going into the final period. Miller's second goal only 41 ticks into the fourth quarter trimmed the home edge to seven 13-6, but the Bears answered with 6:07 on the clock for a 14-6 cushion. With 2:55 left, Ginsberg scored his second goal, then the Browns answered on their next possession to seal their win.

UP NEXT

On Sunday, Iona heads to Cambridge, MA, for a 10 a.m. match against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a 3 p.m. game at Harvard University.

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