NEW ROCHELLE, NY - The Iona College men's soccer team fell to the University of Vermont in the 2021 season opener, 2-0, on Thursday afternoon at Mazzella Field. The Catamounts won on the strength of goals from Matt Nagy and Nacho Lerech, as well as a solid all-around defensive performance that limited the Gaels to just nine total shots.

Lerech opened the scoring in the 21st minute, curling a right-footed shot into the upper-right portion of the cage, past the diving Zach Nelson. The match went to the half with Vermont leading 1-0, then expanded to 2-0 after Nagy's goal in the 66th minute.

Seven different players registered a shot for the Maroon & Gold, but none made their way past Vermont's Nate Silveira. The Gaels were limited to just one corner kick opportunity in both halves and only five of the team's nine shots were on goal.

NOTABLE NUGGETS

• Camil Azzam Ruiz and Alessio Hernandez both finished with two shots apiece, the team-high for the Gaels..
• A pair of freshmen, Ricardo Senen Pinillos and Tim Timchenko, made the first starts of their collegiate career.
• Noah Holczinger, Zach Nelson, Andre Shelton, Jose Silva and Inigo Zaballa also made their Maroon & Gold debuts.
• Nelson made four stops in net, playing all 90 minutes.

UP NEXT

Iona hits the road for the first time this season, heading to the state of Maryland where they will face Navy (September 3, 4:00 p.m.) and UMBC (September 5, 7:00 p.m.), before returning to Mazzella Field to host Holy Cross on September 11 at 1:00 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA

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