POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – After two convincing wins over Salem International University and Mercyhurst University, the Iona women's water polo team fell 14-11 in a second-half letdown to La Salle University at the Courtney Fisher Invite hosted here today by Marist College.

Iona 12 Salem 9

After giving up two straight goals in the opening 1:15, Iona mounted a 5-0 second-quarter rally with eight Gaels finding the back of the net to earn a 12-9 win over Salem in today's opening game. Graduate student Jordan van Reeken, senior Maeve Ellen Wydan, senior Malia Naugle and junior Mia Tovar all scored two goals for the Gaels. Graduate student Danielle Hernandez, graduate student Laura Rockett, sophomore Kaya Hart, sophomore Amelia Gonzalez had one score apiece. Iona scored 12 goals on 28 shots and made four assists with two from Hernandez.

In goal, freshman Mary Jane Bailey made eight saves on 24 Salem shots with nine goals against, one steal and one assist. On defense, Iona made nine steals.  Iona drew nine kickouts, including two five-meter penalty shots, while being ejected five times. The Gaels turned the ball over eight times. Iona did not score on nine man-up chances, while Salem did not score on five man-up opportunities.

Salem opened the match with two straight goals for a 2-0 edge with 1:15 gone. But van Reeken and Naugle answered on the Gaels next two possessions to knot the score at two with 5:43 left in the opening period. Two more Tigers scores put Salem back up two 4-2 with 3:43 left.  Just 22 seconds later, Rockett got Iona back within one 4-4, but Salem's man-up goal restored the Tigers two-goal cushion 5-3 on their next chance. With 1:04 on the clock, Wydan trimmed the Salem edge to one 5-4 going into the second period.

After van Reeken missed a five-meter penalty shot with 6:18 remaining, Hart tied the game at five at the 3:33 mark.   On the Gaels next trip down the pool, Tovar's first goal gave the Gaels their first lead 6-5 only 1:01 later. Gonzalez continued a 5-0 Iona run for a 7-5 Gaels edge, followed by Tovar's second score in the quarter at the buzzer for an 8-5 Iona halftime lead.  Salem did not score in the second period.

Neither squad scored in the third period until a Salem goal cut the Iona lead back to two 8-6 with 4:46 left. Just 25 ticks later, van Reeken's second goal reinstated the Gaels' two-score edge 9-6.  With 2:10 remaining, a Tigers counter score cut the Gaels lead back to two 9-7. With 40 seconds left, Wydan converted a five-meter penalty shot to give Iona a three-goal 10-7 advantage going into the final period. After Salem opened the fourth quarter with two unanswered goals to get within one 10-9, two straight Iona scores by Naugle and Hernandez put the Gaels back up three 12-9 with 4:24 remaining to seal the win.

Iona 19 Mercyhurst 7

Taking a 5-0 lead in the first period, the Gaels recorded their sixth season win with a 19-7 victory over Mercyhurst in today's second match. Van Reeken led the Gaels with five goals on five shots, while Hernandez added three scores on five shots. Rockett and freshman Addison Collins had two goals each. Wydan, senior Sydney Brightenburg, Tovar, Gonzalez, sophomore Jori Aventurado, Hart and freshman Nikki Salerno scored one goal apiece. Iona scored 19 goals on 37 shots and made twelve assists with two by Hart.

In goal, freshman Mary Jane Bailey made six saves on 17 Mercyhurst shots with six goals against, one steal and one assist. Late in the fourth quarter, sophomore Lilly Morris had one save on two Mercyhurst shots, one goal against and one steal. On defense, Iona made 21 steals with three each from van Reeken, Tovar and Hernandez. Iona drew ten kickouts, while being ejected seven times, including one five-meter ejection. The Gaels turned the ball over three times. Iona scored on four of ten man-up chances, while Mercyhurst scored on two of seven man-up opportunities.

After Wydan put Iona on the board with 24 seconds gone in the match, the Gaels took off on a 5-0 run on two goals from van Reeken and one each from Hart and Brightenburg to a 5-0 lead with 3:16 remaining in the opening quarter. The Lakers scored with 1:15 left to trim the Gaels lead to four 5-1 going into the second quarter. With 1:25 gone in the second period, Salerno restored Iona's five-goal edge 6-1, but Mercyhurst answered on its next chance to pull with four 6-2. After Van Reeken's third goal upped the Gaels cushion to five 7-2, the Lakers scored with 4:12 left to get back within four 7-3. Two unanswered goals from Tovar and van Reeken in the closing 1:07 gave Iona a 9-3 halftime lead.

Rockett increased the Gaels margin to seven 10-3 with 51 ticks gone in the third period. Hernandez and van Reeken continued a 5-0 Iona run for a 11-3 advantage with 3:49 to go. Twenty seconds later, the Lakers trimmed the Gaels lead back to eight 12-4. Gonzalez's goal at the buzzer put Iona up by nine 13-4 going into the final period.

Hernandez needed only 58 seconds in the fourth period to increase the Iona edge to ten 14-4, but Mercyhurst answered to cut the Gaels edge to nine 14-5 with 6:31 left. Four straight scores from Rockett, Hernandez, Aventurado and Collins gave Iona a 13-point 18-5 lead, its largest of the match. After a Mercyhurst goal, Salerno hit her second score, followed by a Lakers goal with 22 ticks left. 

LaSalle 14 Iona 11

After leading 6-3 at the end of the first period and down one at halftime, Iona was outscored 7-3 in the second half which resulted in a 14-11 non-conference loss in the nightcap. Iona scored 11 goals on 25 shots and made five assists with two by Hernandez. In goal, freshman Mary Jane Bailey made eight saves on 27 LaSalle shots with 14 goals against. 

On defense, Iona made nine steals with three by Hernandez. Iona drew 12 kickouts with three each from Rockett and Hernandez, including three five-meter penalties, while being ejected twice, including one five-meter ejection. The Gaels turned the ball over 13 times. Iona scored on four of 11 man-up chances, while La Salle scored on one of two man-up opportunities.

With 23 seconds gone in the match, LaSalle got on the board first, but van Reeken answered to tie the game at just 27 ticks later. Van Reeken's second score on consecutive Gaels possession put Iona up one 2-1 with 6:32 left in the opening period. Wydan gave Iona a two-goal edge 3-1 just 56 seconds later, but a LaSalle goal on the Explorers next chance trimmed the Gael advantage back to one 3-2.  Van Reeken's third score put Iona back up two 4-2 with 4:32 remaining.   

After LaSalle scored, Wydan's second goal restored a two-goal 5-3 Gaels edge with 1:26 on the clock. With 12 seconds left in the period, Iona head coach Brian Kelly called time out, then Hernandez buried the ball in the net at the buzzer for a three-score Iona lead 6-3. After a see-saw first quarter, the Explorers outscored the Gaels 4-2 in the second period.  Wydan opened the quarter with a five-meter penalty goal with 36 seconds gone as Iona went up four 7-3. An Explorers five-meter penalty score ended a 3-0 Gaels run with 4:21 to go as LaSalle got back within three 7-4. Another unanswered LaSalle score cut the Iona edge to two 7-5 with 2:04 on the clock. Tovar's goal with 1:35 to go restored a three-score 8-5 edge, but two straight Explorers goals in the closing 1:18 chopped the Gaels lead to one 8-7 at halftime.

A LaSalle lob tied the game at eight with 1:47 gone in the third period. The Gaels regained the lead 9-8 when van Reeken scored her fourth goal on a man-up chance with 4:13 left. With 1:56 remaining, the Explorers knotted the score for the third time at nine apiece, then regained the lead 10-9 just 38 ticks later. LaSalle continued its 3-0 run with 41 seconds remaining for a two-goal 11-9 edge going into the final period.

Neither squad scored in the final period until LaSalle's fourth straight goal gave the Explorer a three-score edge with 4:28 on the clock. Sixteen ticks later, van Reeken's fifth goal on a five-meter penalty shot pulled Iona back within two 12-10, but LaSalle answered on its next trip down the pool to go back up three 13-10 with 3:50 left. With 1:57 on the clock, Van Reeken buried another five-meter penalty shot for her sixth score to cut the Explorers lead to two 13-11, but LaSalle answered on its next possession to seal the win.

COACH THOUGHTS

Although pleased with two non-conference wins, Kelly was concerned with his squad not being able to "close games out" in this evening's disappointing loss to LaSalle, a conference opponent.

"We've had some tough games where we've stopped converting offensively in the fourth quarter," Kelly said. "To be where we want to be at the end of the season, we have to be much better at closing games out."

UP NEXT

The Gaels travel to Ann Arbor, MI, next weekend for the Wolverine Invitational to face host University of Michigan, Salem University and Bucknell University.

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