NEW ROCHELLE –  After opening its 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference campaign on the road last weekend with a win and two one-point losses, the Iona women's water polo team started its four-game home stand with two wins – a 15-13 upset of nationally ranked Marist College and a come-from-behind 13-8 victory against Siena College - today at Hynes Pool.

Iona 15 #24 Marist 13

Marking its first win over MAAC rival Marist since March 29, 2014, Iona upset the 24th-ranked Red Foxes 15-13 this morning in a seesaw match featuring six ties and three lead changes. Graduate student Laura Rockett and freshman Kaya Hart led the Maroon and Gold with three goals each. Graduate student Jordan Van Reeken, senior Karsyn Stewart, Maeve Ellen Wydan, and sophomore Amelia Gonzalez each scored twice, while senior Sydney Brightenburg scored once. The Gaels scored 15 goals on 35 shots and made 11 assists with three by van Reeken and Wydan.

In goal, freshman Mary Jane Bailey made six saves on 14 Marist shots with eight goals against and two steals in the first and third quarters. Sophomore Lilly Morris made seven saves on 12 Marist shots with five goals against in the second and fourth quarters, picking up her first win of the season. On defense, Iona made 19 steals with four by van Reeken and Hart. Iona drew eight kickouts, including one five-meter penalty, while being ejected seven times. The Gaels turned the ball over nine times. Iona scored six goals on ten man-up chances, while Marist scored five goals on five man-up opportunities.

With a minute gone in the match, Marist got on the board first, but van Reeken answered with 5:26 left in the first period to tie the score at one goal each. Two straight Red Foxes goals gave the visitors a 3-2 edge with 3:47 remaining.  Hart's goal with 2:07 on the clock trimmed the Marist edge back to one 3-3, then the Red Foxes answered to go back up two 4-2 with 1:29 left. Twenty-four seconds later, Rockett scored to pull the home squad back within one 4-3 going into the second period. A Marist five-meter penalty goal with 1:33 gone in the second quarter restored the Red Foxes advantage to two 5-3.  Neither team scored until Gonzalez's goal with 2:12 left got the Gaels back within one 5-4. Another Marist five meter-penalty score with 43 ticks left gave Marist a 6-4 halftime edge.

Just 39 seconds into the third quarter, Wydan sliced the Marist lead back to one 6-5. With 4:21 left, Hart's second score re-tied the match at six each. Continuing a 3-0 Iona run, Rockett put the Gaels up one 7-6 only 36 seconds later. On their next possession, the Red Foxes knotted the match for the third time at seven apiece. Back down the other end of the pool, Gonzalez's second score put Iona back up one 8-7 at the 2:51 mark. With 1:26 left, Steward gave the Gaels a two-goal edge 9-7, but three unanswered Red Foxes goals in the closing 1:06 put Marist back up one going into the fourth period.

Hart opened the fourth quarter with her third goal to tie the score at 10 each. After van Reeken drew a five-meter penalty, Wydan found the back of the net as the Gaels regained the lead 11-10 with 1:06 gone. After Marist re-tied the game at 11, two straight Iona scores from Rockett and Brightenburg built a two-goal home lead with 4:34 on the clock. Stewart's lob sustained a 3-0 Gael rally as Iona led by three 14-11 with 2:01 remaining in regulation. Although two straight Marist goals in the closing 50 seconds sliced Iona's advantage to one 14-13 with 14 ticks left, Iona held on for the upset win sealed by van Reeken's 14-meter lob goal at the buzzer. 

Iona 13 Siena 8

After trailing 2-1 at the end of the opening period, Iona outscored Siena 5-2 in the second quarter, then never lost that lead to record its third MAAC win of the season with a 13-8 victory over the Saints this afternoon. Van Reeken and junior Mia Tovar led the Gaels with three goals each, while Gonzalez and Stewart added two scores each.  Rockett, Wydan and Hart had one goal apiece. Iona scored 13 goals on 34 shots and made 12 assists with three from van Reeken and Wydan.

In goal, Bailey made six saves on 15 Siena shots with five goals against and one steal in the first and third quarters.  Morris made 11 saves on 16 Siena shots with three goals against and one assist in the second and fourth quarters. On defense, Iona made 14 steals with seven by van Reeken and blocked four shots. Iona drew ten kick outs with five by van Reeken while being ejected six times. The Gaels turned the ball over five times. Iona scored five goals on ten man-up chances, while the Saints scored one goal on six man-up opportunities.

Siena needed only 53 seconds to get on the board first for a 1-0 lead. Hart finally ended the Gaels offensive drought with her fifth goal of the day to tie the game at one each with 2:09 left in the first period. A last-second Saints goalie goal put the visitors back on top 2-1 going into the second period.

Tovar re-tied the score at two just 47 seconds into the second period. The Gaels took the lead 2-1 when Wydan capitalized on a man-up chance with 3:29 remaining. Iona mounted a 4-0 run with two more straight scores from Gonzalez and Rockett on a man-up opportunity to lead 5-2 at the 2:16 mark.  After Siena answered 58 seconds later, Stewart restored Iona's three-goal margin 6-3 with 42 ticks remaining. A Saints goal with 17 seconds on the clock trimmed the Gaels lead back to two 6-4 at intermission.

Tovar struck again on a man-up goal to put the Gaels back up three 7-4 with 4:48 left in the third period.  van Reeken found the back of the net for a four-goal home edge with 3:46 on the clock. With three consecutive goals on straight possessions, the Saints cut the Gaels lead to one 8-7 with 44 seconds remaining. Eighteen seconds later, Gonzalez's second goal upped the home lead back to two 9-7 going into the fourth period. With 1:40 gone in the fourth quarter, Siena sliced Iona's lead to one 9-8, but two van Reeken goals and Tovar's third resulted in a three-goal advantage 12-8 with 5:10 to go.  Continuing a 4-0 run, Stewart sealed the 13-8 win with 2:11 left.
 

COACH THOUGHTS

Iona head coach Brian Kelly was pleased with his squad's performance after last week's road trip, especially with his goalies and van Reeken. "The team fought hard and turned things around from last weekend," Kelly said. 

"We had excellent goaltending between M.J. Bailey and Lilly Morris. Jordan van Reeken was the best player in the pool for us today.  She had five goals, five assists, seven exclusions drawn and 11 steals in two games.  That's a great day."

UP NEXT

The Gaels received one vote in the March 23rd Collegiate Water Polo Association varsity poll. On Sunday, Iona continues its four-game conference home stand with matches against St. Francis College (Brooklyn) at 10 a.m., and Virginia Military Institute at 3 p.m., with the team's Senior Day celebration prior to the second game. 

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