NEW ROCHELLE – The Iona women's water polo team celebrated its Senior Day today with two convincing Metro Atlantic Conference wins over Saint Francis (Brooklyn) and the Virginia Military Institute at Hynes Pool for a four-victory conference home stand this weekend.

Iona 18 St. Francis (Brooklyn) 9

Leading the entire match, Iona recorded its fourth MAAC win this morning with a 18-9 victory over St. Francis. Graduate student Jordan van Reeken led the Maroon & Gold with five goals on eight shots, while freshman Kaya Hart scored four goals in five shots. Senior Maeve Ellen Wydan had three scores, while freshman Nikki Salerno scored twice. Graduate student Danielle Hernandez, senior Karsyn Stewart, junior Mia Tovar and freshman Addison Collins had one goal each. The Gaels scored 18 goals on 32 shots and made 14 assists with five from van Reeken.

In goal, freshman Mary Jane Bailey made nine saves on 17 St. Francis shots with six goals against and two steals in the first and third quarters. Sophomore Lilly Morris made 12 saves on 17 St. Francis shots with three goals against and one steal in the second and fourth quarters. On defense, Iona made 18 steals with three by Hernandez. Iona drew 11 kickouts with four from van Reeken, including three five-meter penalty shots, while being ejected 10 times.  Senior Malia Naugle was disqualified with three ejections. The Gaels turned the ball over ten times. Iona scored eight goals on 11 man-up chances, while St. Francis scored three goals on ten man-up opportunities.

With 2:33 gone in the opening period, Hart got Iona on the board first for a 1-0 edge. After drawing a five-meter penalty, van Reeken buried the free shot for a 2-0 advantage with 4:30 remaining. The Terriers answered on their next possession to trim the home lead back to one 2-1 just 23 ticks later. van Reeken's two straight goals, including another five-meter penalty score, put the Gaels up three 4-1 with 2:11 left. After St. Francis scored, Stewart answered with 18 ticks left for a 5-3 Iona lead going into the second period.

Wydan needed only 20 seconds into the second period to put the Gaels up four 6-2. That sparked a 3-0 Gaels run with goals from Salerno and Hart for a six-goal 8-2 Iona advantage with 5:11 remaining. St. Francis got back within five 8-3 on its next chance, then Hart's third score restored the home six-goal 9-3 cushion with 3:32 on the clock. With 35 ticks left, van Reeken's fourth goal on another five-meter penalty shot, built a seven-goal 10-3 halftime Iona lead. 

Wydan's second goal only 30 seconds into the third period resulted in an eight-goal 11-3 Gaels margin. Iona went up nine 12-3 on Hart's fourth score with 6:40 to go. Following a Terriers goal, Salerno's second score maintained a nine-goal 13-4 Gaels advantage at the 2:14 mark. Three straight St. Francis' goals on consecutive possessions in the closing 1:57 sliced the home advantage back to six 13-7 going into the final period.

Just 33 seconds into the final period, van Reeken found the back of the net for her fifth goal to put the Gaels back up seven 14-7, but the visitors answered on their next trip down the pool to pull back within six 14-6. Hernandez's man-up score put Iona back seven 15-8, then the visitors also capitalized a 6-5 advantage to trim the home lead back to six 15-9 with 3:52 left. Wydan's third score 47 seconds later upped the Gaels edge back to seven 16-6. That ignited a game-ending 3-0 Iona run with goals by Tovar and Collins sealed the win.

Iona 20 VMI 9

Following the team's Senior Day celebration, two graduate students and two seniors accounted for a 7-1 first-quarter lead, as the Gaels cruised to a 20-9 win over VMI in this afternoon's match. Graduate student Laura Rockett led Iona with five goals on seven shots, while van Reeken had four goals on six shots. Wydan added three goals, and senior Sydney Brightenburg had two. Hernandez, Hernandez, junior Mia Tovar, Morris, Hart and Salerno each scored one goal. The Gaels scored 20 goals on 33 shots with 12 assists, including four by Tovar.

In goal, Bailey made seven saves on 15 VMI shots with seven goals against and two steals in the first and third quarters.  Morris made eleven saves on 14 VMI shots with two goals against and scored one goal in the second and fourth quarters. On defense, Iona made 17 steals with five from Rockett and blocked one shot. Iona drew seven kickouts, while being ejected 12 times. The Gaels turned the ball over nine times. Iona scored three goals on seven man-up chances, while VMI scored four goals on 12 man-up opportunities.

Beginning with Wydan's goal with 26 seconds gone in the match, the Gaels came out of the gate with a 5-0 run with two goals each from van Reeken and Rockett for a 5-0 advantage with 2:25 left in the opening period. After the Keydets got on the board, Stewart and Rockett upped the Gaels edge to six 7-1 going into the second period.Hernandez needed only 22 seconds to increase the home cushion to seven 8-1, then VMI answered on its next possession to trim the Gaels lead back to six 8-2 with 7:21 on the clock.  

 Wydan recorded her second score on Iona's next possession, but VMI answered again as Iona led by six 9-3 with 6:38 left.  Scores from Hart and van Reeken gave the Gaels an eight-goal edge 11-3 at the 4:31 mark. Following a Keydet goal, van Reeken put the Gaels back up eight 12-4 with 2:29 to go. With five ticks left, VMI added a man-up goal to slice the Iona lead back to seven 12-5 at halftime.

In the opening 1:55 of the third period, Rockett found the back of the net two more times to put Iona up nine 14-5.   Wydan's third score continued a 3-0 period-opening run for a ten-goal 15-5 home lead with 4:47 remaining.  Following two unanswered Keydets scores, Tovar upped the Gaels advantage back to ten 16-6, then Morris' pool-length score with two ticks left resulted in a 17-6 lead going into the final period.

VMI scored with 41 seconds gone in the fourth, then two minutes later, Brightenburg answered as Iona led 17-7 with 5:19 left in regulation. After the Keydets scored a five-meter penalty goal, Brightenburg struck again for a 19-8 home edge with 3:36 left. With 1:30 left, Salerno scored the Gaels 20th goal, the squad's largest offensive production this season.

COACH THOUGHTS

Pleased that his squad could get beyond last weekend's road trip, which resulted in one win and two one-point losses, Iona head coach Brian Kelly stressed that the four-win weekend would elevate the team in the conference standings.

"It's good to play your best water polo at home," Kelly said. "We were able to put last weekend behind us and put ourselves in the thick of things in the MAAC standings."

UP NEXT

Next Saturday, the Gaels travel to Marist College for a 10 a.m. match, then return home to take on MAAC-leading Wagner College at 8 p.m. On Sunday, the Gaels host Long Island University at 9 a.m.

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