NEW ROCHELLE – After four Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference wins at home last weekend, the Iona women's water polo team dropped two away-and-home matches to nationally ranked opponents as the Gaels fell 9-5 to no. 25 Marist College on the road this morning and 17-6 to #15 Wagner College this evening at Hynes Pool.

#25 Marist 9  Iona 5

After scoring the match's first goal, Iona managed only one more score in the first half for a 9-5 conference road loss this morning to Marist College in Poughkeepsie. Graduate student Laura Rockett, graduate student Jordan van Reeken, senior Sydney Brightenburg, senior Maeve Ellen Wydan and sophomore Kaya Hart each scored one goal each. The Maroon and Gold scored five goals on 26 shots with three assists, two by van Reeken.

In goal, freshman Mary Jane Bailey made eight saves on 20 Marist shots with nine goals against and four steals. On defense, Iona made 11 steals with three by van Reeken. Iona drew eight Marist kickouts with three by van Reeken, including one five-meter penalty shot, while being ejected six times. The Gaels turned the ball over 15 times. Iona scored two goals on eight man-up chances, while Marist scored one goal on six man-up opportunities.

Rockett needed only 33 seconds into the match to put the Gaels on the board first for a 1-0 lead. The Red Foxes answered with 3:58 to go for a one-all tie. In the closing 2:11, the hosts tacked on two straight scores for a 3-1 edge going into the second period.

With 1:19 gone in the second quarter, Marist continued a 4-0 run on a five-meter penalty goal for a 4-1 advantage. Two more unanswered Marist goals, including another five-meter penalty score, put the Red Foxes up 6-1 with 2:52 remaining. Fifty-one ticks later, Brightenburg ended the Gaels offensive drought to pull Iona back within four 6-2 at intermission. In the first half, Iona scored two goals on 13 shots.

Neither squad scored until Wydan buried a five-meter penalty shot drawn by Van Reeken as the Gaels trimmed the Red Foxes edge back to three 6-3 with 4:42 left in the third period. Marist answered with a man-up goal for a four-goal cushion 7-4 at the 1:43 mark. 

Two consecutive Marist goals, including a five-meter penalty score, continued a 3-0 Red Foxes run for a six-goal 9-3 home advantage with 43 seconds gone in the final period. Van Reeken got Iona back within five 9-4 at the 4:35 mark. Hart found the back of the net with 1:39 to go, but the Gaels rally fell short.

#15 Wagner 17 Iona 6

Trailing by only goals at the end of the first period, the Gaels scored only three more goals in a 17-6 loss to Wagner in a home night cap. van Reeken, Brightenburg, senior Malia Naugle, senior Karsyn Stewart, junior Mia Tovar and sophomore Amelia Gonzalez scored one goal each for the Gaels. Iona scored six goals on 32 shots and made four assists with two from van Reeken.

In goal, Bailey made five saves on 15 Wagner shots with eight goals against in the first and third quarters. Sophomore Lilly Morris made five saves on 15 Wagner with nine goals against in the second and fourth quarters. On defense, Iona made nine steals with two each by van Reeken and Wydan. Iona drew six Wagner kickouts, while being ejected nine times. The Gaels turned the ball over 13 times. Iona scored one goal on five man-up chances, while Wagner scored five goals on nine man-up opportunities.

After two straight Wagner scores in the opening 2:12 of the match, van Reeken put Iona on the board to trim the visitors lead to one 2-1 with 5:01 remaining. Following a Seahawks goal, Tovar pulled the Gaels back within one, but Wagner answered twice for a three-goal edge with 18 ticks left. On a goalie steal, Stewart beat the buzzer to chop the Seahawks margin back to two 5-3 going into the second period.

The Seahawks opened the second quarter with two unanswered goals for a 7-3 edge with 4:06 to go. Brightenburg's goal 29 seconds later got Iona back within three 7-4, then three more Wagner goals gave the Seahawks a 10-4 halftime advantage. Wagner continued a 5-0 run with two more scores for a 12-4 lead with 5:32 left in the third quarter. 

The visitors tacked on another score with 1:51 on the clock for a 13-4 edge going into the final period as the Gaels failed to score in the third period. With 53 seconds gone in the final period, Naugle's goal trimmed the Seahawks lead to eight 13-5. Following two more Seahawks goals, Gonzalez found the back of the net with 2:55 remaining, but Wagner responded with two more scores in the closing 2:27 to seal the win.

COACH THOUGHTS

While disappointed with the losses against two of the MAAC's top teams, Iona head coach Brian Kelly did see some positives in the pool.

"Our goal tending and our center defense were excellent today," Kelley said.  "Both our goalies and center defenders deserved a better fate. We have to learn to play better perimeter defense."

UP NEXT

The Gaels host no.23 Long Island University tomorrow at 9 a.m. at Hynes Pool.

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