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Iona University Athletics

Bailey

Women's Water Polo Garrett Murray - Assistant Director of Athletic Communications

Iona Water Polo Falls To #23 LIU, 10-7

Box Score
NEW ROCHELLE - Down just one goal at halftime, the Iona women's water polo team nearly pulled an upset of no. 23-ranked Long Island University, but couldn't rally in the second half, and fell 10-7 in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match at Hynes Pool this morning.

GAME SUMMARY

Graduate student Laura Rockett and sophomore Kaya Hart led the Maroon and Gold (14-11, 5-6 MAAC) with two goals apiece. Graduate student Jordan van Reeken, junior Mia Tovar and sophomore Amelia Gonzalez scored one goal each. Iona had seven goals on 29 shots with seven assists from van Reeken and senior Maeve Ellen Wydan.

In goal, freshman Mary Jane Bailey made four saves on 12 Long Island shots with four goals against.  Sophomore Lilly Morris made seven saves on 13 Long Island shots and six goals against and two steals. On defense, Iona made 11 steals with three by graduate student Danielle Hernandez and one blocked shot by Gonzalez. Iona drew 12 LIU kickouts with six by Rockett and three by van Reeken, while being ejected eleven times. The Gaels turned the ball over 17 times. Iona scored four goals on 12 man-up chances, while LIU scored five goals on 10 man-up opportunities.

With 3:43 gone in the opening period, LIU got on the board first, then van Reeken tied the game at one each with 3:33 remaining. On their next possession, the Sharks went back up one, and tacked on another score for a two-goal advantage 2-1 at the two-minute mark. Continuing a 3-0 run, the visitors scored with 54 ticks on the clock for a 4-1 advantage going into the second period.

In the second period, the Gaels outscored the Sharks 3-1. Rockett needed only a minute to slice the Sharks lead back to two 4-2. After a Gaels timeout, Gonzalez's goal got Iona within one 4-3 with 2:53 left. On a 3-0 Iona run, Rockett's second goal knotted the match at four apiece with 1:05 on the clock, but the Sharks went back up one with eight ticks left for a 5-4 halftime edge.

After 2:53 was gone in the third period, LIU upped its lead back to two 6-4. A third straight Sharks goal gave the visitors a three-score edge at the 3:25 mark. With 23 seconds remaining, Tovar found the back of the net to chop the LIU lead back to two 7-5 going into the final period.

Twenty seconds into the fourth quarter, a Sharks goal restored LIU's three-goal cushion 8-5. Hart capitalized on a man-up chance to cut the visitors edge to two 8-6 with 4:27 left. With a 6-on-5 LIU score with two minutes to go, the Sharks regained a three-score edge 9-6. Seventeen ticks later, Hart sliced the Sharks lead back to two 9-7, but LIU answered on its next possession to seal the win.

COACH THOUGHTS

While praising his squad's defensive effort, Iona head coach Brian Kelly was disappointed in the lack of offense to pull off the upset.

"It's unfortunate that we wasted another great defensive effort," Kelly said. "We have some individuals who are playing at a very high level defensively, specifically Malia Naugle, Laura Rockett and Jordan van Reeken. We're not doing enough of the little things on offense to win."

UP NEXT

On Saturday, the Gaels travel to Philadelphia to take on Villanova University at 1 p.m., and La Salle University at 8 p.m. On Sunday, Iona takes to the road again to Staten Island for a 1 p.m. match against Wagner College. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to follow Iona College athletics on all social media platforms:
ICGaels: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
Iona Water Polo: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)
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Players Mentioned

Amelia Gonzalez

#17 Amelia Gonzalez

DR
5' 4"
Sophomore
Kaya Hart

#24 Kaya Hart

UT
5' 9"
Sophomore
Danielle Hernandez

#12 Danielle Hernandez

UT
5' 9"
Graduate Student
Lilly Morris

#16 Lilly Morris

DR
6' 1"
Sophomore
Malia Naugle

#8 Malia Naugle

DR
5' 7"
Senior
Laura Rockett

#7 Laura Rockett

DR
5' 11"
Graduate Student
Mia Tovar

#4 Mia Tovar

DR
5' 6"
Junior
Jordan van Reeken

#2 Jordan van Reeken

UT
5' 9"
Graduate Student
Maeve Ellen Wydan

#14 Maeve Ellen Wydan

UT
5' 10"
Senior
Mary Jane Bailey

#1A Mary Jane Bailey

GK
5' 9"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Amelia Gonzalez

#17 Amelia Gonzalez

5' 4"
Sophomore
DR
Kaya Hart

#24 Kaya Hart

5' 9"
Sophomore
UT
Danielle Hernandez

#12 Danielle Hernandez

5' 9"
Graduate Student
UT
Lilly Morris

#16 Lilly Morris

6' 1"
Sophomore
DR
Malia Naugle

#8 Malia Naugle

5' 7"
Senior
DR
Laura Rockett

#7 Laura Rockett

5' 11"
Graduate Student
DR
Mia Tovar

#4 Mia Tovar

5' 6"
Junior
DR
Jordan van Reeken

#2 Jordan van Reeken

5' 9"
Graduate Student
UT
Maeve Ellen Wydan

#14 Maeve Ellen Wydan

5' 10"
Senior
UT
Mary Jane Bailey

#1A Mary Jane Bailey

5' 9"
Freshman
GK