ANNAPOLIS, MD After earning its first 2022 season win over Bucknell University by forfeit, the Iona University men's water polo team notched another victory with a 14-13 last-second win over California Lutheran University today at the 2022 Navy Open hosted by the United States Naval Academy.

Iona 5  Bucknell 0 

With the match tied at three with 6:24 remaining in the second period, Iona won by forfeit as both Bucknell coaches were disqualified. Senior Lester Machado and sophomore Luka Nastic both scored one goal for the Gaels. The Gaels made three goals on 11 shots with three assists.

In goal, junior Diego Gomez had three saves on eight Bison shots, had three goals against. On defense, the Gaels had no steals and blocked one shot. Iona drew seven Bucknell kickouts with two each by sophomore Luksa Vlasic, while being ejected three times. Iona scored two goals on seven man-up chances, while Bucknell did not score on three man-up opportunities. The Gaels turned the ball over once.

With 2:28 gone in the match, Bucknell struck first for a 1-0 lead, then Machado tied the match at one with 4;26 left in the opening period. Two straight Bison goals put Bucknell up two 3-1 at the 2:44 mark. Nastic capitalized on a 6-5 chance to pull Iona within one 3-2, then struck again to knot the game at three all with 1:34 remaining.
At 6:24 mark of the second period, Bucknell forfeited the match when both Bison coaches were disqualified.

Iona 14  California Lutheran 13

After going up by three goals halfway through the second quarter, Iona allowed five straight scores in the fourth quarter, but pulled out a 14-13 last-second win over California Lutheran on a buzzer-beating half-tank backhand goal by senior Mohamed Refaat.

Vlasic led the Gaels with four goals, while senior Lester Machado and junior co-captain Andrew Miller had three scores each. Refaat scored two goals, including the buzzer-beating game-winner, and junior James DiSalle and sophomore Luka Nastic added one goal each. The Gaels made 14 goals on 27 shots with 11 assists, including two each from Refaat and Vlasic.

In goal, junior Diego Gomez had 15 saves on 27 Kingsmen shots, including stopping a five-meter penalty shot, and had two steals, one assist and 13 goals against. On defense, the Gaels had 12 steals with three by Miller and blocked five shots with three by Miller. Iona drew seven California Lutheran kickouts with three by Vlasic, while being ejected six times. Senior co-captain Justin Ginsberg was disqualified with three ejections. Iona scored three goals on seven man-up chances, while California Lutheran scored four goals on seven man-up opportunities. The Gaels turned the ball over 14 times.

In the opening 2:35, two straight goals from Vlasic gave the Gaels a 2-0 lead, but the Kingsmen trimmed that lead to one with 5:04 remaining. Two consecutive scores by Miller, including a 6-5 chance, put Iona back up by three 4-1 at the 2:52 mark. With 20 ticks left, California Lutheran sliced the Iona edge back to two 4-2 going into the second period.

Neither squad scored in the second quarter until 5:09 when the Kingsmen got within one 4-3. On the Gaels next trip down the pool, Vlasic's third goal put Iona back up two 5-3. With 3:21 remaining, DiSalle found the back of the net for a three-goal 6-3 Iona edge. California Lutheran answered with two straight scores in the next 58 seconds to get back within one 6-5 at halftime.

With 5:17 gone in the third period, Vlasic's fourth score put the Gaels back up two 7-5. Despite Gomez blocking a five-meter penalty shot, California Lutheran managed two straight goals to knot the match at seven each with 3:43 remaining. Machado restored the Gaels one-goal cushion 8-7 on Iona's next trip down the pool, but the Kingsmen retied the match at eight just 27 seconds later. With Nastic's goal on the Iona's next chance, Iona took back a one-goal lead 9-8, but a Californian Lutheran's goal resulted in the match's third tie at nine each with 43 ticks left.

Just 51 seconds into the final period, California Lutheran took the lead 10-9, then continued a 5-0 run for a four-goal 13-9 advantage with 4:15 on the clock. Machado's five-meter penalty shot ended the Kingsmen rally to get the Gaels back within three 13-10 with 4:03 left. With two straight goals from Machado and Miller, Iona mounted its own 4-0 run to chop the California Lutheran margin to one 13-12, then tied the match at 13 on Refaat's score with 1:08 left in regulation. At the buzzer, Refaat's half-tank backhander was inadvertently tipped into the net by a Kingsmen defender for the Gaels second win on the season.

COACH THOUGHTS

Pleased with his young squad's performance, Iona head coach Brian Kelly considered the weekend a learning experience and anticipates a "great season."

"It was a good opening weekend," Kelly said. "We had a chance to win three games which would have made it an excellent opening weekend. We learned a lot in every game, especially against the national champion California Golden Bears. We have a very exciting young team. It's going to be a great season."

UP NEXT

Next weekend the Gaels travel to Princeton University for the 2022 Princeton Invitational. On Saturday, Iona takes on Wagner College at 9:15 a.m., and Navy at 3:30 p.m. On Sunday, the Gaels face Santa Clara University at 10:30 a.m., and George Washington University at 3:30 p.m.

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