PROVIDENCE, RI -   After cruising to a 19-10 win over Salem University (Salem, WV) this morning, the Iona men's water polo team fell 10-6 in a close match to George Washington University (Washington, DC) this afternoon in the first day of the 2023 Harvard Invite today at Brown University's Coleman Aquatic Center.

Iona 19 Salem 10

After one tie early in the first period, Iona led the entire contest with a nine-goal lead late in the game for a 19-10 non-conference win over Salem. Senior tri-captain Andrew Miller led the Maroon and Gold (8-10 overall, 3-3 NEWPC) with seven goals on 12 shots, while junior tri-captain Luksa Vlasic had four goals on six shots. Senior tri-captain Trippe Bauman, senior James DiSalle and freshman Jayden Arana had two goals each. Junior Luka Nastic and sophomore Rastko Jevdjovic added one goal apiece. The Gaels scored 19 goals on 35 shots on 12 assists with three by Bauman.  

In goal, sophomore Aleksandar Slavkovic had nine saves on 29 Tigers shots, made four steals and had ten goals against. DiSalle blocked one Salem shot. Iona drew 13 Salem kickouts with three each by Miller and Vlasic, including one five-meter penalty, while being ejected nine times, including two five-meter penalties. Senior Jack Folan fouled out. The Gaels turned the ball over four times. Iona scored on five of 13 man-up chances, while Salem scored two on ten man-up chances.

With 2:12 gone in the match, Miller got Iona on the board for a 1-0 edge. Salem answered with 4:31 left in the opening period to tie the game at one. Vlasic's first score sparked a 3-0 run with goals from Jevdjovic and Bauman for a 4-1 Gaels advantage at the 2:34 mark. After Miller's second score gave Iona a four-goal 5-1 advantage, a Salem five-meter penalty shot cut the Gaels edge back to three 5-2 with 1:30 left.

Another Salem five-meter penalty score pulled the Tigers within two 5-3, but Miller's third goal put Iona back up three 6-3 with 1:34 gone in the second period. Following another Tigers score, Miller found the back of the net for the fourth time to a three-score 7-4 Gaels advantage with 4:48 left.  On Iona's next possession, DiSalle put the Gaels back up four 8-4 at the 3:56 mark. Three straight Iona goals by Vlasic, Nastic and Miller continued a 5-0 Gaels lead for a 11-4 edge with 1:31 left. The Tigers responded with their own 2-0 streak to slice the Gaels lead back to five 11-6 at intermission.

Just 1:08 into the third period, Salem continued a 3-0 run to get within four 11-7. Two unanswered Iona goals from Miller and DiSalle restored a six-score 13-7 Gaels advantage with 3:29 remaining. Following Miller's seventh goal, Arana's two straight scores upped the Iona advantage to eight 16-8 with 1:29 on the clock. After a Salem score opened the final period, Iona regained an eight-goal edge 17-9 on Vlasic's third goal with 6:42 remaining.  With 3:42 left,  Bauman's second goal gave the Gaels a nine-score advantage 18-9, their largest of the match, but Salem responded just three seconds later to trim Iona's lead back to eight 18-10. Vlasic's fourth goal sealed the Iona 19-10 win with 2:56 left.

George Washington 10 Iona 6

Down just two goals at halftime, Iona managed only two second-half scores and fell 10-6 to George Washington in this afternoon's non-conference match. Miller led the Maroon and Gold with two goals on nine shots, while Bauman, DiSalle, Vlasic and junior Edward Imm added one goal apiece. The Gaels scored six goals on 31 shots with five assists. Scanlon won two of four swim-offs.

In goal, senior Diego Gomez had 14 saves on 29 Revolutionaries, made one steal and had 10 goals against. On defense, the Gaels made six steals with two by Vlasic. The Gaels blocked four George Washington shots with two by Vlasic. Iona drew 12 George Washington kickouts with five by Miller, while being ejected six times, including three five-meter penalties. The Gaels turned the ball over eight times. Iona scored on three of 11 man-up chances, while George Washington scored two on four man-up chances.

George Washington stuck first with two straight five-meter penalty goals for a 2-0 lead with 1:33 gone in the match.   With 5:09 to go in the opening period, Miller put the Gaels on the board to cut the Revolutionaries edge back to one 2-1. Bauman followed on Iona's next chance to tie the game at two with 3:21 on the clock. After George Washington retook a one-goal lead 3-2, with 18 ticks left, Imm answered to reknot the match at three all going into the second period.

With 2:11 gone in the second period, the Revolutionaries went back on top 4-3, but Vlasic's first goal evened the score again at four apiece just 19 seconds later. Two unanswered George Washington goals in the final 1:24 gave the Revolutionaries a two-goal 6-4 halftime advantage. DiSalle needed only 20 seconds into the third period to slice George Washington's lead back to one 6-5. Neither squad scored until the Revolutionaries hit a five-meter penalty shot with 1:07 left to take a two-goal 7-5 edge into the final period.

Miller tipped in this second score to cut the George Washington edge to one 7-6 with 1:20 gone in the fourth period.   The Revolutionaries answered on their next trip down the pool to go back up two 8-6 with 5:48 on the clock. Continuing a 3-0 run, George Washington score with 2:41 remaining gave the Revolutionaries a four-goal 10-6 lead, their largest of the game, to seal the win. Iona managed only two second-half scores despite a two-man-up opportunity with 1:40 left.

UP NEXT

On Sunday, the Gaels travel to Harvard University to take on University of California Merced at 10:30 a.m. and Wagner College at 3 p.m.