CAMBRIDGE, MA -  Down by only three at halftime, the fourth-seeded Iona University men's water polo team fell 19-9 to first-seeded and number-six ranked Princeton University in this afternoon's first semi-final match at the Northeast Water Polo Conference Championship this weekend hosted by Harvard University.

GAME SUMMARY

Junior tri-captain Luksa Vlasic led the Maroon and Gold (13-16 overall) with three goals on seven shots, while senior tri-captain Trippe Bauman, senior tri-captain Andrew Miller and sophomore Rasko Jevdjovic had two goals each. The Gaels scored nine goals on 29 shots on five assists with three by freshman Jayden Arana.  

In goal, sophomore Aleksandar Slavkovic had nine saves on 34 Tigers shots, made three steals and had 19 goals against. On defense, the Gaels made six steals with two by Vlasic. Scanlon blocked one Princeton shot.  Iona drew  Princeton ten kickouts with four by Miller, including two five-meter penalties, while being ejected ten times with one five-meter penalty. Jevdjovic was disqualified with three ejections.

The Gaels turned the ball over 13 times. Iona scored on two of nine man-up chances, while Princeton scored four goals on nine man-up chances. Scanlon won one of four swim-offs. Princeton opened the match with four straight goals for a 4-0 edge, then Jevdjovic put Iona on the board to slice the Tigers lead to three 4-1 with 3:57 left in the first period. After another Princeton goal, Vlasic got Iona back within three 5-2 at the 3:13 mark. The Tigers answered, but Vlasic struck again to trim Princeton's lead to three 6-3 with 2:03 on the clock.   

Following a Princeton counter goal, Miller capitalized on a man-up chance with 26 seconds left to pull the Gaels within three 7-4 going into the second period. With 28 seconds gone in the second quarter, the Tigers converted a five-meter penalty shot, but on the Gaels next possession, Jevdjovic took advantage of a 6-5 chance to cut Princeton's margin to three 8-5. After three straight Princeton goals, Vlasic's third score followed by Bauman's five-meter penalty goal cut the Tigers cushion to four 11-7 with 1:30 remaining.

The Tigers hit a man-up goal just 39 seconds into the third period, then Miller stole a Princeton pass, and buried a counter goal just 40 ticks later to get Iona within four 12-8. Princeton answered, but Bauman converted his second five-meter penalty score as the Gaels fought back within four 13-9. Two straight Tigers goals gave Princeton a six-score 15-9 edge going into the final period. Princeton sealed its trip to tomorrow's championship final with four unanswered goals for a 19-9 win as Iona failed to score in the final period.

COACH THOUGHTS

Iona head coach Brian Kelly praised his squad's performance in the first three periods, but was disappointed with its fourth-quarter letdown. "We had three very good quarters, especially on offense," Kelly said. "I wasn't happy how we unraveled in the fourth quarter In every facet of the game, but that's what one of the best teams in the country will do to you."

UP NEXT

Iona will face the loser of today's second semi-final match for third place in the championship tomorrow at 11 a.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Be sure to keep up with all of the action and the latest news surrounding Iona Athletics by following us on social media:
IonaGaels: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (Email Updates)
Iona Water Polo: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Email Updates)