LOUDONVILLE, NY – After a disappointing overtime 16-15 loss to Marist College, the Iona University women's water polo team rallied to a 11-8 win over Mount Saint Mary's University in two Metro Atlantic Conference matches today hosted by Siena College to land in second place in MAAC standing.

Marist 16 Iona 15 (2 OT)

In a seesaw double-overtime match that featured eight ties and three lead changes, Iona fell one goal short 16-15 in this morning's conference contest despite a late third-quarter two-score lead. Graduate co-captain Jordan Van Reeken led the Gaels (11-8 overall, 3-2 MAAC) with six goals on 12 shots, while freshman Lola Trujillo had three scores.  Graduate student Sydney Brightenburg, graduate co-captain Malia Naugle, graduate student Karsyn Stewart, junior Amelia Gonzalez, freshman Sadie Sallas, freshman Jenna Handall had one goal apiece.

The Gaels scored 15 goals on 39 shots and made 11 assists with two each by Naugle, Stewart and junior Kaya Hart. In goal, sophomore Lilly Morris made nine saves on 29 Red Foxes shots, had seven steals and one assist with 16 goals against. On defense, Iona made 15 steals with three from Sallas, and Bightenburg blocked one shot.  Iona drew 12 Marist kickouts with five by Van Reeken, while being ejected nine times. The Gaels turned the ball over 15 times. Iona won five of six swim-offs.  

With 43 seconds gone in the game, the Red Foxes got on the board first, then followed with a five-meter penalty goal for a 2-0 lead with 6:10 remaining in the opening period. Following another Marist goal, Trujillo scored to pull Iona within two 3-1 with 5:17 on the clock. In the closing 55 seconds, the Gaels continued a 3-0 run with two straight goals by Van Reeken and Sallas to knot the game at one, but Marist regained the advantage 4-3 with 9.7 ticks left. Van Reeken needed only 32 seconds into the second quarter to tie the score at four each. Marist went back up one 5-4 with 4:50 on the clock.   

On a five-meter penalty shot, Van Reeken's third score retied the match at five at the 3:34 mark. Taking advantage of a woman-up chance, the Red Foxes went back up one 6-5 with 2:40 to go. A minute later, Brightenburg found the back of the net for a six-all tie. Two consecutive Marist goals, including one on a five-meter penalty, in the remaining 1:23 gave the Red Foxes a two-score halftime edge 8-6. Only 1:15 gone in the third quarter, Trujillo's second score on a 6-5 chance pulled Iona back within one 8-7, but Marist answered 40 ticks later to regain a two-goal 9-7 advantage. On Iona's next trip down the pool, Trujillo struck again to cut the Marist lead back to one 9-8.    

Just 23 ticks later, Van Reeken's fourth goal resulted in the match's fifth tie at nine all. Continuing a 3-0 Gaels run, Naugle's skip-shot score gave Iona's its first lead 10-9 with 3:09 remaining. Following Handall's woman-up goal for two-score Gaels 11-9 lead with 58 seconds left, the Red Foxes got back within one 11-10 going into the final period. A second straight Marist goal on a woman-up chance tied the game for the seventh time at eleven each with 6:23 left.   On their next possession, the Red Foxes regained a one-goal 12-11 edge on a five-meter penalty shot.   

After Marist's fourth straight score, Gonzalez pulled Iona within one, then Van Reeken's fifth goal on a five-meter penalty shot tied the match at 13 all with 2:43 on the clock. After Naugle's steal and a Gaels timeout, Iona had a final chance with 28 ticks left, but failed to score, which sent the match into overtime. Fifty-seven ticks into the first overtime, Marist retook a one-goal edge 14-13, then Van Reeken tied the match for the eighth time at 14 all with 1:39 left. With 32 seconds on the clock, the Red Foxes went back up one 15-14 going into the second overtime period. With 1:36 left in the second overtime, Marist upped its lead to two 16-14. Stewart's score with 25 seconds remaining pulled Iona within one 16-15, as the Gaels rally fell short.

Iona 11 Mount Saint Mary's 8

Trailing 2-0 going into the second quarter, the Gaels outscored the Mountaineers 5-2 in that period and never fell behind in a "hard fought" 11-8 MAAC win in this afternoon's match. Brightenburg, Naugle and Van Reeken led the Gaels with three goals each.  Handall and Sallas scored one goal apiece. The Gaels scored 11 goals on 41 shots and made eight assists.

In goal, sophomore Lilly Morris made ten saves on 17 Mountaineers shots, had three steals and two assists with eight goals against. On defense, Iona made 14 steals with four from Brightenburg, who blocked one shot. Iona drew seven Mount Saint Mary's kickouts with three by Van Reeken, while being ejected 12 times. The Gaels turned the ball over eight times. Trujillo won all four swim-offs. Iona scored one woman-up goal on five chances, while Mount Saint Mary's two on eight opportunities.

Neither squad scored until 3:53 gone in the first period when the Mountaineers took a one goal 1-0, then followed for a 2-0 edge with 3:34 left. The Gaels did not score on 11 shots in the opening period. Iona outscored Mount Saint Mary's 5-2 in the second period.  With 1:45 gone, Van Reeken got Iona on the board, then Brightenburg found the back of the net 25 seconds later to tie the score at two each with 6:20 left. Brightenburg struck again on the Gaels next possession to put Iona up one 3-2 at the 5:37 mark. 

Mount Saint Mary's knotted the game again at three apiece with 3:57 on the clock. After an Iona timeout, Van Reeken's second goal restored a one-score 4-3 Gaels advantage with 2:16 left. On their next trip down the pool, the Mountaineers evened the score at four apiece with 1:53 remaining. With 56 ticks left, Van Reeken's third score on a five-meter penalty shot put the Gaels back up one for a 5-4 Iona halftime lead. Handall upped the Iona edge to two 6-4 with 1:57 gone in the third period. The Mount got back within one 6-5 on a five-meter penalty shot with 4:50 remaining. 

A minute later, Naugle put the Gaels up two 7-5, but the Mountaineers answered 25 ticks later to cut the Iona edge back to one 7-6. With 3:07 remaining, Sallas upped the Iona advantage to two 8-6, only to have Mount Saint Mary's respond to chop the Gaels edge to one 8-7 at the 2:13 mark. After Naugel's second goal just 13 seconds into the fourth period, Brightenburg hit her third score on a five-meter penalty shot for a three-goal 10-7 Iona lead with 7:10 left. The Mountaineers trimmed the Gaels margin back to two 10-8 with 6:50 to go. Naugle's breakaway score on a Morris assist increased the Iona advantage to three 8-11 with 1:58 left to seal the Gaels third MAAC win.

COACH THOUGHTS

While disappointed with the overtime loss to Marist due to the Gaels final possession, Iona head coach Brian Kelly praised his squad's consistent winning effort in both games after last weekend's 2-1 conference start. "We played well enough to win both games today," Kelly said. "We had a chance to beat Marist in regulation in our last possession if we were a little more aggressive. You have to take advantage of those opportunities. The OT loss was tough, but we learned a lot about ourselves in that game. "We were able to carry that momentum into the Mount Saint Mary's game and earn a hard-fought win against a team that beat us last weekend."

UP NEXT

Next weekend, the Gaels will travel to Lexington, VA, for three MAAC contests hosted by the Virginia Military Institute. On Saturday, Iona takes on Villanova University at 2:40 p.m., and LaSalle University at 6 p.m. EDT. On Sunday, the Gaels face Long Island University at 1 p.m. EDT.

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