NEW ROCHELLE, NY –  After coming from behind for an opening match 18-12 win against Siena College this morning, the Iona women's water polo team allowed two closing-minute Marist College goals in a 13-12 loss this afternoon to split two Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference matches in wrapping up its regular season.
Prior to the Siena game, the Gaels honored their graduating seniors – Addison Collins, Emily Geld and Remy Ickes. 

Iona 18 Siena 12

Trailing 5-2 at the end of the opening period, the Gaels mounted a 6-1 rally in the second quarter which resulted in a 18-12 conference win in this morning's match following the Senior Day celebration. Junior Sadie Sallas and redshirt freshman Vanessa McNabb led the Maroon and Gold with five goals apiece, while senior Remy Ickes and junior co-captain Lola Trujillo scored three goals each.  Senior Addison Collins and freshman Olivia Weissman added one goal apiece. The Gaels scored 18 goals on 32 shots, and had 12 assists with three by Collins and two each from senior Emily Geld, freshman Grace Goldhammer and McNabb. 

In goal, graduate student Lilly Morris had 16 saves on 27 Siena shots, three steals, one assist and 12 goals against. On defense, the Gaels made 14 steals with five by Trujillo and blocked three shots. Iona drew nine Siena kick-outs with five by Goldhammer, while being ejected five times. The Gaels turned the ball over 16 times. Trujillo won all four swim offs.  Iona scored five woman-up goals on ten chances, while Siena capitalized on two of five chances.

In the opening 1:59, the Saints scored two straight goals for a 2-0 advantage. McNabb finally got Iona on the board to slice the visitors edge to one 2-1 with 2:51 remaining in the opening period. Siena retook a two-goal margin with 1:24 on the clock, but Trujillo answered to get Iona with one 3-2 just 28 ticks later.  But the visitors reeled off two more goals in the closing minute for 5-2 lead going into the second period.

Outscoring Siena 6-1, two straight goals from McNabb and one from Sallas tied the match at five-all with 5:31 left in the second period. After a Siena goal, Iona took off on another 3-0 run with two scores from Ickes and Sallas' second tally for a 8-6 two-goal lead with 2:01 left in the first half.

With 35 seconds gone in the third period, the visitors got back within one 8-7. Trujillo's second goal restored a two-score 9-7 advantage with 6:02 remaining. Weissman followed, but the Saints responded to trim the home lead back to two 10-8 with 4:56 on the clock. Taking off on another 3-0 rally, Sallas scored her third and fourth goals, while Ickes recorded her third for a 1-8 home advantage with 2:32 to go. Siena got back within four 13-9, but Trujillo's third goal restored a five-point 14-9 edge. In the closing minute, Siena outscored Iona 2-1 with McNabb hitting her fourth goal for a 15-11 home lead going into the final period.

Sallas opened the fourth period with her fifth goal on a five-meter penalty chance for five-score 16-11 Iona lead with 6:49 remaining. The visitors got within four, but McNabb's five-meter penalty score built a 17-12 advantage with 4:20 left. Collins scored with 2:09 remaining to seal the 18-12 win for the Gaels.

Marist 13 Iona 12

Leading with 1:09 left, the Gaels allowed two straight Marist goals in the closing 51 seconds to fall 13-12 in this afternoon's conference match. Sallas and Weissman led the Maroon and Gold with four goals each, McNabb scored two goals, while Collins and Trujillo added one goal apiece. The Gaels scored 12 goals on 33 shots, and had seven assists with four by Collins and three by McNabb. 

In goal, graduate student Lilly Morris had 12 saves on 24 Marist shots, including stopping a five-meter penalty try, two steals and 13 goals against. On defense, the Gaels made 11 steals with four by Trujillo and blocked two shots.  Iona drew 14 Marist kick-outs with four by Collins and three by Goldhammer, while being ejected eight times, including x five-meter penalty. The Gaels turned the ball over 17 times. Trujillo won all four swim offs. Iona scored seven woman-up goals on 14 chances, while Marist capitalized on three of eight chances.

Marist got on the board first with three straight scores for a 3-0 lead with 2:34 to go in the opening period. Weissman ended the Gaels scoring drought with 1:15 left to trim the Red Foxes edge back to two 2-1. With 45 ticks gone in the second period, Sallas got Iona within one 3-2. On the Gaels next trip down the pool, Trujillo knotted the score at three-all with 6:32 remaining. The Red Foxes briefly went back up one 4-3, then Sallas capitalize on a woman-up chance to retie the game at four-all with 4:27 to halftime. Marist retook a one-score edge 5-4 at the 2:18 mark into intermission.

Marist upped its edge to two 6-4 with 1:50 gone in the third period. After Morris stopped a five-meter Marist penalty try, Collins got the Gaels back within one 6-5 with 4:44 to go.  Sallas' third goal tied the game at six, but with two straight scores Marist answered to go back up two 8-6 with two minutes left. On the Gaels next two possessions, McNabb and Weissman tied the score for the fourth time at eight with 51 ticks to go. Only 25 seconds later,  Marist regained a one-goal margin 9-8 going into the final period.

After Trujillo won her fourth straight swim off, McNabb's second score retied the game at nine with 14 seconds gone in the fourth period. On five-meter penalty try, Sallas gave Iona its first lead 10-9 with 6:14 on the clock. Only 1:01 later, a Red Foxes score locked the game at ten all. Iona briefly regained a one-goal edge on Weissman's third score, but Marist retied the match at eleven with 2:40 to go. With 1:09 to go, Weissman struck again, but the Red Foxes evened the score at twelve, then with six ticks left, the Red Foxes went up one 13-12 for the win.

COACH THOUGHTS

Since two MAAC wins today would have resulted in a first-round bye in the upcoming conference championships, Iona head coach Brian Kelly was disappointed with his squad's one-goal loss to rival Marist College, whom the Gaels defeated 14-13 at Mount Saint Mary's College on March 29. "There's no two ways around it, today was a tough loss," Kelly said. "Any time you lose a one-goal game there's a hundred plays that could have changed the outcome of the game. It's a tough loss especially when you have a one-goal lead with a minute left, but I'm really proud of our team.  We're playing at a really right level right now."

UP NEXT

Having qualified for the 2025 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championships, the Gaels travel to Marist College in Poughkeepsie from April 25-27 to face an opening-round opponent to be determined.