CAMBRIDGE, MA – Earning its first win of the 2026 season, the Iona women's water polo team defeated Chapman University (CA), 17-8, with eight Gaels scoring at Harvard University in a non-conference match here this morning.
GAME SUMMARY
Senior co-captain Lola Trujillo, sophomore Mikayla Arthur, and freshman Fiona Rowe led the Maroon and Gold (1-2 overall) with three goals each. Senior Sadie Sallas and sophomore Grace Goldhammer both scored twice, while junior Maleah Penman and sophomores Anna O'Malley, Blaize Penso, and Olivia Weissman had one goal apiece. The Gaels scored 17 goals on 37 shots with nine assists.
In goal, freshman MJ Metzdorf had six saves on eight Chapman shots, made three assists, and allowed eight goals in her first victory as a Gael. On defense, the Gaels made 11 steals, with three each by Sallas and Trujillo. Iona drew four Chapman kickouts while being ejected eight times, including two five-meter penalties. Trujillo won all four swim-offs.
Iona scored on all four woman-up chances, while Chapman did not score on eight opportunities. The Gaels committed three turnovers.
With 2:32 gone in the match, Sallas put Iona on the board first with a woman-up goal for a 1-0 advantage. On the Gaels' next trip down the pool, Trujillo put Iona up two, 2-0, with 4:49 to go. After Iona went up three, 3-0, on Rowe's goal, Chapman's five-meter penalty goal trimmed the Gaels' advantage back to two, 3-1, with 3:29 on the clock.
The Panthers struck again just 1:50 later to get within one, 3-2. Sallas needed only 18 seconds to capitalize on a woman-up chance to restore the Gaels' two-score edge, 4-2. Rowe's second score with five ticks left gave Iona a three-goal cushion, 5-2, going into the second period.
Arthur continued Iona's 3-0 run with 1:08 gone in the second period, but Chapman answered to slice the Gaels' edge back to three, 6-3, with 6:37 remaining. A minute later, Trujillo's second score on a 6-on-5 chance upped the Iona lead to four, 7-3.
On their next trip down the pool, the Panthers pulled back within three, 7-4, on a five-meter penalty score. On Rowe's third goal, the Gaels regained a four-score edge with 3:16 remaining. With 53 seconds left, Rowe completed her first Iona hat trick to give the Gaels a 9-4 halftime advantage.
Neither squad scored in the third period until Goldhammer's two straight breakaway goals, one on an assist by Metzdorf, gave Iona a seven-score, 11-4, advantage on a 4-0 run with 4:38 left. Chapman sliced the Gaels' edge to six, 11-5, with 3:04 remaining. Weissman and Trujillo answered to build an eight-goal Iona margin at the 1:10 mark.
In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Metzdorf and Arthur combined for two breakaway goals to create a 10-goal, 15-5, Iona advantage with 5:38 left. Two unanswered Panthers goals cut the Gaels' advantage to eight, 15-7, with 3:07 to go. After O'Malley scored, Chapman answered, but Penso put Iona up nine, 17-8, with 2:04 on the clock to seal the Gaels' first season win.
COACH THOUGHTS
Pleased with his squad's improvement after yesterday's loss to Harvard, Iona head coach Brian Kelly credited strong play at both ends of the pool for the first season win. "It was great to get the first win of the season," Kelly said. "We cleaned up some of the mistakes we made in yesterday's game. We had a breakout offensive attack, and the team played really solid team defense. Congrats to MJ on getting her first collegiate win."
UP NEXT
Next weekend, the Gaels travel to Princeton, NJ, for three non-conference road matches. On Friday, Iona takes on Santa Clara University at 10:30 a.m. ET, then faces Bucknell at 7:30 p.m. On Sunday, Iona plays Harvard University for the second time in a week at 12:30 p.m.
