NEW ROCHELLE, NY – The Iona University women's soccer team held a late second-half lead before surrendering two goals in the closing minutes of a 2-1 setback to Marist on Wednesday afternoon at Mazzella Field. The Gaels broke a scoreless tie in the 64th minute on a goal from senior
Marissa Graziano, but the Red Foxes rallied with two late strikes to secure the Metro Conference victory.
THE RUNDOWN
The home side absorbed early pressure from the Red Foxes, with junior goalkeeper
Kayla Kalbaugh standing tall to keep the visitors off the board through a scoreless first half. The breakthrough sequence began when
Ava Barker initiated a clever move down the right flank, and passed it out wide to
Lauren DeLaurentiis. DeLaurentiis made great cross into the box. As the play unfolded near the goal mouth, Graziano made a strong run into traffic and suffered a heavy collision inside the 18-yard box.
Following a formal video review by the match officials, the call was confirmed, awarding Iona a penalty kick opportunity. Graziano stepped to the penalty spot and buried a precise strike into the back of the net. The penalty conversion marked Graziano's fourth goal of the season and provided the home team with a vital 1-0 edge.
Just as the Gaels appeared poised to close out the victory, Marist found the equalizer in the 88th minute. A pass out to the right side set up a right-footed shot from six yards out to level the score at 1-1. The visitors struck again in the final minute of regulation as a through ball from midfield slipped past the Iona defense, leading to a breakaway goal with 20 seconds remaining to secure the 2-1 decision.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Graziano powered the offense by firing two shots on target and converting a crucial penalty kick for her fourth score of the campaign.
- Junior Dolene Smith spearheaded the attacking pressure with a team-high four total shots.
TEAM STATS
- The Gaels generated nine total shots, putting four attempts directly on target.
- The Maroon and Gold controlled 57% of possession throughout the afternoon, compared to 43% for the visitors.
UP NEXT
The Gaels will look to bounce back and regroup as they prepare for an upcoming away game at Siena on Saturday, October 24 at 1 p.m.
