SANTA CLARA – After falling 21-5 this morning to No. 11-ranked University of the Pacific, the Iona University men's water polo team rebounded for a 15-11 win over Fresno Pacific University this evening on the second day of the Julian Fraser Memorial Invitational Tournament, hosted by San Jose State University and Santa Clara University.
GAME SUMMARY
No. 11 Pacific 21, Iona 5
Managing only a single goal in the first half, Iona scored four more in a 21-5 loss to No. 11-ranked Pacific in this morning's match at San Jose State.
Sophomore Samson Williams and freshman Charlie Harbour led the Maroon and Gold (8-17 overall, 1-5 NEWPC) with two goals each, while freshman Christian Couch added one score.
In goal, sophomore Kyle Chin Lee had three saves on 15 Pacific shots and 11 goals against in the first and second periods. Junior Eric Caplener had two saves on 11 Pacific shots and seven goals against in the second and third periods. Junior P.J. Bartzen had three saves on seven Pacific shots and four goals against in the fourth period.
The Gaels scored five goals on 24 shots and recorded two assists, one each by junior Ryan Tannus and Williams. On defense, Iona made four steals, including two by freshman Jack Robison, who also blocked one shot. The Gaels drew five kickouts, two by Harbour, while being ejected six times, including two five-meter penalties. Iona committed 11 turnovers. Iona scored three man-up goals on five chances, while Pacific scored one man-up goal on five chances. Junior co-captain Brett Grady won one of four swim-offs.
The Tigers got on the board first 33 seconds into the match, then scored three more goals for a 4-0 advantage at the three-minute mark. Pacific tacked on four more goals for an 8-0 edge going into the second period as Iona failed to score in the opening quarter.
After seven straight second-quarter scores, Harbour ended the Gaels' offensive drought to cut Pacific's lead to 14-1 with 32 seconds left. With four ticks to go, the Tigers tacked on another score for a 16-1 halftime lead.
After another Pacific goal, Couch capitalized on a man-up chance as the Tigers led 17-2 with 5:10 on the clock. Following a Tigers score, Williams hit another man-up goal with Pacific ahead 18-3.
Harbour's second goal cut the Pacific lead to 19-4, then Williams struck for the second time to reduce the Tigers' advantage to 20-5. Pacific sealed the 21-5 win with a five-meter penalty shot with 2:35 remaining.
Iona 15, Fresno Pacific 11
Despite three ties and two lead changes in the first half, Iona outscored Fresno Pacific 8-5 in the second half for the squad's eighth win of the season, 15-11, over the Sunbirds in this evening's non-conference match at Santa Clara.
Junior co-captain Pavle Musikic led the Maroon and Gold with four goals on seven shots, while Couch scored three goals on four shots. Junior Daniel Raz and Tannus both scored two goals. Junior Hugh Coyle, Grady, and freshmen Jack Robison and Tate Wilson added one score each.
In goal, Bartzen had 11 saves on 27 Fresno Pacific shots, three steals and 11 goals against.
The Gaels scored 15 goals on 31 shots and recorded ten assists, with three each from Coyle and Grady. On defense, Iona made 12 steals, three by Grady, and blocked three shots. The Gaels drew eight kick-outs, including one five-meter penalty, while being ejected nine times. Iona committed ten turnovers. Iona scored two man-up goals on nine chances, while Fresno Pacific scored two man-up goals on eight chances. Grady won all four swim-offs.
Tannus needed only 37 seconds to put Iona ahead 1-0. Fresno Pacific answered on its next chance to tie the match at one with 1:05 gone. Two straight scores by Musikic and Grady gave the Gaels a two-goal, 3-1 advantage with 5:32 left in the opening period. After a Sunbirds score, two more Gaels goals from Coyle and Raz created a three-goal, 5-2 cushion with 1:40 left. Two unanswered Fresno Pacific goals in the closing minute trimmed the Iona lead back to one, 5-4, going into the second quarter.
Continuing a 4-0 run, the Sunbirds tied the match at five, then took a one-goal, 6-5 edge with 3:05 gone in the second period. On the Gaels' next chance, Couch tied the score at six with 3:55 remaining. Iona retook a one-goal, 7-6 halftime lead as Robison converted a man-up chance with 1:27 on the clock.
Continuing a 3-0 rally, Couch's second goal gave the Gaels a two-goal, 8-6 cushion, but the Sunbirds answered 27 ticks later to trim the Iona lead back to one, 8-7, with 6:29 to go. Couch's hat trick upped the Iona edge back to two, 9-7, at the 5:35 mark. Musikic's skip-shot goal put the Gaels up two, 10-8, with 2:04 remaining. With two ticks left, a 7-on-6 Fresno Pacific score cut the Iona advantage to one, 10-9, going into the final period.
Iona opened the final period with a 3-0 run on Tannus' second goal and two more from Musikic for a four-goal, 13-9 margin with 5:26 left. The Sunbirds sliced the Gaels' edge back to three, 13-10, on a five-meter penalty goal just 19 seconds later. Another unanswered goal got the Sunbirds back within two, 13-11, with 3:36 on the clock. Raz responded to restore a three-goal, 14-11 margin 29 seconds later. On the Gaels' next trip down the pool, Wilson gave Iona a four-goal, 15-11 lead with 2:13 remaining in regulation, as the Gaels' defense held off a Sunbirds rally for their eighth win of the season.
COACH THOUGHTS
Although disappointed with this morning's "lopsided" loss to Pacific, Iona head coach Brian Kelly was pleased with his team's performance in a "big win" this evening.
"We had a disappointing start to the day this morning versus Pacific," Kelly said. "We didn't match their intensity and physicality, and the game quickly became lopsided. You can't show up like that with one of the best teams in the country.
"I'm extremely happy with how we responded in the second game against a solid Fresno Pacific team. We needed a big win, and we got it thanks to a great effort by P.J. in goal."
UP NEXT
On Sunday, the Gaels face No. 18-ranked host Santa Clara University at 12:20 p.m. ET.
