PROVIDENCE, RI – Trailing by a single goal, 7-6, at halftime, the Iona University men's water polo team was outscored 9-3 in the second half by No. 20-ranked Brown University for a 16-9 Northeast Water Polo Conference loss this morning.
GAME SUMMARY
Sophomore Samson Williams and freshmen Christian Couch and Charlie Harbour led the Maroon and Gold (8-20 overall, 1-7 NEWPC) with two goals apiece. Juniors Hugh Coyle, co-captain Brett Grady and Ryan Tannus added one goal each.
In goal, junior co-captain PJ Bartzen had eight saves on 29 Brown shots, four steals and nine goals against.
The Gaels scored nine goals on 30 shots and recorded five assists. On defense, Iona made six steals. The Gaels drew ten kickouts, including three by junior co-captain Pavle Musikic and one five-meter penalty, while being ejected 12 times, including six five-meter penalties. Iona committed 11 turnovers. Iona scored four man-up goals on 12 chances, while Brown scored five man-up goals on 12 chances. Grady won three of four swim-offs.
With 1:10 gone in the match, the Bears capitalized on a man-up chance, then followed with a five-meter penalty goal for a 2-0 edge with 5:19 left in the opening period. Williams got the Gaels on the board to slice the home lead to one, 2-1, with 2:30 on the clock. Brown regained a two-score, 3-1 cushion with 57 seconds remaining. Just 26 ticks later, Tannus got Iona back within one, 3-2, going into the second period.
After the Bears buried a five-meter penalty score, Grady chopped the Brown margin to one, 4-3, with 6:38 left in the second period. Brown scored, but Williams' second goal reduced the home edge to one, 5-4, with 2:32 remaining. The Bears built a three-score, 7-4 edge with two straight goals, including a five-meter penalty, with 1:24 left. The Gaels rallied with Couch's two consecutive goals to get Iona within one, 7-6, just two seconds before halftime.
Brown opened the third period with four straight goals for a five-score, 11-6 advantage with 3:08 gone. Harbour ended the Iona offensive drought with 21 ticks left, but a Brown buzzer-beater put the Bears up five, 12-7, going into the final period.
After Brown buried a five-meter penalty goal, both squads squandered a five-meter penalty chance as the Bears led 13-7 with 58 seconds gone in the final period. Following another home goal, Coyle and Harbour pulled Iona back within six, 14-9, at the 3:39 mark. Brown sealed the conference win with two straight scores in the closing minutes.
COACH THOUGHTS
While disappointed with the conference loss, Iona head coach Brian Kelly saw "a lot of good things" in his team's performance.
"We did a lot of good things today," Kelly said. "Unfortunately, in all our league games we seem to have one bad quarter that hurts our chances to win. And that's what happened today."
UP NEXT
On Sunday in Cambridge, MA, Iona takes on #19 Harvard University at 10 a.m. ET and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at 3 p.m. ET.
