CHAPEL HILL, NC – The Iona University men's lacrosse team faced a stiff test Saturday afternoon, taking on No. 6 North Carolina at Dorrance Field in non-conference play. After an early surge put the Gaels in front, the host Tar Heels responded in force, handing Iona a 23-7 setback. Freshman
Luke Neary led the way with two goals.
THE RUNDOWN
Iona wasted little time making its presence felt, scoring on its first two possessions to seize a 2-0 advantage. Neary opened the scoring before fellow rookie
Cale Stielau followed with a tally to give the visitors early momentum. North Carolina answered with six straight goals and never relinquished the lead.
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Sophomore
Kyle Hardie halted the run in the second quarter with his goal of the season, trimming the deficit. The Tar Heels countered with another six-goal stretch before freshman
Carson Turissini found the back of the net in the final 1:33 of the half, sending Iona into the break trailing 12-4.
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North Carolina controlled the third quarter, netting nine of the 10 goals in the period. Sophomore
Jimmy Kennedy accounted for the lone goal during that stretch, finishing a feed from classmate
Jack Martinez with 1:02 remaining. Neary added his second of the afternoon in the fourth quarter, and freshman
James Greenhut also scored to round out the afternoon's offense.
IONA PERFORMERS
- Neary paced the attack with two goals, the only multi-point effort for the Maroon & Gold.
- Hardie, Kennedy, Stielau, Greenhut and Turissini each added a goal, while Martinez and sophomore Cullen Lawry contributed assists.
- In net, sophomore Denny Piekutowski made 12 saves over the opening half. Sophomore Noah Perea recorded four saves in the third quarter, and sophomore Sal Caputo stopped three shots in the final period.
THE OPPONENT
- Owen Duffy led North Carolina with eight points on three goals and five assists.
- Andrew Preis added four points behind one goal and three assists.
- Four different Tar Heels scored twice in the contest.
- Three goalkeepers combined for six saves, with Josh Marcus earning the start and the victory.
UP NEXT
A quick turnaround awaits Iona as it returns home to host Bucknell at Mazzella Field on Tuesday, Feb. 17. Opening faceoff is set for 1 p.m., with the contest streaming live on ESPN+.
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