POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – In a match featuring a first half with four ties, two lead changes, and a two-goal Gaels lead, the Iona University women's water polo team opened its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference schedule with a 14–11 loss to number-17 ranked Marist University this evening at McCann Pool.
GAME SUMMARY
Senior captain Lola Trujillo and senior Sadie Sallas led the Maroon and Gold with three goals each, while junior Maleah Penman scored twice. Sophomore Bailey Desmond, sophomore Nicole Morrison, and freshman Fiona Rowe had one goal apiece. The Gaels scored eleven goals on 33 shots and had ten assists, with three each from Morrison and sophomore Olivia Weissman.
In goal, freshman MJ Metzdorf had six saves on 29 Marist shots, two steals, and 14 goals against.
On defense, the Gaels made five steals and blocked three shots. Iona drew nine Marist kick-outs while being ejected eight times, including three five-meter penalties. Trujillo won all four swim-offs. The Gaels turned the ball over six times.
With 1:36 gone in the match, Marist scored on its second possession for a 1–0 edge. After a Marist woman-up goal, Trujillo got Iona on the board to trim the home lead back to one, 2–1, with 5:05 left in the opening period. Sallas and Penman followed to tie the score at two, then put the Gaels up one, 3–2, with 1:01 left. With only six ticks on the clock, Morrison continued a 4–0 Iona run for a two-goal 4–2 advantage, but Marist answered at the buzzer to slice the Iona lead back to one, 4–3, going into the second period.
Just 52 seconds into the second period, the hosts tied the score at four-all. The Red Foxes retook the lead, 5–4, on their next chance with 5:38 left. Neither squad scored until Desmond re-tied the match for the third time at five with :53 remaining. On their next chance, a Red Foxes goal restored a one-goal home lead, but Sallas' second score as time expired resulted in a 6–6 halftime tie.
There were no third-quarter goals until Marist regained a one-score edge, 7–6, with 3:55 left. The Red Foxes capitalized on a 6-on-5 chance to go up two, 8–6, only 1:02 later. Sallas' hat-trick goal cut the home edge back to one, 8–7, at the 2:23 mark. On a five-meter penalty score, Marist went back up two, 9–7, with 1:21 remaining. Another Red Foxes five-meter penalty goal 49 seconds later built a three-score 10–7 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Iona opened the fourth quarter with Rowe's goal, pulling the Gaels back within two, 10–8, with 6:44 to go. Two straight Marist goals, including a five-meter penalty score, built a four-goal 12–8 edge with 5:30 left. Trujillo's second score trimmed that back to three, 12–9, on the Gaels' next chance, but a third Marist five-meter penalty score restored a four-goal home edge, 13–9, with 4:43 on the clock. Penman's second goal sliced the Marist margin back to three, 13–10, at the 2:11 mark. A goalie-out score with 43 ticks left sealed the Marist win despite Trujillo's hat-trick score with 17 seconds remaining.
UP NEXT
Iona travels to Villanova, PA, for two MAAC matches this weekend against Mount Saint Mary's College on Saturday at 3 p.m. and Siena College on Sunday at 9 a.m.
