VILLANOVA, PA - Up by five goals early in the second half, the Iona University women's water polo team was outscored 12-5 the rest of the match in a 19-16 double-overtime loss to Siena University in a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference match this afternoon at Villanova University.
GAME SUMMARY
Senior captain Lola Trujillo led the Maroon and Gold with six goals on ten shots, and senior Sadie Sallas had five goals on five shots. Redshirt sophomore Vanessa McNabb scored twice, and sophomore Grace Goldhammer, sophomore Nicole Morrison, and freshman Fiona Rowe each scored one goal.
The Gaels scored 16 goals on 40 shots with 13 assists, including three by Morrison and two each by junior Maleah Penman, Goldhammer, and sophomore Olivia Weissman.
In goal, sophomore Blaize Penso had nine saves on 30 Siena shots, one steal, two assists, and 19 goals against.
On defense, the Gaels made ten steals, with three by Trujillo and two by Sallas. The Gaels blocked two shots. Iona drew 11 Siena kickouts, with six by Sallas, and were ejected 21 times with five five-meter penalties. Trujillo, sophomore Ella Ferguson, Goldhammer, Weissman, and Rowe were disqualified with three ejections or misconduct.
Trujillo won three and Goldhammer won one of six swim-offs. The Gaels turned the ball over six times. The Gaels scored four woman-up goals on eight chances.
With 1:34 gone in the opening period, Trujillo put Iona on the board first, followed by Sallas, for a 2-0 Gaels edge with 5:02 on the clock. Trujillo struck again on Iona's next chance for a three-goal 3-0 advantage with 4:26 left. On a woman-up chance, Siena sliced the Iona lead to two, 3-1, with 2:51 left. Another Saints score pulled Siena within one, 3-2, at the 1:42 mark. Twenty seconds later, Rowe restored Iona's two-goal margin, 4-2. After Trujillo's third goal, two straight Saints scores cut Iona's edge back to one, 5-4, going into the second period.
In the second quarter, Iona outscored Siena 6-3. The Gaels opened the second quarter with two goals from Sallas and Goldhammer to rebuild a three-score 7-4 advantage with 50 ticks gone. A Siena five-meter penalty goal cut that lead back to two, 7-5, just 18 seconds later. Sallas' third score reupped the Iona margin to three, 8-5, with 5:48 left. Only 50 ticks later, McNabb gave Iona a four-goal edge, 9-5. McNabb struck again on a 6-5 advantage to put the Gaels up five, 10-5, with 3:02 to go. Following a Saints five-meter penalty goal, Trujillo's fourth score increased the Iona cushion to five, 11-6, with 2:24 on the clock. With 1:34 left, Siena cut the Iona lead.
Only 37 seconds into the third period, Sallas found the back of the net for the fourth time, but Siena answered as the Gaels led 12-7 with 59 ticks gone. Morrison restored a five-goal Iona edge, 13-8, with 6:18 to go. Two straight Saints scores cut the Gaels advantage back to three, 13-10, with 2:02 left. With 58 ticks to go, Trujillo's fifth score put Iona up four, 14-10, but 20 seconds later a Siena goal sliced the Gaels advantage back to three, 14-11, going into the fourth period.
Siena reduced the Iona edge to two, 14-12, with 5:57 left. Another Saints goal got Siena within one, 14-13, with 3:59 on the clock. A third straight Siena goal knotted the match at 14 all with 3:05 left. Sallas' fifth goal broke the tie, but Siena answered for a 15-all deadlock with 2:02 remaining. Trujillo's sixth score put Iona up one, 16-15, with 1:31 to go, then Siena retied the score at 16 with a minute left. After two timeouts in the final 34 seconds, neither squad scored to force overtime.
Just 27 seconds into the first overtime, Siena capitalized on a woman-up chance to take its first lead, 17-16. Following a missed Saints five-meter penalty shot and a breakaway save by Penso, the Gaels failed to score going into the second overtime. Just 40 ticks into the second overtime, a Siena shot floated into the goal for an 18-16 Saints lead. Following another missed Siena five-meter penalty shot, a Saints goal sealed their 19-16 win, as the Gaels did not score in overtime.
UP NEXT
On Saturday, the Gaels travel to Poughkeepsie, NY, for two MAAC matches. Iona faces the Virginia Military Institute at 11 a.m. and Long Island University at 5 p.m.
