[ANNAPOLIS, MD] September 5 – After notching its first season win this morning with a 19-13 victory over Austin College (Sherman, TX), the Iona University men's water polo team fell 18-10 to George Washington University (Washington, DC) on the first day of the Navy Open hosted here this weekend by the United States Naval Academy.

GAME SUMMARY

Iona 19 Austin 13

Leading the entire match by as many as seven goals, Iona pulled off its first season victory, 19-13 over Austin this morning.

Junior co-captain Pavle Musikic led the Maroon and Gold with nine goals on ten shots, while junior co-captain Brett Grady and junior Daniel Raz scored two goals each. Junior Hugh Coyle, sophomore Samson Williams, sophomore Toni Vlasic, freshman Christian Couch, freshman Charlie Harbour and freshman Jack Robison added one goal apiece. In goal, junior co-captain PJ Bartzen had 12 saves on 32 Kangaroos shots and two steals with 13 goals against.

The Gaels scored 19 goals on 31 shots and recorded 11 assists, with four from Robison and three from Musikic. On defense, Iona made nine steals with three by Musikic and blocked seven shots with two each by Grady and freshman Logan Hardel. The Gaels drew ten Kangaroos kickouts with four by Musikic, including four five-meter penalties, while being ejected eight times, including two five-meter penalties. Iona committed 14 turnovers. Iona scored three man-up goals on 10 chances, while Austin had one goal on six man-up opportunities. Grady won all four swim-offs.

Musikic needed only 19 seconds into the match to spark a 4-0 Iona run, followed by Couch and two more of his own scores, including a five-meter penalty goal to give the Gaels a 4-0 lead with 5:24 remaining in the opening period. After the Kangaroos sliced the Iona lead back to three, Musikic struck again for a four-goal 5-1 Gaels advantage. With 3:09 left, Austin got back within three, 5-2. The teams traded goals, with Vlasic tallying for a 6-2 Iona edge. After the 'Roos answered in the closing 1:16, Musikic and Harbour put the Gaels up five, 8-3, going into the second period.

With 1:46 gone in the second period, Austin got back within four, 8-4, then Musikic's sixth score upped the Iona edge to five, 9-4, just 13 ticks later. Three straight Kangaroo scores, including a five-meter penalty goal, with 2:38 left, chopped the Iona cushion to two, 9-7, at halftime.

In the third period, Iona outscored Austin 6-2. Musikic scored twice, including a five-meter penalty goal, while Williams and Raz added one goal each to ignite a 4-0 rally for a 13-7 edge with 5:07 on the clock. Following an Austin five-meter penalty goal, Grady struck twice for a seven-goal 15-8 lead at the 1:18 mark. A Kangaroos goal with 23 ticks left cut the Gaels lead to six, 15-9, going into the final period.

Coyle opened the final quarter with a five-meter penalty score, but two unanswered Austin goals trimmed the Iona lead back to five, 16-11, with 6:04 left. Musikic found the back of the net for the ninth time, followed by Robison, to restore a seven-goal 18-11 advantage with 4:18 remaining. Raz's second score answered an Austin score, but the 'Roos sliced the Gaels edge to six, 19-13, with 2:57 to go as Iona held on for its first win of the season.

George Washington 18 Iona 10

Allowing an 11-1 first-half run, Iona fell 18-10 to George Washington in this afternoon's non-conference match.

Harbour led the Maroon and Gold with four goals on six shots, while Musikic and Couch scored two goals apiece. Coyle and Raz added one goal each. In goal, Bartzen had two saves on ten Revolutionaries shots with eight goals against in the first period. Sophomore Kyle Chin Lee had five saves on 17 Revolutionaries shots with ten goals against and one steal in the second, third, and fourth quarters.

The Gaels scored 10 goals on 35 shots and recorded five assists. On defense, Iona made eight steals, two by Harbour, and blocked four shots, also two by Harbour. The Gaels drew eight Revolutionaries kickouts, including one five-meter penalty, while being ejected six times, including one five-meter penalty. Iona committed 7 turnovers. Iona scored four man-up goals on eight opportunities, while George Washington had three man-up goals on six chances. Grady won two of four swim-offs.

George Washington got on the board first with three straight scores for a 3-0 lead with 3:56 left in the opening period. The Revolutionaries tacked on two more consecutive goals until Musikic ended the Gaels offensive drought to cut the George Washington edge to four, 5-1, with 1:47 to go. Three more tallies in the closing 1:32 gave George Washington a seven-goal 8-1 advantage going into the second period.

Continuing a 5-0 run, two more Revolutionaries goals built a nine-goal 10-1 margin with two minutes gone in the second period. George Washington added a five-meter penalty goal, then Couch got Iona back within nine, 11-2, with 4:36 to go. After another Revolutionaries five-meter penalty score, Harbour buried the ball in the back of the net on two consecutive possessions to pull the Gaels back within eight, 12-4, with 1:51 left. Sparking his own 3-0 run, Harbour's hat-trick man-up goal with two ticks left sliced the George Washington halftime edge to seven, 12-5.

Musikic opened the second half with a five-meter penalty goal with 2:31 gone. Coyle continued the Iona offensive surge to cut the George Washington edge to five, 12-7, with 4:33 to go. With three straight scores, George Washington regained an eight-goal 15-7 advantage with 28 ticks left in the third period.

Continuing a 4-0 run, the Revolutionaries added another score to lead 16-7 with 2:40 gone in the final period. Couch's second goal sliced the George Washington advantage back to eight, 16-8, with 4:34 left. Harbour's fourth score answered another Revolutionaries goal to narrow the George Washington lead to eight, 17-9, with 3:03 left. Following another George Washington score, Raz cut the Revolutionaries' edge to eight, 18-10, in the closing minute.

UP NEXT

On Sunday, the Gaels take on Salem University at 11 a.m., and George Washington University at 2 p.m. EDT.