NEW ROCHELLE, NY — After splitting two matches Saturday, the Iona women’s water polo team (8-12 overall, 4-2 MAAC) notched two victories today against Villanova University and Virginia Military Institute in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference play at Saint Francis College.
GAME 1: Iona 9, Villanova 8
In a see-saw match that featured six ties and three lead changes, Iona pulled out a 9-8 victory over Villanova in the closing minutes.
Sophomore Hannah Schultz led the Gaels with four goals, including the game winner with 1:21 left, while senior Rebecca Mathews had two. Senior Meghan Mahoney, and sophomores Kayla Allen and Karli Normand scored one each.
In goal, freshman Jordin Hale has eight saves and one steal, while facing 23 Villanova shots. On defense, Iona made 13 steals with four by senior Dana Andrea and three by Allen, and one block by Mahoney. The Gaels drew six Wildcats ejections, while being ejected seven times. Iona scored two man-up goals on five chances, while Villanova hit three goals out of six 6-5 advantages.
Mathews only need 30 seconds to put Iona on the board, followed by Schultz for a 2-0 Gael lead with 5:04 left in the first period. Two straight Villanova goals, including a five-meter penalty shot, tied the score at two 55 seconds later. Normand gave Iona the lead back 3-2 at the 2:18 mark, but Villanova tied the score at three going into the second period.
After Schultz missed a five-meter penalty shot with 2:06 gone in the second quarter, neither squad scored until the Wildcats took the lead 4-3 with 2:44 to halftime. Thirty-five ticks later, Allen tied the score at four, then Villanova scored a minute later to lead 5-4 at intermission.
The Wildcats upped their lead to 6-4 just 36 seconds into the third period. Over the next six minutes, the Gaels rallied with three unanswered scores. Goals by Schultz and Mathews resulted in the match’s fourth tie at six with 5:04 left. With 1:11 on the clock, Schultz’s third goal put Iona back up 7-6 going into the final period.
Forty-six seconds into the final period, Villanova tied the match at seven. Holding the Gaels scoreless over the next five minutes, the Wildcats retook the lead 8-7. With 2:04 left, Mahoney knotted the match at eight, then Schultz’s fourth goal put the Gaels back on top 9-8 for good with 1:21 to go. Freezing the ball in the final minute, Iona held on for the win.
GAME 2: Iona 22, VMI 7
With the entire squad playing and 14 Gaels scoring, Iona defeated VMI 22-7 after leading the entire contest in Sunday’s second MAAC match.
Schultz led the Gaels with four goals, while juniors Rebecca Koshy and Darby Nevins scoring three goals each. Andrea and Mathews had two goals each. Mahoney and seniors Sara Bortz and Taylor Silva, sophomores Megan Hofer, Devika Joshi, Karli Normand, and Brittany Toro, and freshmen Alyssa Gayapa, and Alexandra Guerra each scored one goal.
In goal, sophomore Britten Vilander had eight saves and three steals in the first three quarters, while freshman Andrea Guerra had two saves and one steal in the fourth quarter.
On defense, Iona made 17 steals with four by Andrea, three by Silva and two each by Bortz, Koshy, Joshi, and Normand made one block. The Gaels drew eight VMI ejections with three by Mathews, but were ejected 15 times with Nevins, Normand and Gayapa being disqualified. Iona scored on three of five man-up chances.
The Gaels scored five unanswered goals on their first five possessions, as Mahoney, Schultz, Andrea (two goals) and Nevins hit the back of the net to lead 5-0 at the 5:10 mark of the opening period. Schultz added a five-meter penalty shot 1:24 later, followed by Normand, Koshy and Toro to give Iona a 9-0 advantage going into the second period.
VMI got on the board 35 seconds into the second quarter, but Nevins answered 53 ticks later to increase the Gael lead to 10-1. The Keydets scored with 5:51 left in the half, and again at the 51-second mark, but Iona had four consecutive goals from Mathews, Schultz, Joshi and Koshy for a 14-3 lead at intermission.
In the third period, VMI scored on a man-up advantage and five-meter penalty shot, but five Iona goals from Silva, Mathews, Koshy, Schultz and Gayapa gave the Gaels a 19-6 advantage going into the final period. The Gaels outscored the Keydets 5-2 in the final period with goals from Guerra, Bortz, Hofer, Normand and Andrea to seal the victory.
Returning from Brooklyn with three league victories and one loss, Iona head coach Brian Kelly was pleased with noticeable improvement of his team, now third in the MAAC standings.
“It was a good weekend for us picking up three wins in MAAC play,” Kelly said. “It was a big win versus a tough Villanova team. We didn’t play particularly well offensively. Thankfully, we played an excellent defensive game. We’re looking forward to next weekend as we will continue to improve.”
On Saturday, April 9, the Gaels will face St. Francis (NY) College at 2:30 p.m., and host Siena College at 5:30 p.m., in Loudonville, NY. On Sunday, April 10, Iona will play Wagner College at noon and host Marist College at 5:30 p.m., in Poughkeepsie, NY.