NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College women’s water polo team started the season off on the right foot on Sunday, winning all three of its contests against Harvard, St. Francis Brooklyn, and Villanova.
The day began with a 10-8 triumph over the 20th ranked Crimson, before a 17-5 rout of the Terriers. In the final game of the day, the Gaels overcame a fourth deficit and topped the Wildcats 10-8.
The Maroon & Goal were lead by freshman Hannah Schultz and junior Taylor Silva, who each both put eight shots in the back of the net. Silva picked up right where she left off last season by leading the Gaels to three victories. Schultz looked like she belonged in her first three career games, tying for the team lead in scoring.
Both Iona goaltenders played well on Sunday. Senior Dana Delucchi stopped 13 shots over the three victories, and freshman Britten Vilander saved 14 shots. Delucchi also added three steals to her totals while Vilander recorded two.
Junior Dana Andrea won every swim off she took, going five- for-five on the afternoon over three games. Andrea also added four assists on the afternoon while tallying two blocks.
Freshman Kayla Allen netted seven goals over the three games, joining Silva and junior Rebecca Mathews (six goals) as the only Gaels to score in all three contests. Over the course of the afternoon, the Maroon & Gold outscored its opponents 37-21.
Iona found itself with a 4-3 cushion after the first quarter against Harvard before the teams entered the second half in a 5-5 tie. The difference in the game was the Gaels’ three third quarter goals while holding the Crimson to only one. Iona then split four goals in the fourth quarter en route to a 10-8 victory.
In her collegiate debut, Schultz lead the Gaels with four goals, and Matthews added three more. Allen and Silva were responsible for the other three goals, scoring two and one respectively. Vilander recorded six saves, and Delucchi added three more.
In the second game, Iona was ahead from the very beginning and never looked back. A 6-2 cushion after the first quarter and a 10-5 lead at the half put Iona in a great position to win the game. Holding St. Francis Brooklyn to only two goals for the entire second half while adding seven more had the Gaels cruising to a 17-5 victory.
Schultz added four more goals in her second career game, while Allen had three. Silva, junior Meghan Mahoney, and sophomore Rebecca Koshy added two goals apiece. Other goal scorers included sophomre Jordan Carmody, freshman Devika Joshi, junior Sara Bortz, and Mathews, who each hit the back of the net once.
In the final game of the Super Sunday kickoff tournament, Iona came out with the nail biting win over Villanova. The game was close from the very beginning. The teams traded goals in the first quarter, ending in a 2-2 tie. Villanova went into halftime with a 4-3 lead. The teams entered the fourth quarter in a 6-6 draw.
The difference in the game was four Iona fourth quarter goals, while holding the Wildcats to two. silva lead the Gaels with five goals in the game. Allen and Matthews needed two goals each, and Koshy added the final tally for the two-goal Gael victory.
The Gaels are back in action on Saturday, February 7th at the Princeton Invitational when they take on the host Tigers, Brown, Indiana, and a rematch with Harvard.