RIVERSIDE, CA – After being behind or tied until late in the first half, the Iona women’s water polo team rallied with eight goals from freshman Hannah Schultz for a 15-9 win over Division III Occidental College in the opening match of the squad’s six-game annual California trip. After the victory, the Gaels team dropped a 13-5 decision at California Baptist University later in the evening.
Junior Meghan Mahoney hit two scores, while junior Rebecca Matthews, junior Taylor Silva, sophomore Rebecca Koshy, freshman Paige Neary, and freshman Kayla Allen scored one goal each. Freshman goalie Britteny Vilander recorded seven saves, senior Devin Green had two, and junior Dana Delucchi had one. On defense, Silva drew three kickouts and Matthews forced two.
Schultz two unanswered goals in the opening four minutes gave Iona a 2-0 lead with 4:02 left in the first period. But Occidental answered with two straight of its own to knot the match at two a minute later. Koshy’s lob put the Gaels back up 3-2 with 2:33 left, then the Tigers retied the score at three 33 ticks later.
The hosts opened the second period with two straight scores until Schultz hit two consecutive goals to tie the match at five with 3:42 to halftime. Occidental retook the lead a minute later, but the Gaels reeled off three straight goals, two from Schultz and one by Allen on a five-meter penalty, to lead 8-6 at intermission.
Holding the Tigers scoreless for more than eight minutes, the Gaels had three straight scores from Silva, Mahoney and Schultz for a 11-6 advantage with 2:53 left in the third. Twenty-five seconds later Occidental narrowed Iona’s lead to 11-7, but Schultz and Mahoney each struck again as the Gaels led 13-7 going into the final quarter.
Both teams scored twice in the fourth period as Matthews and Neary sealed the win for the Gaels.
Against the Lancers, Silva, Mahoney, Koshy, Schultz and Allen scored one goal each for Iona. Delucchi recorded four saves and Vilander had none.
On defense Silva drew three Lancer kickouts, and junior Sara Bortz made three steals, while Silva, Mahoney and junior Dana Andrea had two each. Andrea also won all four swimoffs.
In the opening two minutes of the match, California Baptist hit two unanswered goals, then Silva put the Gaels on the board with 3:16 left in the first quarter. The hosts scored again at the 1:34 mark, but Schultz answered to get Iona within one 3-2 with 30 seconds to the buzzer.
The Lancers scored two unanswered goals in the opening three minutes of the second period for a 5-2 advantage, until Koshy’s long-distance lob narrowed the home lead to 5-3 with 3:16 to go in the half. But California Baptist hit the back of the net four consecutive times for 9-3 lead at intermission.
Mahoney ended the Gaels offensive drought by scoring on a 6-5 advantage 1:11 into the third period. But the Lancers hit a five-meter penalty shot at the 4:55 mark. With 1:18 left in the third, Allen capitalized on another 6-5 advantage as Iona pulled within five 10-5 going into the final period.
That would be as close as the Gaels would get, however, as the Lancers outscored Iona 3-0 in the fourth period for the win.
Iona returns to Cal Baptist on Friday to face Redlands University and Fresno Pacific University in the Lancer Invitational.