NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A late goal by the visiting Fairfield Stags sent Iona fans home unhappy as the men’s soccer team dropped its second straight at Mazzella Field, 1-0. With the loss, the Gaels now stand at 1-3-0 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.
After a hectic scurry in the box, the game-winner was scored by junior midfielder Dominic Marshall Jr. in the 83rd minute. Junior Iona goalkeeper Julian Petrello aggressively attacked the oncoming Fairfield attack and the Middlesbrough, England native was able to navigate his way through the chaos in route to his team-high sixth goal of the season. The score was assisted by freshman Diego Casielles and sophomore Ben Wignall.
Freshmen Daniel Huertas and Daniel Ocana Garcia led the Maroon & Gold attack with six and five shots apiece; the Gaels outshot the Stags 19 to 12 for the game.
Iona’s best chance to score came midway through the second half. Huertas fired a shot that was saved by Fairfield’s Matt Turner; however a juicy rebound came right to the foot of junior co-captain Oscar Gonzalez, who proceeded to crush his volley directly off the crossbar. Sophomore Luis Mendoza managed to fire a couple shots in the final minutes, but the Stags defense stood firm.
Turner made seven saves in the game to record his second consecutive shutout for Fairfield. Petrello made three saves in net for the Maroon & Gold.
Iona will look to get back on the winning track this upcoming Sat. Oct. 10 on the road in Buffalo, NY against Canisius. The game is being broadcasted live on ESPN3 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 PM.