NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College men’s water polo team dropped a pair of matches in Cambridge, falling at the hands of MIT and Harvard
MIT 11, Iona 5
The first quarter of the Gaels and Engineers matchup was a defensive struggle, with each team only registering one goal. Junior Chris Ellis scored the first goal for the Maroon & Gold, and the first of two for the utility player.
The second quarter was dominated by MIT; Iona was outscored 5-1 and therefore entered the halftime break trailing 6-2. The lone score during the difficult eight minutes came for the Gaels came from sophomore Marc Stauble.
Following the break, Iona attempted to get back in the game by winning the quarter, a quest that would fall just short in. Goals from sophomore Zach Presto and Ellis gave them a fighting chance, but three goals for the Engineers kept them in front by five foals entering the final quarter.
Despite a score from sophomore Randy Weiskittel, Iona would drop the conference match to MIT by a final score of 5 to 11.
#12 Harvard 19, Iona 9
Nationally ranked Harvard showed their prowess in their matchup against the Gaels, flexing their muscles to a 19-9 win. Much like the contest against the Engineers, the second quarter proved to be the downfall for the Maroon & Gold.
For Iona, freshman Alex Guerrea and Stauble scored for the Gaels in the first quarter, followed by two goals in the second from senior Rafael Romero and junior co-captain Hudson Grieve. The Crimson carried in a 12-4 into halftime.
The Maroon and Gold got scores in the second half from Weistkittel, Guerra, and freshman Spencer Anthony.
The Gaels will now travel to Providence, RI for the CWPA Northern Division Championship. The post season action is scheduled to begin on Saturday, Nov. 7.
