NEW ROCHELLE, NY — After a relatively quiet opening to the match, the fifth seeded Iona College men’s soccer team struck iron late in the first half on a penalty kick opportunity, and from there they would hold on to defeat the fourth seeded Fairfield Stags. With the victory, the Gaels have earned a berth into the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s soccer championship semifinals.
Junior co-captain Oscar Gonzalez scored the game winning goal for Iona in the closing minutes of the first half, and from there, junior goalkeeper Julian Petrello defended the wall and recorded three big time saves for his sixth shutout of the season.
Roughly five minutes into the contest, freshman Daniel Huertas fired Iona’s first shot on goal from five yards out, leading to one of Iona’s three corner kick opportunities of the first half.
Junior Dominic Marshall gave the Stags their first crack at scoring at 19:13, taking in a long pass from the right side of the box and attempting to tap it behind Petrello near post. Marshall had two shots for Fairfield in the opening frame.
The Maroon & Gold applied heavy pressure in the 32nd minute; sophomore Marcos Nunez was fed a pass from Huertas, leading to a close-range attempt that was stuffed by Stags net-minder, Michael Turner. The senior was able to bounce back up and keep the game scoreless by getting a hand on sophomore Luis Mendoza’s rebound put back attempt
The constant offensive zone pressure finally paid off when Gonzalez netted Iona’s first half goal on a penalty kick opportunity after 40:12 had passed. The score was the junior’s second of the season.
Fairfield came out aggressive for the second half, holding possession for the majority of the first ten minutes. In the 51st minute, sophomore Jordan Emsley had a great scoring chance for the Stags, but his shot from ten yards out sailed high over the crossbar.
Capitalizing on their opponent’s goal-scoring mindset, the Gaels found themselves with a tantalizing counter attack opportunity. Sophomore Daniel Ocana, Nunez and Huertas played hot potato with the ball, dizzying the Fairfield defense. The rookie, MAAC-leading goal scorer was able to get this left foot on a strike that forced Turner to make a diving save.
Quickly following the Gaels fortuitous prospect, Marshall once again found himself making Iona fans uneasy. In a span of two minutes, he fired two shots on net, forcing Petrello to make a timely save to keep the score in the Maroon & Gold’s advantage.
Petrello’s stonewalling allowed for junior Jordan Scarlett to come within inches of giving Iona a two goal lead. At 64:35, a perfectly timed give-and-go effort with Nunez led to the Bronx, NY native to the right side of the box, which he had all to his own. Turner charged out to cut down the angle, forcing Scarlett to push the worm-burning shot just wide of the left post.
The final ten minutes of the game was filled with nervous energy as Fairfield garnered numerous corner kick ventures. Despite the mounting gravity of the situation, the Iona backline stood tall and preserved the quarterfinals win.
Iona’s next contest will be against the top seeded Monmouth on Sunday, Nov. 8. Kickoff is set for 11:00 AM, and the match can be watching live on ESPN3.com.
