NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The No. 5 seed Iona College men’s soccer team fell to No. 1 Monmouth 2-1 in the semifinal round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference men’s soccer championship.
The regular season champion Hawks got their first half goals from freshman defender Zachary Pereira and senior Dan Pizzimenti. Iona’s score came on a penalty kick shot from junior Jon-Luke Ferrandino.
To open the match, Monmouth earned the first corner kick opportunity in the fifth minute. Senior defender Derek Luke fed a line drive into the box from the left side that sophomore midfielder Luis Mendoza safely headed out of danger.
MAAC Offensive Player of the Year Marcos Nunez had the Gael bench rising with a great opportunity in the 39th minute. The sophomore striker was fed a backdoor pass from freshman Daniel Ocana and forced MAAC Goalkeeper of the Year Eric Klenofsky to make a diving near post save.
Hawks’ junior Dave Nigro tested Iona keeper Julian Petrello in the 12th minute with a laser of a shot from just outside the box on the left side. Monmouth continued its momentum for the next ten minutes, highlighted be a strong charge toward net from junior Miguel Alves. Petrello was forced get his hands on redirected header to keep the score tied at zero.
Junior forward Daniel Huertas was at the center of a Gael counter-attack chance, feeding to Garcia who was able to center a tasty ball toward the head of the MAAC Co-Rookie of the Year. The Hawks defense was able to clear the ball out of danger directly to Ferrandino, who miss hit a one-timer chance.
Monmouth’s first half goal came via a corner kick in the 23rd minute. Luke fired a cross toward the far post where Pereira got his head on the well-placed feed and directed it into net.
Iona had a chance to tie on a corner chance with 14:23 remaining in the first. The chaos in the box led to two good chances for junior co-captain Oscar Gonzalez. The All-MAAC Second Team performer had both his high-powered right-footed strikes blocked by the Hawks.
With two minutes remaining in the first 45, Iona committed a foul in a dangerous area just outside the penalty area. Monmouth took advantage of the position and scored its second of the game and took the advantage into the locker room. The Hawsk’ second tally cross the goal line on a deflection by Pizzimenti and assisted on a free kick by David Acuna Camacho.
The Maroon & Gold had three shots in the first half and two corner kick chances.
Head coach Fernando Barboto instilled energy into the Gaels during the intermission and with it the Gaels’ attack came out with a fury. Nunez created a corner kick chance that Ocana fed into the box near post. In the following possession, the freshman midfielder came just two feet wide left of getting the Iona on the board with a shot from 15 yards out.
The continued pressure resulted in a penalty kick opportunity in the 54th minute. Nunez and Huertas combined on a give-and-go chance that ended up drawing a foul in the box. Ferandino stepped to the dot and fired a screamer to get Iona within one goal of Monmouth.
A stoppage in play in the 55th minute followed some chippy play by both squads. The result was a red card for Iona junior Jordan Scarlett and a yellow for Monmouth junior Colin Stripling of Monmouth.
Following the break Petrello found himself on edge when a shot from Luke sailed just inches over the cross bar.
The play ricocheted back and forth until roughly 12 minutes remained. Freshman defender Carlos Bonilla fed cross into the box to sophomore Joshua Calderon. The Gael defender got his head on it and forced Klenofsky to make a game-saving stop.
With five minutes remaining, Garcia charged up the sideline and earned a corner, one he placed directly onto the forehead of freshman Humbert Ferrer. The MAAC All-Rookie selection directed his efforts just high of the crossbar.
Iona finished the game with 10 shots and five corner kick opportunities. Petrello made five saves in goal for Iona.
The Gaels’ 2015 campaign ends with a 10-7-3 overall mark. Iona was 5-3-2 in MAAC regular season play and tied for third place in the standings. The 10 victories marked the fifth season double-digit wins for coach Barboto’s Gaels in the last eight seasons.
