NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College lacrosse team was haulted by Lafayette 16-11 Wednesday afternoon at Mazzella Field. The Gaels were outshot by the Leopards 42-39, and committed 43 fouls compared to the opposition’s 27.
Junior Jenna Tolzmann and freshman Delaney Davison each tallied a hat-trick in the defeat, with senior Erin Pugh picking up two goals. Junior Pamela Giordano, and sophomores Kathryn Flannigan, Libby Miller, and Christine Gironda each found the back of the net once in the contest.
In net, sophomore Shannon McCaffrey got the start, making six saves and allowing eight goals. Freshman Samantha Tyo took over late in the first half, securing eight Leopard’s shots.
The Leopards stormed the Gaels in the beginning minutes, opening up a 3-0 lead just 3:38 into the contest. Katelyn Noschese found Gironda in front of the net to put the Maroon & Gold on the board, followed by Tolzmann’s sixth goal of the year to cut the deficit to one, 3-2. Lafayette would storm back with five goals in the next 10 mintues to open up an 8-2 cushion on the Gaels.
Iona would not go quietly, scoring three of the next four goals. Pugh tallied her first of the game with 6:52 remaining in the half, followed by Tolzmann 33 ticks later. Tolzmann beat the buzzer with eight seconds remaining, as the Gaels went into the half trailing 9-5.
The Maroon & Gold found it tough to penetrate the Lafayette defense in the second half. After Pugh opened up the scoring on a free-possession attempt, the Leopards ran past the Gaels, scoring the next six goals to put themselves ahead 15-6.
The Gaels closed out the game strong, scoring five of the final six goals. With 8:03 remaining in the contest, Davidson notched her first collegiate goal on a free-possession shot, and followed it up with another five minutes later. Miller scored her second of the season, followed by Giordano 13th. With 32 ticks left, Davidson completed the hat-trick before the final horn sounded.
Iona hits the road this weekend to take on UMass Lowell on Saturday at 1:00 PM.