NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona College lacrosse team dropped its fifth MAAC game of the season Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 13-9 contest at Fairfield. The Stags used a 16-to-8 draw control advantage to control the tempo and counteract junior Pamela Giordano’s game-high four goals.
Fairfield and Iona battled back and forth in the first half, trading goals until the Stags closed the opening frame scoring three of the final four. The Gaels trailed 7-4 at halftime and were constantly against the grain being outshot 13-8 overall, and 10-7 shots on goal.
The beginning of the second half was quiet on the offensive end. The lone goal in the opening 13 minutes of the period came from Stags senior midfielder Scarlett Sulliman; her second of the game. Following the net rattling, Fairfield’s offensive then found its groove, scoring three straight, including a pair within 90 seconds to open a 10-4 lead with 15:15 remaining.
Draw controls were a major factor in the decision of the game. Fairfield controlled double the draws that the Gaels corralled, including 10 of the 12 in the first half. Iona committed 19 turnovers, 11 of which were drawn by the Stags.
Giordano led the Maroon & Gold with four goals on six shots. Sophomore Libby Miller and senior Katelyn Noschese each had two scores while junior Jenna Tolzmann found the back of the net once.
Sophomore Shannon McCaffrey saved eight shots and gathered a game-high four ground balls. Junior Gabriella Di Domizio caused three Stag turnovers.
Three Stag student-athletes had three goals; senior Alex Fehmel netted three on a team-high eight shots with sophomore midfielder Taylor Mitchell and Sulliman also finished with hat tricks.
The Gaels battle the Marist Red Foxes in the penultimate game of the season on Saturday, Apr. 22. Before the game, head coach Michelle Mason and her staff will host the annual senior day ceremony prior to the 1:00 PM draw. You can watch the Maroon & Gold’s final two games of the season against Marist and Monmouth (Apr. 26) on ESPN3.