NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The Iona men’s water polo team were defeated in both contests in day two of the Navy Open. The Gaels fell 6-4 in a defensive battle against Gannon, and were defeated 9-8 in a hotly contested battle against the host Navy minutemen.
Game 1 – Iona 4, Gannon 6
Iona was unable to upend Gannon in the morning contest, falling 6-4. Marc Stauble scored two goals, and Patrick Hudak and Andrew Judge each tallied a goal. Sebastian Van Reeken started in net, making 15 saves and collecting six steals.
In a defensive struggle in the first quarter, Marc Stauble was the lone Gael to find the back of the net. Iona’s defense was able to hold Gannon off the score sheet, holding a one goal lead after eight minutes. In the second frame, it was Gannon who tallied one and held the Gaels scoreless. The teams were knotted at one after the first half.
Iona was outscored 2-1 in the third quarter, with Patrick Hudak finding the back of the net.
Hudak again knotted the score just under a minute in the fourth quarter. Gannon scored twice in a three minute span thereafter, giving the opposition a 5-3 lead with 2:30 to play. Stauble scored his final tally of the game with 2:09 remaining to cut the deficit to one. Iona was unable to complete a comeback in the final minutes, conceding two goals in the process.
Game 2 – Iona 8, Navy 9
In a back-and-forth contest, Iona was unable to pick up the victory against host Navy, falling 9-8. Four Gaels tallied a pair of goals, led by Hudak, Lloyd, Stauble, and Roper.
In the first quarter, Roper and Hulbert found the back of the net, and the the defense held Navy to one goal. B
Stauble gave Iona a two goal advantage in the second quarter. With 1:15 left in the third, Navy scored, but with 17 seconds left, Quinn Lloyd put Iona back up by a pair. Iona went into the break up by one goal, 4-3.
In the third quarter, Hudak and Lloyd scored, and the Gaels conceded two goals, putting the score at 6-6 heading into the final frame.
Hudak put the Gaels 29 seconds in, but was answered 13 seconds later. Navy scored the next two, and Roper answered with 1:17 left. Iona was unable to complete the comeback over the final 77 seconds.
Iona returns Friday to take part in the Princeton open against Santa Clara, George Washington, and Johns Hopkins.
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Head Coach Brian Kelly on the two contests: “We’re playing at a really high level defensively. Our goaltending had been unreal. Van Reeken was excellent today. Our man advantage really let us down in two close losses.”
