Iona women’s lacrosse team secured their eighth victory of the season as they took down rivals Manhattan College 12-11  in their last home game of the regular season on Mazzella Field on April 12.  

The win improved their overall record to 8-6 while finishing with a home record of 7-3.  

It was a back-and-forth game as the Jaspers opened the scoring in the first couple of seconds of the game. Iona found themselves down by two at the end of the first quarter before scoring two quick goals within the first five minutes of the second quarter. They then had to make another comeback as Manhattan took a 7-4 lead in the second half.  

Iona went on to end the second half up by one after scoring three straight goals in the fourth quarter to earn the victory. Sophomore Lainey Walterson led Iona in goals with four and freshman Maliya Haddock and Junior Alexa Skoubas scored two goals apiece.  

The Gaels’ win over Manhattan College improved their record in MAAC play to 2-4. Iona started MAAC play on March 25 with a loss against Siena College at home. Iona then went on to lose against Fairfield University on March 29 before beating Canisius College 19-14 on April 1. Following this win, Iona lost to Mount St. Mary’s University 9-15 on April 5 and Niagara University 11-16 on April 8.  

Iona currently has seven players who have scored double-digit goals this year. Sophomore Kira Varada leads Iona with thirty goals, while Junior Micaela Fitzpatrick has 29, senior Amber Brewster has 28, senior Emily Stewart has 27, sophomore Laine Walterson has 13, Haddock has 12 and Skoubas has 10. Fitzpatrick leads the Gaels in assists with 30.   

Head coach for the women’s lacrosse team Lauren Kahn entered her fourth season this year with a chance to break a record she tied in 2022 season, where Iona tied the program record in wins with nine. 

 Iona will finish the regular season soon with only two more away games. The Gaels matchup against Quinnipiac University on April 19 before finishing the regular season with a game against Marist College on April 22.  

The opening round of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference tournament will take place on April 30 with the MAAC Championships taking place on May 7. The Gaels will look to win their first MAAC Championship in program history.  

To qualify for the MAAC tournament, the Gaels need to finish in the top six out of nine teams in the MAAC regular season. They currently sit in sixth place but are tied with all the teams below them with a 2-4 record.  

Their final two games feature the team two places above them in Quinnipiac University, who are fourth, and Marist College, who are ninth but tied with the same record as the Gaels and Canisus College and Manhattan College.