The Iona University women’s water polo team returned to action for the first time in nearly four weeks during the 2024 Indiana Invitational, hosted in Bloomington, Ind. from Feb. 17-18.
Starting off with an 11:45 a.m. matchup against Salem University on Feb. 17, the Gaels got in the win column early. Iona’s 15-13 overtime victory brought them above the .500 mark for the first time on the season.
Goals from Kaya Hart, Amelia Gonzalez and Bella Morquecho allowed Iona to hold a 3-2 lead in the first quarter. Sophomore Lola Trujillo grabbed two goals in the second quarter, in addition to two other swimmers, putting the Gaels up by a pair heading into the second half. Trujillo kept the offense humming when it mattered most, completing the hat trick in the third quarter and scoring an additional fourth goal later on.
Salem did not go down easy, though, and posed a late threat with a 3-1 run in the final slate, bringing the game to overtime. Junior Addison Collins broke through with a goal and helped lead Iona to victory.
The Maroon and Gold used their two goalkeepers, Lilly Morris and Zasha Soler, in net, and the strategy worked, with 12 saves on 33 shots.
Iona followed up their triumphant overtime win with a tough 19-5 loss at the hands of the tournament’s host school, Indiana University.
The Gaels tried their best to put some points on the board, producing 23 shots – including two goals from Sadie Sallas – but the Hoosiers’ offensive output was far too strong to overcome. Morris and Soler tried to stop this push, combining for nine steals over 37 shots.
On Day 2 of the Indiana Invitational, the Gaels played the University of Michigan’s Wolverines, in an early-morning matchup on Feb. 18.
Morquecho, Gonzalez and Mia Tovar (who also had two assists, posting a team-high nine points), combined for two goals apiece. In Soler’s first career start in net, she made six saves with two steals. The Gaels totaled seven steals as a team, with three coming from Tovar alone.
Iona once again failed to start up the goal-scoring, landing in single digits for the second straight game and falling to Michigan, 19-9.
Iona returned to the pool only a few hours after their loss to Michigan for the final affair of the Indiana Invitational against Saint Francis University.
The Gaels went a solid 10-for-28 on shot attempts thanks to three tallies from Trujillo and one goal each from Morquecho, Tovar, Gonzalez, Jenna Handali and Lily Graham. In addition to maintaining her goal-scoring ways, Trujillo was also strong in the swim-off department, improving her record to 24-1.
This production, combined with Morris’ 9-of-24 stat line, brought Iona back in the win column with a 10-8 end result.
Before starting up another competition at the 2024 Convergence Tournament on March 1, the women’s water polo team has a one-off outing at Chapman University on Feb. 28.
