After an injury-plagued season to start the coaching tenure of Angelika Szumilo, many saw the 2024-2025 season as a bounce-back campaign for a Gaels team that went 11-19 last season, but 26-7 the season before. With a replenished roster and an almost fully healthy team, there is renewed optimism regarding the team’s prospects this season. So far, the team has started the season winless, going 0-3 throughout their first three gamesThe season started on the road on Nov. 5, when the team traveled to Orlando, Florida to take on the UCF Golden Knights. The Gaels were totally outclassed this game, with the Knights outperforming the Gaels in every statistic except turnovers.
The only major star for the Gaels in this game was guard Mya Zaccagnini, who had 13 points and was the only Gaels in double figures.The Gaels had their home opener on Nov. 12, when they hosted the Navy Midshipman. Iona was much more competitive in this game compared to the one against UCF. Going into halftime, the Gaels were tied with Navy, 26-26. The game was even more competitive in the second half, coming down to free throws at the end of the second half. However, a risky play by Iona, intentionally missing a free throw to score on a rebound, didn’t work, and the team lost, 55-53. The two stars for the Gaels this game were Judith Gomez and Zoey Ward, who had 16 points and 15 points, respectively, in addition to 10 rebounds each.
Iona would once again go on the road, facing the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Nov. 15. Much like the game against UCF, it was a total blowout that saw the Gaels lose, 81-53. Also like the UCF game, only one Gael scored in double figures, that being Gomez this time, scoring 12 points.The next couple of weeks we will see the Gaels play more out of conference games. The first comes on Nov. 20, when the Gaels host the College of Charleston Cougars. Six days later, Iona hosts the Wagner Seahawks for a game. Then, the Gaels travel up to Hamilton, New York to take part in the 2024 Colgate Thanksgiving Weekend Tournament. On Nov. 29, they face the Akron Zips before facing either the University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers or the Colgate Raiders the next day
