Men’s water polo kicked off its season on Aug. 30 with two opening games, winning one against Gannon and losing against Pacific. Iona fell to No.9 Pacific despite early efforts, including two quick goals from freshman Samson Williams. Therefore, they lost the game 18-7. In their second game against Gannon, they defeated them 14-12, and a crucial player in the game was Slavkoic, who had eight saves during the whole game.

“It was a good opening day,” said head coach Brian Kelly.

Even though they lost, the Gaels learned from it and came out stronger.

On Aug. 31, Men’s water polo took on Bucknell in a 16-15 loss. Muikic continued to shine in the light, scoring four goals and only taking six shots. In total, the Gaels scored  15 goals on 39 shots taken. However, Bucknell played a better second half, scoring five goals against Iona. But Iona almost came back in the fourth with a chance to tie it on a buzzer-beater. The Gaels had a three-goal rally, but unfortunately, the tying goal was saved, and they lost.

On Sep. 5, the Men’s Water Polo team faced Concordia, ultimately losing 16-11. Despite battling until the end, they came close with strong offensive efforts. Ryan Tannus led the team and scored four goals. Ionas’ offense did not give up, though they continued to fight in the third quarter with four more goals. However, Concordia matched those four goals early in the game, regaining the momentum they needed to cruise to victory.

The Gaels traveled to the west coast to play the Redland Bulldogs, capturing a 13-12 win—a nailbiter, some may say, as both teams had an insane performance. Junior attacker Pavle Musikic delivered a career performance. The best we’ve seen yet, scoring eight goals, marked one of the biggest wins in Iona water polo history. Once the third quarter came around, Musikic scored three goals, which helped the Gaels get in the game. Once the Gaels entered the 4th quarter,  they had a 9-8 advantage. Near the end of the quarter, Colby Scanlon contributed two goals and two assists. This gave the Gaels the lead they needed to take the victory.

Iona Men’s Water Polo takes on Fresno Pacific on Sep. 6, losing 20-17. The Gaels dominated first, taking a 4-1 lead, but later trailed 10-9 by halftime. Later, Iona rallied in the fourth with goals by Mischlich, Pavle Musikic, and Guilherme Tannus. But the seven goals by Forest Gray sealed the win for Fresno Pacific.