Men’s water polo only played once this week, on Sept. 12, so there wasn’t much to cover. However, there were still vital plays.

The Iona Water Polo team had a rough start, falling to Wagner at home, 11-15, at Hynes Pool. Senior Co-Captain Scanlon and sophomore Pavle Musikic each scored three goals to start. On top of that, Daniel Raz added two more goals to give the Gaels a fighting chance. The Gaels finished with 26 shots, nine steals, and 26 drawn kickouts for the matchup.

Iona jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, but Wagner answered with a 3-0 run to end the first quarter ahead 3-2. The Gaels kept battling in the second period, trading goals before tying it at halftime, 7-7. Therefore, Iona Gaels fought til the end.

Although it wasn’t enough for the victory, there was a lot to take away from this match, as the Gaels never gave up throughout the whole matchup. Players like Daniel Raz never stopped believing, and the entire time, it felt like a tie game due to the game’s intense level. Both sides wanted it just as severely, and when it reaches that point, it becomes a coin flip, with a 50/50 chance of anything happening.

Just 50 seconds into the fourth quarter, Wagner extended its lead to 13-10. Daniel Raz answered with his second goal to cut the deficit to 13-11 with 5:32 remaining, but the Seahawks closed the match with two goals in the final 43 seconds to secure the road victory.

Defensively, Iona tallied nine steals and blocked four shots, but 15 ejections and 10 turnovers proved costly despite drawing 26 kickouts and converting seven man-up goals.

Wagner pulled away late in the fourth quarter, scoring twice in the final minute to secure a 15-11 win.

The Gaels will face Princeton in the Hynes Center Pool in New Rochelle on September 27th, a match that promises to be interesting. Princeton has won the Northeast Water Polo Conference four times, establishing itself as a well-recognized team over the past few years. Even though Iona has proven themselves a few times, Princeton has the trophies and experience to confirm who they really are. Finally, the water polo team is struggling to be the team they want to be, with a 2-7 win-loss ratio and a four-game losing streak. However, they are fighting the good fight to try and bounce back.