On Oct. 11, the women’s soccer faced Mount St. Mary’s on the road and came up on top, winning 1-0.
With that being said, a significant factor of this outcome is Dolene Smith scoring her 6th goal of the season, giving the Gaels a slight advantage, which was just enough to come out victorious.
However, this was not seen as an easy win with both teams clashing back and forth and creating multiple opportunities to score.
Mount opened aggressively with early corner kicks, but Iona’s defense held firm. The Gaels dominated much of the first half with a 7-1 shot margin before breaking through late. Goalkeeper Kayla Kalbaugh made a key save in the 31st minute and finished with a season-high five saves. Mount pushed for an equalizer in the second half, outshooting Iona 6-3 in the final 30 minutes. Kalbaugh’s four second-half stops secured the shutout.
The victory improved Iona’s Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference record to 3-0-1 over its last four matches. This game didn’t include much foul play, only awarding both sides 14 calls with one yellow towards Iona.
The Maroon and Gold returned to action on Oct. 15, capturing a win on the road against Sacred Heart University, 1-0.
Marissa Grazziano played a vital role in this win for the Gaels. She scored the only goal to secure the win for the Gaels. Other players created pressure for the Pioneers, like Mya Jackson, Ava Barker, and Sofia Bigeni. All three had a total of six shots together and held the ball for most of the game for Iona. Sacred Heart applied heavy pressure late, outshooting Iona 10-0 in the final 21 minutes. Despite the surge, the Gaels’ defense stayed composed under pressure. Goalkeeper Kayla Kalbaugh made three crucial saves in the 61st, 78th, and 85th minutes. Her strong performance preserved the clean sheet and sealed the shutout victory for Iona. Compared to the Oct. 11 game, this game was foul-heavy, with a total of 22 fouls and three cards awarded, including both teams.
The Gaels are getting close to the end of their season; however, next week is a bye, heading back home on the Mazzella field to face Quinnipiac University on Oct. 25 before playing a few more games to wrap up their season.
