With only two home games all season, the Iona College women’s water polo team certainly made the most of the two matchups at the Hynes Athletics Center in front of the home crowd. The Gaels defeated the Villanova Wildcats 16-9 and the Marist Red Foxes 14-13 on March 29.

In the first matchup of the day, Iona (10-13 overall, 5-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC)) held a commanding 7-3 lead on Villanova after two quarters of play. The Maroon & Gold piled on nine more goals in the second half, including six in the final period.

Seniors Amy Olsen, Erika Lauraitis, Hannah Cross and Sarah Hanly combined to score 15 of Iona’s 16 goals. Olsen and Lauraitis led the way with six goals each.

Senior goalkeeper Marisa Gaynor had a stellar performance in net making seven saves. Iona amassed 25 steals in the contest; junior Katie Stelnicki had a team-high seven steals.

The Maroon & Gold had a much closer contest in their second match of the day, but still prevailed 14-13 over Marist.

Once again the Gaels jumped ahead early and had a 4-1 lead after one quarter of play. The Red Foxes battled back in the second and went into the half trailing 7-5.

Despite being outscored 8-7 in the second half, the Gaels held onto their lead and claimed the victory. A defensive stop with six seconds remaining sealed the game.

Lauraitis led Iona with five goals and one assist. Olsen netted three goals.

“It was hard to accept that our senior game was the last we play at Iona,” Olsen said. “But I was happy that we sealed it with a win that we needed for conference play. I could not have asked for a better senior night with my teammates.”

The following day, Iona traveled to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. to play another doubleheader; this time against conference foes Siena and Virginia Military Institute (VMI).

In the first matchup of the day, the Gaels’ offensive supremacy was evident. Eight different players found the back of the net as Iona easily defeated the Siena Saints 17-8. The Gaels scored seven times in the first quarter and held a 12-3 advantage at halftime.

Olsen netted five goals, and Lauraitis added three. Gaynor had nine saves.

Iona’s offense wasn’t finished there. In the second game of the day, the Gaels earned their fourth straight victory and defeated VMI 14-6. The Maroon & Gold, who led 5-2 at halftime, found the back of the net six times in the third period to open the game up.

Olsen scored six goals and recorded two assists. Lauraitis contributed with four goals and one assist.

During the four-game winning streak, Olsen and Lauraitis scored a combined 38 goals.

“The winning streak puts us in a good place for the MAAC,” Olsen said. “This next weekend is crucial for us in order to be the regular season champions.”

Next up for the Gaels, who sit in a tie for first place in the MAAC with Marist, will be four games in Loudonville, N.Y. They will face Siena and Marist on April 5 and Villanova and Wagner the following day.