The Iona College men’s water polo team kicked off their first tournament of the season on Sept.7 in Annapolis, Md. at the United States Naval Academy.

The Maroon & Gold suffered a heartbreaking 12-11 loss in the opening game to Johns Hopkins.

The Maroon & Gold held a commanding 11-6 lead with a minute left in the third. In the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, the Blue Jays knotted the score at 11. John Hopkins pulled ahead with just 19.6 seconds left in regulation. All totaled, Iona allowed six unanswered goals.

Sophomore Zach Presto boasted an impressive game, leading the pack with four goals. Juniors Jake Lloyd and Ian Thompson each scored two goals. Senior Sean Davis and juniors James Ramaley and Kyle Elmore each netted goals. Senior starting goalie Stefen Hill recorded 12 saves for the Gaels.

In game two, Iona fell to tournament host the Navy Midshipmen 16-9. The two teams traded goals in the opening quarter. The Midshipmen held a slight 4-3 lead at the end of the first. Navy took control of the game by outscoring the Gaels 4-1 in the second quarter.

Third quarter goals from Ramaley and Thompson contributed to the Gaels’ offense. However, four more Navy goals gave the Midshipmen a 12-6 lead going into the fourth. The Maroon & Gold continued to fight and netted three goals in the final period.

Ramaley led the way for the Gaels with three goals, while Thompson and Elmore each scored two goals. Davis and Stelniki both added goals in the loss, and Hill made eleven saves in net.

On day two in Annapolis, the Gaels were unable to pick up the tempo and suffered losses to Bucknell and an exhibition match against Diablo Valley College.

The Bison topped Iona 12-7, wrapping up the Gaels’ first tournament of the season. Lloyd had an impressive five-goal performance. Thompson and Presto both added goals for the Gaels, and Hill backed up the Iona defense with eleven saves.

Despite the Gaels’ inability to come back with a win, coach Brian Kelly sees room for development.

“Our season is loaded with tough games especially in the first two tournaments. We were hoping to get a few wins the first weekend at the Navy Open and we let two winnable games slip through the cracks,” Kelly said. “We need to develop a killer instinct and learn how to win, that’s the challenge going into the Princeton invite that will lead us to league play.”

At the Princeton Invite, the Gaels’ first two games were rematches with Navy and Johns Hopkins. In the game against Navy, the Maroon & Gold fell 14-6. Lloyd was one of the Gaels’ top performers with a team-high three goals. In the rematch with Johns Hopkins, the Blue Jays prevailed 9-3. Hill recorded 15 saves for the Gaels.

Later that day, Iona took on George Washington. The Colonials won 16-8. Three Gaels scored two goals apiece (senior Bryan Driscoll, Ramaley and Presto).

The Gaels wrapped up the Princeton Invite with a double-header on Sept. 15. In their first match, they faced Santa Clara, who is ranked No.16 in the country. Iona lost 18-3. In the final game of the tournament, the Gaels fell to No.14 Princeton 11-6.

The Maroon & Gold will hold their first home games of the season Sept. 21 and 22 against MIT, Harvard, Brown and Connecticut College.