With coach Mike Barroqueiro taking over the women’s soccer team this year, he not only help the team mature quickly, but he also became part of the team by suffering with them in times of defeat and cheering even louder as victory glorified them.

Barroqueiro also persisted strongly in being a role model by keeping his team focused, as fans know from him shouting from the sidelines of the field.

In the last four games, the team experienced two ties, a defeat and a victory. This represented the strong will and character of the young team.

During Homecoming Weekend, the Gaels played their opponents Rider on Oct. 21 and Loyola (Md.) on Oct. 23.

Being scoreless in the first half and scoring their deciding goals in the second half, both Rider and Iona missed chances for a victory. Rider’s junior Abi Cottam scored first in the 53rd minute, followed by junior Leah Taylor in the 88th minute.

The game ended in a tie even though Iona outshot Rider overall 16-9.

Facing their rival Loyola, the motivated team left their opponents scoreless and brought back the victory making this Homecoming unforgettable.

After a scoreless 90 minutes on Mazzella Field, sophomore Katie Higgins tallied the winning goal receiving it from freshman Safi Ayinde in the 102nd minute.

Throughout the game, freshman Melissa Frederick and sophomores Nicole Paulucci and Leanne Benson kept the offense strong and productive on the attack.

However, after playing Loyola, the Gaels lost on the road against Niagara with a final score of 4-0.

Subsequent to this match, the Gaels hoped to either win against Canisius or tie and hope Loyola tied or lost against St. Peter’s so they could make it to the MAAC postseason and finish in the top four of the standings.

However, the Gaels ended the season in a 1-1 tie. Junior Laura Jackson scored an early goal in the 13th minute which put Iona ahead. In the 72nd minute, Canisius caught up, ending the match with a double overtime tie.

In the end, Iona finished fifth in the MAAC, because Loyola besieged St. Peter’s in their final match. Proudly, the Gaels still had a record of 5-10-2 overall and 4-3-2 in MAAC matches.

This was a good first season for Barroqueiro and his young Gaels as the team was so fresh at the beginning, introducing 11 new players into the team’s dynamic.

Sophomore goalie Trista Rivera summed up the season by saying, “I feel that we took huge steps this season as a team. We are young and we have so much more to learn and experience together. It’s time to get back to work and prepare for next