COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Despite slow first-quarter starts in both matches, Iona University recorded the program’s fourth and season wins of the 2022 season by defeating Division III No. 9-ranked Chapman University, 16-12, and Division III No. 6 the University of La Verne, 25-12, at the United States Air Force Academy’s Rare Air Challenge.
After two first-period ties, Iona scored seven unanswered goals in the first half to lead the rest of the way in a 16-12 win over Chapman in this morning’s match. Junior Luksa Vlasic (eight shots) and freshman Sole Fratila (nine shots) led the Maroon and Gold with six goals each. Senior co-captain Mohamed Refaat (six shots) scored four goals. Iona made 17 goals on 34 shots with ten assists with two each from senior co-captain Justin Ginsberg.
In goal, junior Diego Gomez had 12 saves on 36 Panthers’ shots, including blocking a five-meter penalty shot, made one steal and had 12 goals against. On defense, the Maroon and Gold had ten steals and blocked two shots. Iona drew 10 Chapman kickouts and two five-meter penalties with four kickouts drawn by Vlasic, while being ejected 10 times. The Gaels turned the ball over six times. Iona scored three goals on ten man-up chances, while the Panthers netted five goals on 10 man-up opportunities.
Chapman got on the board first with 1:18 gone in the match. Vlasic pulled the Gaels even with 5:13 left in the opening quarter, but the Panthers answered to go back up one 2-1 just 25 seconds later. Fratila’s first goal with 3:52 remaining re-tied the score at two. Refaat capitalized on a man-up chance to give Iona 3-2 edge at the three-minute mark. Fratila’s second goal continued a 3-0 Iona run for a two-goal 4-2 lead going into the second quarter.
After Gomez blocked a Chapman five-meter penalty shot, Vlasic drew a Panther’s ejection and scored on the man-up advantage for a 4-2 Iona edge with 1:37 gone in the second period. On the Gaels next possession, Refaat buried a five-meter penalty shot drawn by Fratila as Iona went up four 6-2. Continuing a 7-0 second quarter Iona run, Fratila’s third and fourth goals increased the Gaels advantage to six 8-2 with 3:26 to go. After Chapman ended the Iona run to pull within five 8-3, Vlasic answered to up the Gaels edge back to six 9-3 with 2:41 left. With 13 ticks left, the Panthers sliced the Gaels halftime lead to five 9-4.
Vlasic opened the third quarter with his fourth score, but the Panthers answered as the Gaels led 10-5 with 1:15 gone. Fratila’s fifth score restored Iona’s five-goal margin 11-6 with 6:28 to go. With 2:40 to go, Vlasic’s fifth goal upped the Iona edge to six 12-6, but Chapman answered with two scores on its next two possessions to get back within four 12-8 with 1:24 remaining. With 58 seconds left, the Panthers third unanswered goal cut the Gaels lead to three 12-9, but Fratila found the back of the net for the sixth time to give Iona a 13-9 advantage going into the final eight minutes.
A Chapman goal opened the fourth quarter to get the Panthers within three at 13-10, but Vlasic’s sixth score assisted by Fratila put the Gaels back up four 14-10 with 6:08 on the clock. Refaat’s third goal on a man-up chance upped the Iona edge to five 15-10 with 4:24 remaining in regulation. Following a Panthers’ score with 2:28 left, Refaat struck again for a 16-11 Iona lead. After another Chapman goal, Iona ran out the clock for its fourth win of the season.
With 13 Gaels scoring a season-high 25 goals, Iona recorded its third straight win with a 25-12 victory over La Verne in the afternoon contest. Junior James DiSalle and junior co-captain Andrew Miller led the Gaels with four goals each, while Fratila scored three. Refaat, sophomore Luka Nastic, Vlasic and freshman Edward Imm had two goals each. Ginsberg, junior Trippe Bauman, sophomore Edward Howaniec, sophomore William Harrington, freshman Robert Freece and freshman Rastko Jevdjovic each added one score . Iona made 25 goals on 37 shots with 12 assists.
In goal, Gomez had five saves on 21 Leopards shots, made two steals and had 11 goals against. In the first five minutes of fourth quarter, senior Kyle Laufenberg had one save on two Leopards’ shots and one goal against. In the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, freshman Aleksandar Slavkovic had two saves on two Leopards shots, had one save, and no goals against. On defense, the Maroon and Gold had 17 steals and blocked two shots. Iona drew eight La Verne kickouts, while being ejected three times. The Gaels turned the ball over six times. The Gaels scored eight goals on all eight man-up chances, while the Leopards scored one goals on four man-up opportunities.
With 1:04 gone in the match, Refaat put Iona on the board first for a 1-0 edge. La Vern took advantage of the man-up chance to knot the game at one, but Fratila’s first goal on the Gaels’ next trip down the pool restored a one-point lead at 2-1 with 5:18 left in the opening quarter. The Leopards evened the score at two, until Vlasic’s first goal put the Gaels back up one at 3-2 with 4:21 on the clock. After drawing a Leopards’ kickout, Bauman capitalized on the ensuing six-on-five chance, followed by DiSalle’s score, for a three-goal (5-2) Gaels’ advantage at the 2:32 mark. Miller’s goal continued a 4-0 Gaels’ run before back-to-back La Verne goals trimmed Iona’s lead to two 6-4 going into the second quarter.
Miller needed only 1:08 to score a breakaway goal for 7-4 Gaels’ margin, but the Leopards answered on their next chance to slice Iona’s edge back to two at 7-5 with 6:31 remaining until halftime. When Fratila and DiSalle both scored their second goals, the Gaels’ lead expanded to four at 9-5 with 3:20 on the clock. Following Imm’s goal, Nastic buried a five-meter penalty shot for a six-goal margin (11-5) at the 2:08 mark. Imm’s second score ran the Iona streak to five straight for a 12-5 advantage. The teams exchanged scoring shots in the waning seconds of the first half as Howaniec put away a shot with 34 seconds left to answered a La Verne tally to allow Iona to enter halftime with a 13-6 lead.
After Freece’s first goal as a Gael, the Leopards sliced the Iona edge to 14-7 with 1:23 gone in the third quarter. Over the next two minutes, both teams traded goals with Ginsberg, Miller and DiSalle maintaining a 17-8 Iona edge with 4:59 to go. Two straight Iona goals by Refaat and Fratila upped the Gaels’ cushion to 10 at 19-10 with 3:28 remaining in the frame. Miller answered a La Verne score with his fourth goal as Iona led 19-9 at the 2:24 mark. A La Verne goal with 1:34 left gave Iona a 20-11 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
The Gaels opened the final eight minutes with goals from Jerdjovic and Vlasic for an 11-goal cushion at 22-11 with 1:07 expired in the fourth quarter. Jerdjovic’s second score upped the Iona lead to 23-11 at the 4:39 mark before Nastic and Howaniec answered a La Verne goal to seal Iona’s fifth season win.
Release courtesy Iona College Athletics Communications
