Quinnipiac men’s lacrosse fell in a hard-fought battle against first-year program Iona, handing the Gaels their first win. The Bobcats now stand at 2-3 in MAAC play.
Nick Meoni opened the scoring for Quinnipiac, giving the Bobcats an early lead, but Iona responded with two goals to go up 2-1. Quinnipiac closed out the first quarter strong, reclaiming the lead with two unanswered goals. Justin Robbert, assisted by Nate Watson, and Cole Marsala, assisted by Robbert, put the Bobcats ahead 3-2 in what turned out to be their highest-scoring quarter of the game.
Iona took control in the second quarter, going on a 3-0 run, including back-to-back goals in the 11th minute, to take a 5-3 lead. However, Quinnipiac responded before halftime with goals from Trevor Douglas and Nate Watson, assisted by Owen Murray, to tie the game at 5-5.
The Bobcats started the second half with a quick goal from Robbert, assisted by Ryan Goodman, cutting the deficit to one. That was their only goal of the third quarter, as Iona countered with three straight goals to push its lead to 8-6 heading into the fourth.
The Gaels took full control in the final period, scoring four goals—including two in the eighth minute—to seal the victory. Douglas scored Quinnipiac’s final goal off an assist from Watson, but it wasn’t enough, as Iona secured a 12-8 win.
“Offensively, we generated some good looks—kudos to their goalie, who had 18 saves on the day—but we just didn’t capitalize on our opportunities,” said head coach Mason Poli.
Mason Oak started in goal for the Bobcats, recording five saves in 58 minutes of play. Oak received a penalty for throwing his stick at the ball while out of the crease, leading to Evan Miner stepping in for the final 1:34. Oak allowed 10 goals, while Miner conceded two.
Robbert and Douglas led Quinnipiac with two goals each. Robbert took 10 total shots, with four on goal, while Watson registered eight shots, also putting four on target. Despite the loss, the Bobcats outshot Iona 49-33, including a 26-17 advantage in shots on goal.
Quinnipiac returns to action on April 5, hosting Sacred Heart for Senior Day at 12 p.m.
