Providence, RI. Mass. – For the first time in program history, the MIT water polo team will play in the semifinals of the NWPC Tournament as the team rallied from a 5-3 deficit to earn a 15-11 victory over Iona on Friday afternoon at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center at Brown University. The Engineers entered the tournament ranked fourth while the Gaels were the fourth seed.
With the victory, the Engineers are guaranteed no worse than a fourth-place finish at the Conference Championship.
THE BASICS:
- Score: MIT 15, Iona 11
- Records: MIT (8-18 Overall) Iona (8-17)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Iona took a 3-1 lead after one with Caspar Lightner scoring the lone goal for the Engineers.
- Rick Lundh got MIT to within one with his six-on-five goal at 5:43 in the second, but Iona scored two of the next three goals to take a 5-3 lead.
- Back-to-back scores from Derek Schaffer on the six-on-five and an even strength goal from Adam Ivatorov got the Engineers even at five.
- Lundh put MIT in the lead, but the Gaels quickly tied it up at six. Lightner and William Ewald quickly found the back of the cage to put MIT up two. A goal from Edward Imm got Iona to within one with 3:31 left in the third, but the Engineers went on a 3-0 spurt to build an 11-7 advantage before a six-on-five goal from Pavle Musikic made it a three-goal match heading into the final quarter.
- Lightner and Jackson Kay opened the fourth with goals to extend the MIT lead to 13-8. After an Iona goal made it 13-9, Kunal Rajadhyax and Ivatorov found the back of the cage to increase the Engineer advantage to six as they held on for the 15-11 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- Lightner led the way for MIT with four goals. Ivatorov and Lundh each registered a hat trick in the match. Andras Beleznay, Kay, Schaffer, Rajadhyax, and Ewald recorded the other goals for the Engineers.
- Joshua Woren made 10 saves and recorded two steals on the day. Kay and Lundh also grabbed two steals in the match.
- Schaffer led MIT with three assists while Lundh dished out two.
UP NEXT:
- The Engineers will take on top-seed and No. 14 nationally ranked Princeton tomorrow, Saturday, November 22 at 1:00 PM.
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