FAIRFIELD, Connecticut – Delaney Galvin made a season-best 18 saves in the cage,
Samantha Mehalick registered five goals and an assist, and No. 8 Marist raced past No. 9 Iona 11-10 in the 2021 MAAC Championships Play-In Game on Friday afternoon from Fairfield's Conway Field at Rafferty Stadium.
The Red Foxes improve to 3-4 on the season and advance to the MAAC Quarterfinals against the one-seed Stags on Saturday at Noon. The Gaels fall to 1-11 to end their season.
Both teams played a tight contest for the entire 60 minutes, as neither team had a lead larger than two goals. However, Mehalick's final tally with 10:38 to play made the difference, and the Red Fox defense kept the Gaels off the board in the final 7:35 to seal the victory.
Kerri Gutenberger totaled four points off two goals and two assists, while
Kelly George earned of pair of goals as well.
Sara Stewart paced Iona with four goals and two assists, while goalie Elyse Darcy notched 11 saves between the Gaels' pipes.
- Marist scored twice in its first two offensive possessions, as Kelly George and Kerri Gutenberger dent the twine within 40 seconds of each other.
- Iona rattled off three consecutive goals but Hannah Spease halted the run with 12 minutes gone by off a cross-body one-timer tucked into the right post.
- Just past the midway mark, Samantha Mehalick collected a high pass from Gutenberger and rifled a shot top shelf to give Marist a 4-3 lead.
- With the score tied at four and less than minutes until halftime, both Delaney Galvin and Iona's Elyse Darcy made impressive stops in the cage; the latter made a post-to-post move for a deflection, while Galvin halted Sara Stewart in transition.
- Neither team scored for 9:15 until Mehalick buried a free position goal as the clock read 2:54, putting Marist on top 5-4 at the break.
- The Gaels went ahead 6-5 in the first 90 seconds off two goals from Sara Stewart.
- George knotted the score two minutes after Stewart's second thanks to a nifty spin dodge and high-low shot in front.
- Mehalick pushed the Red Foxes in front 8-6 with two goals in 25 seconds, first on a free position strike and then a backhand shot off a pass from Devon Connolly.
- After Iona converted two to tie the game at eight, Mehalick fed a speeding Gutenberger on the doorstep for a goal, giving Marist the 9-8 advantage with 18:14 remaining.
- Connolly zipped one top-left shelf with 13:05 to play for the Red Foxes' second consecutive goal.
- After Iona got to within one goal, Mehalick notched her fifth goal at the 10:38 mark with a falling attempt as she was pushed from behind.
- Emma Rippon closed the gap for the Gaels with 7:35 to play.
- Galvin made three saves in the final 4:24, including a free position stop, a high-angle chance, and a stop with 33 seconds left.
- Connolly finished with a goal and two assists, while Spease added her first-career goal.
- Iona held a small 38-35 advantage in shots, including a 28-22 advantage in shots on goal.
- Marist controlled 13 draws to the Gaels' eight. Isabelle Stockman and Romy Villemure each had six draw controls to lead the team.
- Galvin, Melissa Bucher, and Bella D'Gracia each scooped up two ground balls.
- Galvin now takes sole possession of second place on Marist's all-time goalie wins list with 23. She leapfrogs Ashley Casiano, Liz Burkhard, and Heather Ripp.
- Dating back to the 2020 season, Galvin has notched double-digit saves in nine straight games, and 10 of her last 11 contest.
- Mehalick, now with 27 points on the season and 243 in her career, is one point away from second place on Marist's all-time list (Lindsey Diener – 244) and seven from the top spot (Allison Gionta – 250)
- Mehalick also racked up an assist in consecutive games for the third time in her career, and the first time since March 11th-27th, 2019.
- George is two points away from 10th place in program history in points. At 139 career points, she trails Kara McHugh's 141.
- Villemure is now one draw control away from entering the top 10 on Marist's all-time list. She currently has 83 in her Marist tenure.
- Marist now leads Iona 13-3 in the all-time series. This was the first postseason meeting between the Red Foxes and the Gaels.
- Marist faces Fairfield on Saturday, May 1st at Noon on ESPN+.
