Prep Falls to Iona 8 - 2; St. John's, Loyola Los Angeles, Kellenberg Up Next

***Dates to keep in mind - Saturday 5/11 game versus Westfield (NJ) is Senior Day and the Alumni Watch Game.  Saturday 6/8 is the Alumni Game and Family BBQ***         

          In its only game this past week Fordham fell to rival Iona Prep 8 - 2 in a match that was much closer than the score suggests, as the Gaels scored two empty net goals at the end of regulation while the Rams were in a ten man ride.  The Prep couldn’t find a way to get past Iona’s goalie who finished with 15 saves and was the difference maker in the contest.  We’ll be looking forward to a rematch in the playoffs.
          Not much rest for the Rams as they come back after Easter with a three game week….at least all the games are at Murphy Field.  First up, is a Tuesday afternoon matinee versus Long Island’s St. John the Baptist.  The Cougars stand at 6 - 2 with a handful of dominant wins and a 12 - 11 win over this Saturday’s opponent Kellenberg.  The losses are to Chaminade 15 - 6 and Iona Prep 16 - 5.  On Thursday Fordham hosts fellow Jesuit school Loyola - Los Angeles (CA) who is swinging through the area and also playing Garden City HS.  Loyola is currently 11 - 5 facing a schedule of California public and private schools.  Saturday sees Kellenberg come to Rose Hill for a noon start.  The Firebirds have a record of 4 - 5 but have a dominant win over Stepinac and a one goal win over Iona.  The Rams beat St. John and Kellenberg handedly last year (recaps) but this year’s contests should be much more competitive.           
          The 2019 stats are now up on the website (here) and congratulations to the following players who have registered their first varsity goals:  Trennert ‘20 (Mahattan), Cammarota ‘20 (Irvington), Murray ‘20 (Larchmont), Loffredo ‘20 (Sleepy Hollow), Beyer ‘19 (Rye), Hughes ‘19 (Bronxville), Reilly ‘19 (Port Chester), Cunningham ‘19 (Larchmont), H. Randell ‘20 (Port Chester).

Iona Prep Recap (L 8 -2):

          Iona took an early lead 1 - 0 but both defenses settled in and for the rest of the quarter kept their opponents scoreless while riding the backs of strong goalie play from both sides.  Iona found the back of the net twice more in the second quarter, once off a settled situation and once off transition.  The half ended 3 - 0 with the Rams looking to find a way to get the offense going and figure out a way to get past the Gaels’ keeper.  
The third quarter opened with an Iona goal to take the lead 4 - 0 before another score brought it to 5 - 0.  The Rams finally were able to answer with an assisting Brendan Sowarby ‘19 (Manhattan) finding Quinn Beyer ‘19 who put a crank stickside high past the Iona goalie. Sowarby ‘19 then followed up with a nice drive from X with a fake at the goal line before putting the ball in the net to get within three at 5 - 2 with under a minute remaining.  The Rams controlled the third quarter, causing five turnovers and picking up 13 ground balls.  
          Fordham could not find an answer on offense in the fourth quarter and Iona put one more in the net before the Prep went to a ten man ride to try and get back possession.  The Gaels beat the ride twice scoring two empty netters in the last minute to take home the 8 - 2 victory.

Stat Line:  Sowarby ‘19 1G/1A, Beyer ‘19 1G, Rice ‘20 13 saves, Zupicich ‘19 (Bronxville) 8 GBs