With Marist men’s soccer embarking on the final stretch of MAAC play this season, they could not get the job done on the road against Iona, coming up just short in a 1-0 loss.
Both teams entered this match with plenty of momentum. Marist (5-7, 2-2 MAAC conference) came in on the heels of convincing MAAC wins over Canisius and Quinnipiac, while Iona (5-4-3, 3-1-1 MAAC) went unbeaten in four of their past five matches despite dropping a nailbiter to conference-leading Siena on Saturday. This reality bore itself out in today’s match, which was a low-scoring, evenly-matched affair between both teams.
Marist knew they would have their work cut out for them in defending Iona, which entered 2024 as the MAAC preseason favorites. This season, the Gaels have featured a well-balanced attack with 12 players scoring goals and four players earning multiple goals.
The Gaels had a few promising chances early, with one of their shots hitting off the left crossbar, but Marist graduate student goalkeeper Jamie Lowell held firm. For Marist, freshman midfielder Caio Cavaletti attempted multiple advances up the left side, but each time the Gaels were ready and disrupted the play. Each side garnered a pair of offside calls in the early going, further disrupting their attacks.
Iona eventually broke through the deadlock in the 30th minute on a goal that required perfect execution to be scored. From a good distance out on the left side, senior midfielder Jose Silva chipped in a high-arcing pass to the feet of freshman midfielder Alvaro Maniero, who was wedged directly between two Marist defenders in front of the goal. Maniero finished the job, catching Lowell off guard just enough to bury his shot and put the Gaels up by one.
Marist had some chances late in the first half but came away empty. Starting in his 52nd career game, senior forward Richard Morel sent in a strong shot from the right side in the 34th minute, but it was blocked. Five minutes later, sophomore defender Nicholas Sanchez was fouled just beyond the box, setting up an enticing free-kick opportunity for Marist.
The Red Foxes unfurled an elaborate set piece with four players near the ball to create confusion; graduate student and team captain Stephen Betz took the kick, but it deflected off the Iona wall and out of harm’s way.
The 1-0 Iona lead held up well into the second half; with 40 minutes remaining, Marist still had zero shots on goal. A few minutes later while facing freshman forward Bautista Rossi on a one-on-one, Lowell came out and made a crucial save to keep the deficit at one.
Marist’s comeback trail grew more precarious in the 56th minute, as sophomore midfielder Joseph Daher, Marist’s team leader in minutes played, drew a red card. Initially, the officials erred in assigning a yellow card to Ulaj, who was uninvolved in the play. An emphatic protest by numerous Iona players led the officials to reconsider, and the card was reassigned to Daher, forcing Marist to play the balance of the match with 10 men.
Despite playing down a man, Marist began to apply more pressure than they had all game long, earning four shots on goal later in the match. In the 64th minute, the ball fell to junior midfielder Skyler Cunha in prime position, but graduate student defender Elrid Mero made a phenomenal play to stop his shot.
Sophomore Marist midfielder Arion Ulaj corralled the rebound and sent in a shot of his own, but Mero once again made another critical stop to preserve the Gaels’ lead.
With 17 minutes left to play, Morel penetrated up the left side and sent a crossing shot that veered ever so slightly too far to the right, marking yet another painstakingly close opportunity for Marist.
Mero made one last stand for the Gaels, blocking a close-range shot from Morel with three minutes remaining that effectively sealed the deal.
Despite the loss, Marist is still in a prime position to improve their MAAC recording over the coming week. On Saturday, the Red Foxes return home to face MAAC-newcomer Merrimack at 7 p.m., followed by another home match next Wednesday against Niagara.
Both teams reside near the bottom of the MAAC standings, so Marist will need to capitalize on the opportunity if they hope to make the eight-team MAAC tournament next month.
Edited by Marley Pope
Graphic and Photo by Jaylen Rizzo
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