Iona Men’s Soccer Falls to Defending National Champion Maryland in NCAA Tournament
College Park, M.D. (Nov. 21, 2019) – Iona Men’s Soccer fell to defending national champion Maryland in the First Round of the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Maryland - 4 | Iona - 0
2019 NCAA Tournament – First Round
Ludwig Field | College Park, MD
Key Moments:
- Maryland got on the board in the 20th minute with a goal from Justin Gielen.
- The Terrapins took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
- Giuliano Santucci had five saves for the Gaels in the first half.
- The defending national champion pulled away in the second half, adding on another three goals.
Notables:
- Today’s game marked Iona’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.
- The MAAC Champions routed No. 6 Rider, No. 2 Quinnipiac and No. 1 Saint Peter’s in pursuit of the program’s first MAAC title.
- The Gaels won the MAAC title after being picked to finish sixth in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, becoming the first team to accomplish that feat since Quinnipiac did it in 2013.
- Malcolm Moreno was the first Gael to earn the MAAC Defensive Player of the Year honor. The senior was also named to the All-MAAC First Team and the All-Academic Team.
- Sophomore Mauro Bravo joined his teammate on the All-MAAC First Team; Ignacio Antequera-Sanchez was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team.
To keep up with MAAC soccer, follow @MAACSports on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #MAACSoccer.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 39
th year of competition during the 2019-20 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.