JAMAICA, NY - The No. 25 Iona College men's soccer team suffered a 2-0 defeat to No. 14 St. John's at Belson Stadium. The Red Storm scored a goal in each half and used some opportune defensive stops to hold off the Gaels.

 

The tactical match began to heat up in the 18th minute as the Gaels had two golden chances stopped by a great effort by St. John's defenders. With the Red Storm goalkeeper scrambling to get back in net, both Franklin Castellanos' and Alvaro Torrecilla's rockets inside the box were set aside by alert defenders to keep the Gaels off the scoreboard.

 

On the defensive end, rookie GK Borja Barbero had three clutch saves in the first 30 minutes, momentarily quieting a raucous crowd behind him.

 

The Red Storm got on the board in the 34th minute as Jack Bennett's header off a cross from teammate Adrian L'Esperance found the back of the net and gave the home team a 1-0 advantage into halftime.

 

Iona continued to have its chances in the second half with Tommy Martin and Angser Otto attempts set away by St. John's GK Rafael Diaz in the first 15 minutes of the frame. In the 74th minute, the Gaels were forced to play a man-down after Torrecilla picked up a red card. Less than 10 minutes later Bennett's low shot found the mark and gave St. John's a two-goal cushion.

 

Barbero stopped five shots in net while his counterpart Diaz had three.

 

After six games on the road to start the season, the Gaels will make their Mazzella Field debut this week hosting Adelphi on Wednesday (Sep. 21) and St. Joseph's (Pa.) on Sunday (Sep. 25).