NEW ROCHELLE –  After giving up five straight scores in the first half, the Iona men's water polo team outscored visiting Wagner College 6-2 in the second half, but fell short 12-9 in a non-conference match tonight at Hynes Pool.

Senior Andrew Judge led the Gaels (3-5) with three goals, while senior Marc Stauble and sophomore Quinn Lloyd scored two apiece.  Senior Patrick Judge and sophomore Cullen Seipp had one goal each.

Sophomores Jorge Andres Torres had seven saves on 21 Wagner (7-4) shots and one steal, and Sebastian Van Reeken made eight saves on 15 shots, four steals and one assist.

On defense, Iona made ten steals and blocked one shot. The Gaels drew 13 Seahawk kickouts with four by senior Zach Roper, and were ejected five times.  Iona made three goals on 15 man-up opportunities, while Wagner made two of six. The Gaels made 28 turnovers, and five assists with two from Roper.

Wagner scored four unanswered goals on Iona eleven turnovers in the opening 5:37, while Iona failed to score on eight shots and three-man up opportunities as the Seahawks lead 4-0 going into the second period.

The visitors continued their 5-0 run with a goal with 1:19 gone in the second, until Andrew Judge's score on a 6-5 advantage assisted by Roper to put Iona on the board 34 ticks later.  Wagner hit two straight scores in the next 2:18 for a 7-1 lead with 3:42 left in the second period.  But the Gaels mounted their own two-goal rally with scores from Seipp and Lloyd to pull within four 7-3 with 2:02 on the clock. In the closing minute, the Seahawks managed two scores for a 9-3 halftime lead. Wagner went up 10-3 with 2:15 gone in the third period, then Andrew Judge scored on man-up chance 35 seconds later to get Iona within six 10-4. On the Gaels next 6-5 advantage, Stauble found the back of the net to trim the visitors' lead to 10-5 with 3:36 left, as Iona outscored Wagner 2-1 in the third quarter.

With 44 seconds gone in the fourth period, Wagner upped its edge to 11-5, then Pat Judge tipped in a rebound with 5:52 remaining to ignite a 4-1 Gael run. Lloyd scored 1:30 later, followed by Andrew Judge on Iona's next possession to narrow Wagner's edge to three 11-8 with 4:03 to go.  After Wagner answered, Stauble pulled Iona within three 12-9 at the 2:30 mark, but the Seahawks held on for the win.

Iona head coach Brian Kelly blamed excessive turnovers and poor offense in the first half for the disappointing home loss.

"It's a reoccurring theme," Kelly said.  "When we protect the ball, and we run through our offensive progressions, we're a very good team.  When we turn the ball over early, we fuel the other team's offense."

The Gaels host St. Francis College (Brooklyn) at 7 p.m., Wednesday, September 27.