Sept. 4, 2007
Annapolis, Md. - The Fordham water polo team opened their 2007 schedule this weekend, as they took part in the Navy Labor Day Invitational in Annapolis, Maryland.
The Rams went 2-2 on the weekend, as they defeated George Washington and Gannon, while losing close match to the Northern Virginia All-Stars and the University of the Pacific "B" team.
Just like the other Fordham fall sports that have begun their season thus far, the water polo team opened with a solid 12-4 win over George Washington in the first game on Saturday.
"We came out strong, swam hard, and played well," said head coach Bill Harris. "There has been steady improvement with this team, especially with our aggressiveness."
Fordham quickly stunned the many George Washington fans in attendance, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and never looked back. Freshman Alex Powell scored four times to lead the Fordham attack, while Jakob Muller had two goals and two steals. Andrew Dentinger and Taylor Landesman each scored twice. In net, Timmy Will made six saves while also recording three assists and two steals.
In their second match, Fordham fell to the Northern Virginia All-Stars by a 12-10 score. In this match, Fordham showed their depth as eight different Rams scored, led by Ryan Hultman, who registered two goals, two assists, and two steals. Todd Conway also had a pair of tallies, with Powell, Landesman, Paul Shrewsbury, Brian Jucas, Muller, and Scott Nemecek each having a goal. Will was again in net for Fordham with five saves.
On day two, Fordham opened play with a 9-6 loss to the University of the Pacific "B" squad. Conway scored his first hat trick of the season with three goals, while Landesman, Nemecek, and Niko Filipi had the other goals. Defensively, Powell registered a team-high four steals, while Will made nine saves in net.
Fordham concluded competition at Navy with a 14-5 win over Gannon. Conway recorded his second hat trick of the day, while Hultman and Shrewsbury also had hat tricks. Hultman and Shrewsbury also had three and two assists respectively in the game, with Landesman recording four steals, two assists and a goal. In net, Tom Conroy and Will split time, as Conroy had two saves in one period of work while Will made four saves in the other three periods.
The Fordham water polo team will now have its work cut out for itself this coming weekend at the Princeton Invitational, September 7-9. While there, Fordham will face three top 20 schools in Princeton, Navy, and Bucknell on their schedule. The Rams will also have a re-match with George Washington during the tournament.
