Sept. 4, 2010
Annapolis, Md. -
The Fordham water polo team opened its 2010 season on Saturday at the Navy Labor Day Open in Annapolis, Maryland. The Rams almost pulled out a sweep of their three matches, defeating George Washington and Diablo Valley Club, but could not keep 14th-ranked Navy at bay, falling by one.
Fordham opened the day with a solid 11-5 win over George Washington. The Rams never trailed in the game, leading 7-4 at the half, and 10-4 after three quarters.
After scoring over 140 goals combined in 2009, Ali Arat and Mikey Edwards picked up right where they left off, as Arat tallied four goals in the win, while Edwards added two. The Rams also received single goals from Alex Powell, Ryan Hultman, Cashel Barnett, Daniel Muñoz, and Ben Clinkinbeard.
In net, Christian Flessner made nine saves.
In game two, the Rams were primed for an upset win over 14th-ranked Navy, as after trailing 6-2 after the first quarter, Fordham rallied to take a 9-8 lead after three quarters of play. The Midshipmen however would score three times in the final frame to win the match, 11-10.
Edwards led the Fordham attack with three goals, while Hultman had two. Arat managed two goals, but was rolled from the game after three exclusion fouls. Other Fordham scorers included Powell, Ricky Dilday, and Barnett.
Flessner ended the match with eight saves.
The final match of the day pitted Fordham against Diablo Valley Club. After trailing 2-0 early in the contest, Fordham scored three straight goals in the first quarter and never looked back in an 11-8 win.
Arat was back in form with four goals, while Mark Connor added his first two goals of the year. Powell, J.D. Shrewsbury, Jakob Muller, Daniel Barron, and Nicholas Allen also scored for the Rams.
Flessner was again solid between the pipes, totaling nine saves, which included two penalty blocks.
The Fordham water polo team will conclude play at the Navy Open on Sunday, September 5th with a 9:30 AM match-up with Johns Hopkins, which is receiving votes in the national poll, and a 3:30 PM game versus 18th-ranked Bucknell.
