Nov. 4, 2012 - Providence, R.I. - In an extremely tight match, the Fordham water polo team dropped its opening match of the Northern Division Championship to Harvard by a score of 10-8. The Rams however did rebound to defeat Connecticut College in game two, 11-8 to advance to the fifth place match on Sunday.
The opening match of the day saw Fordham and Harvard scoreless through the first quarter, and tied at two by halftime. Fordham's Ben Clinkinbeard scored an extra-man goal, followed by an Alex Judge goal, giving Fordham a 2-1 lead. Harvard then closed the half with a late goal by John Holland-McCowan to tie the score.
The Crimson then took control in the third quarter scoring five times, which included two goals by Holland-McCowan for a 7-4 lead.
The Rams tried to rally in the fourth, netting four goals, by the Rams could not overcome Harvard in the final minutes.
For Fordham, Clinkinbeard scored three goals with Davis DeFontes and Mike Hay both scoring twice. Judge registered the final goal with Noah LeBeau making ten saves in goal.
In match two, Fordham's Nicholas Allen scored a match-high four goals in an 11-8 win over Connecticut College.
Besides Allen, DeFontes netted two more goals with Clinkinbeard, Judge, Patrick Lenihan, Willie Leach, and Dan Kearney each scoring once. LeBeau made nine saves over the first three quarters, while Eric Mullery made two saves in the final quarter.
The Fordham water polo team will wrap up the Northern Division Championship in the fifth place game against Iona College, starting at 9:00 AM
