Incredible Defensive Effort Put Forth on Water Polo Senior Night

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The first Senior night of the 2013-14 season took place on Monday night, as Fordham water polo seniors Nicholas Allen, Ben Clinkinbeard, Eric Mullery, and Dan Kearney played in their final home match against the 14^th-ranked St. Francis College Terriers at the Messmore Aquatic Center. 
 
For the game, it was a defensive battle with the Rams holding off the high-powered Terrier attack for most of the match.  However, Fordham's upset bit came up short in their final possession with the Terriers taking a 6-5 win.
 
The loss puts Fordham at 11-9 on the year, 3-4 in the CWPA Northern Division, while St. Francis (NY) improved to 13-8 overall, 7-1 in the league.
 
The Terriers opened the match with a 2-0 lead after the first quarter on goals by Liam Veazey and Bosko Stankovic.
 
Fordham got on the board midway through the second quarter on a goal by Peter Bergum, but the Terriers responded with a goal of their own to regain a two-goal lead.  The Rams then ended the half on a good note, picking up an extra-man goal by Ori Raz with one second left on the clock to get within one, 3-2.
 
In the third quarter, Fordham knotted the game at three on another goal by Raz, but St. Francis quickly got the lead back with two goals over the final minutes, taking a 5-3 lead in the final frame.
 
After the Terriers extended their lead to 6-3, Fordham hit the comeback trail, as Patrick Lenihan scored with the man-advantage, while Andrew Gonzalez added a goal with 3:06 left, pulling the Rams within one, 6-5.
 
The Rams got the defensive stands they needed to have one final possession in the final 35 seconds with a chance to tie, but St. Francis goalkeeper Igor Mladenovic kept the equalizer out of the net, giving the Terriers the win.
 
For Fordham, Raz finished the night with two goals and an assist, while Lenihan had a goal and two steals.  Davis DeFontes led the defensive effort in the field with three steals, while Nicholas Allen and R.J. Simmons each had two steals.  In net, Noah LeBeau had a big night with 13 saves and two steals.
 
The Fordham water polo team will get little rest before its next match, as the Rams travel to Iona on Wednesday for a 7:30 PM match.