Water Polo Earns Pair of Wins on Saturday

Behind a career-day from R.J. Simmons, the Fordham water polo team pulled out two league wins on Saturday at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.  The Rams knocked off MIT, 14-11, in the early session, while defeating Connecticut College, 11-9, in the afternoon.
 
With the victories, Fordham improved to 13-13 on the season, 4-6 in the CWPA Northern Division.
 
Trailing by two at the half, the Rams put together a monster third quarter to defeat the Engineers by a score of 14-11.
 
Following a close first quarter, MIT extended their lead to three goals on two occasions, the last at 7-4 with 4:04 remaining in the second quarter.  Fordham's Patrick Lenihan scored with just under two minutes left to pull the Rams back within two, 7-5, which is how the half would end.
 
That goal was the first of four straight markers for the Rams, as they turned three straight MIT turnovers into goals at the other end.  R. J. Simmons netted the first two goals of the third quarter to tie the game at seven with Andrew Gonzalez putting the Rams ahead with 4:13 left in the period.
 
After an MIT goal tied the game at eight, Fordham netted the final three goals of the period to lead 11-8, going into the fourth quarter.  Simmons and Gonzalez each scored a man-up goal in that stretch, while Ethan Vandeventer had the final tally.
 
Lenihan, Simmons, and Gonzalez each scored in the final period to maintain the Rams' lead and the victory, 14-11.

 

For Fordham, Simmons tied a career-high with five goals to go with a steal, while Gonzalez also tied his career-highs with four goals and seven points in the match.  Davis DeFontes notched a goal and tied his career-high with four assists with Lenihan having two goals and two steals.  Vandeventer and Eric Minowitz rounded out the Fordham scoring with a goal and three assists each.  In net, Noah LeBeau finished with nine saves.
 
In match two on the day, Simmons matched his production from earlier in the day, netting five goals to lead the Rams to an 11-9 win over Connecticut College.
 
The Camels led 2-1 after the first quarter, before a five-goal rally by the Rams made it a 6-4 edge for Fordham.
 
The Rams then put the hammer down with four goals in the third quarter, extending the lead to 10-5, a lead they would not relinquish.
 
For Fordham, Simmons notched five goals and three steals, while Vandeventer had three tallies.  Gonzalez added a goal and two assists with Bobby Wurtz and Cameron Shewchuk rounding out the scoring with one goal each.  In goal, LeBeau made 16 stops with go with a steal and an assist.
 
The Rams will have a short turnaround, as Fordham will conclude their regular season on Sunday, November 2^nd, as the Rams host Harvard at 11:00 AM and Brown at 4:00 PM.  Both games will be streamed on the Patriot League Network with senior day ceremonies taking place prior to the Brown match.