Water Polo Falls in Sudden Death Overtime at Wagner

Staten Island, N.Y. – Wagner's Ciaran Wolohan scored eight seconds into sudden death overtime, giving the Seahawks a 15-14 victory over the Fordham Rams in MAWPC action on Wednesday night at the Spiro Sports Center on Staten Island.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 14-8 overall, 4-2 in the MAWPC, while Wagner improved to 11-15 on the year, 4-4 in the league.
 
After an even first quarter that saw each team light the lamp four times, the evenly played match saw Fordham and Wagner trade goals to start the second quarter.  Fordham then took charge, as Massimiliano Mirarchi scored three consecutive goals to put the Rams up 8-5 with 1:39 left in the half.  However, Wagner got a pair of goals before the end of the period to trail, 8-7, heading to the third quarter.
 
Wagner knotted the game at eight to begin the third quarter, but a penalty shot goal by Mirarchi and an extra-man marker by Phillip Wang got the Rams back on top, 10-8.  The teams then exchanged goal with Wagner tacking on two more to end the frame, tying the game at 11 all.
 
Fordham got back up by two in the fourth quarter at 13-11, when

Mirarchi scored at the 6:23 mark, while Ian Watson netted his first of the game with 5:33 left.  The Seahawks pulled back within one, but Watson scored again with under four minutes left, keeping Fordham ahead 14-12.
 
The Rams tried to hold on as Fordham lost Mirarchi and Jake Miller-Tolt after each picked up their third exclusion in the fourth quarter, but the Seahawks would tie the game with 42 seconds left, forcing overtime.
 
Both squads played excellent defense in overtime, as no goals were scored in the extra two three-minute sessions, putting the game into sudden death.  Wagner won the all-important swim-off to start the period, and got the ball to Ciaran Wolohan, who scored just eight seconds in for the 15-14 win.
 
For Fordham, Mirarchi led the way offensively with a match-high six goals, while Miller-Tolt added three.  Watson had a pair of goals with Wang, Joseph Agabs, and Diego Delgado.
 
The Fordham water polo team now looks forward to a big home weekend at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center, as the Rams will host four matches over the course of Saturday and Sunday.  On Saturday, Fordham hosts Navy at noon and George Washington at 7:00 PM, while Sunday will see Johns Hopkins (10:00 AM) and #18 Bucknell (3:00 PM) come to the Bronx.