Bronx, N.Y. – The Fordham water polo team wrapped up a long weekend of action at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center on Sunday. The day started with an early morning victory over Johns Hopkins, while in the afternoon, the Rams were edged out by 18
th-ranked Bucknell.
With the split, Fordham is now 16-10 overall, 6-4 in the MAWPC East Division.
In game one,
Massimiliano Mirarchi and
Jake Miller-Tolt combined for seven of the Rams' 11 goals, leading Fordham to an 11-8 win over Johns Hopkins.
Trailing 3-2 after the first quarter, Fordham put together a four-goal second period to pull out to a 6-4 lead. Miller-Tolt tied the score at three with a penalty goal, followed by three consecutive goals later in the period by Mirarchi,
Phillip Wang, and
Tristen Knoflick.
Johns Hopkins pulled back with one in the third, but Mirarchi and
Ethan Vandeventer netted back-to-back goals to give the Rams their-largest lead at 8-5. The three-goal margin would hold as Fordham won by an 11-8 final.
In game two, Bucknell's Rade Joksimovic scored five times, while Charlie Niehaus made eight saves in an 8-6 win by the 18
th-ranked Bison over Fordham.
With Bucknell leading 2-1 after the first quarter, Wang and
Samuel Varshisky score on back-to-back possession, giving Fordham a 3-2 lead.
The game then seesaw between being tied and each team having a one-goal edge with the final tie at six all, following a Miller-Tolt goal with 5:54 left in the fourth quarter. The Bison though netted the next two tallies to complete the 8-6 win.
The Fordham water polo team will next be in action on Thursday, November 9
th, as the Rams host St. Francis Brooklyn on Senior Night at the Messmore Aquatic Center, beginning at 7:30 PM.
