Baltimore Md./Annapolis, Md. – The Fordham water polo squad opened MAWPC league action on Saturday with road matches at Johns Hopkins and Navy. The Rams came away victors in both contests, defeating Johns Hopkins, 13-10, while getting a late tally to upend Navy, 8-7.
With the victories, Fordham improved to 6-3 on the year, 2-0 in the MAWPC.
In the first match of the day, Fordham's
Massimiliano Mirarchi and
Jake Miller-Tolt combined for nine goals and 11 steals to lead the Rams to a 13-10 win over Johns Hopkins.
With the score tied at five at the half, Johns Hopkins netted the first three goals of the third quarter to go up by an 8-5 count. Fordham rallied back in a big way with six consecutive goals to take an 11-8 lead with 5:51 left in the fourth quarter. The teams then exchanged goals the rest of the way for the 13-10 final.
For Fordham,
Massimiliano Mirarchi netted a game-high five goals to go with five steals, while
Jake Miller-Tolt had four goals, three assists, and six steals.
Joseph Agabs and
Ethan Vandeventer each had a goal and an assist with
Cole Donnelly and
Ian Watson having one goal apiece. In net,
Alex Jahns made six saves to go with two assists and two steals.
In the nightcap, Mirarchi scored with 21 seconds left in the fourth quarter to break a seven-all tie, giving the Rams an 8-7 win over Navy.
The Rams jetted out to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter, before the Midshipmen scored twice in the second to pull within one at 4-3.
The third quarter saw goals by Watson and Miller-Tolt for the Rams, as they extended the lead to 6-4, heading into the final frame. Navy tied the game at six with 5:55 remaining, with the two teams exchanging goals to put the score at seven all, heading into the final minute of regulation. Navy was unable to convert on their chance following a timeout, but Fordham did when Mirarchi scored with 21 seconds left. Navy called another timeout to set-up a final play but was unable to find the equalizer, giving Fordham a 2-0 league start.
For Fordham, Mirarchi finished with three goals, two assists, and four steals, with Miller-Tolt having a goal, two assists, and three steals.
Magnus Sims chipped in a goal and two assists with Agabs, Vandeventer, and Watson closing out the scoring with one goal each. In net, Jahns made 12 stops and recorded five steals for the win.
The Fordham water polo team finishes their opening conference weekend on Sunday, September 24
th with a 1:00 PM match at George Washington.
