Bronx, N.Y. – (November 16, 2018) – Hosting the MAWPC Championship for the first time certainly put a fire under the Fordham Rams on Friday, as the water polo Rams lit the lamp 15 times, which included nine extra-man goals, to defeat the Navy Midshipmen, 15-8, at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.
Fordham got on the board right away on its first possession on an
Ian Watson goal. Navy bounced back with the next two markers to take a 2-1 lead with 4:02 left in the first quarter. The Rams struck back, taking advantage of three Navy exclusions, scoring three man-up goals to eventually take a 4-3 lead after the first quarter.
Magnus Sims netted the first two goals, while
Joseph Agabs got the finally tally.
Fordham continued the "power play" surge with four extra-man goals in the second quarter to go up by an 8-4 lead. Sims,
Jake Miller-Tolt, Agabs, and
George Maltby each scored one of the man-up goals.
The Rams then put away the game with a seven-goal burst in the third quarter, extending the lead to 15-7. Miller-Tolt and
Phillip Wang continued Fordham's success with the man-advantage netting one extra-man goal each with Wang also adding an even-strength marker.
Dimitris Koukias,
Tristen Knoflick, Sims, and Watson then closed out the Fordham scoring with one goal each.
For Fordham, Sims had the biggest day, posting four goals, three assists, and two steals, while Agabs added two goals and three steals. Miller-Tolt finished with two markers and a career-high six assists, with Wang and Watson each having two goals. In net,
Bailey O'Mara posted 10 saves in the win over 3 ½ quarters, while
Patrick Coffey had one stop in the remaining time.
With the win, Fordham advances to Saturday's semifinals, where the Rams will meet top-seeded Bucknell at 4:30 PM.
