Washington, D.C. – (November 7, 2021) – A moment that has been building all season long came to fruition on Sunday, as with a 3-1 record this weekend, the 15
th-ranked Fordham water polo team claimed the MAWPC East regular season crown and the #1 seed at the MAWPC Championship. It is Fordham's first regular season title since 2009.
The weekend finished on Sunday with a 13-11 Rams' victory at George Washington.
The game was evenly matched with the game tied at eight, late in the second quarter. The Rams though scored late with the man-up advantage to take a 9-8 halftime lead on a goal by
Jacopo Parrella.
The teams continued to exchange goals throughout the third and fourth quarter with Fordham still leading by one, 12-11, after a goal by Parrella with 4:12 left in the final period.
The key moment of the match was with 1:19 left with Fordham still up one. The Rams were called for a penalty awarding a penalty shot to the Colonials. Nick Schroeder shot left, but Fordham goalkeeper
Thomas Lercari came up with the penalty block to keep the Rams in front.
Fordham then put the game away at the other end, as Parrella netted his third goal of the game with a man-advantage goal for the 13-11 win.
For the Rams, Parrella finished with three goals and five assists, while
Hans Zdolsek also added three goals.
George Papanikolaou had two goals, two assists, and two steals with
Christos Loupakis,
Lucas Nieto Jasny,
Nacho Ariste,
Sebastian Zapatero, and
Gabriel Melillo rounding out the goal scorers. In net, Lercari made 16 saves, including the crucial penalty block in the fourth quarter.
Fordham will close out the regular season on Friday, November 12
th, when they host St. Francis Brooklyn for Senior Day, starting at 7:30 PM.
