Princeton, N.J. – (September 12, 2021) – The 16
th-ranked Fordham water polo team wrapped up play at the Princeton Invitational on Sunday, earning a split of their two matches, defeating St. Francis Brooklyn, 14-10, in the morning, while falling to 12
th-ranked Princeton, 13-6.
In the opening match of the day,
George Papanikolaou scored four times, while
Dimitris Koukias and
Jacopo Parrella each had a hat trick, as the Rams topped the Terriers.
After leading 4-3 after the first quarter, the Rams fell behind in the second, 7-5.
The third quarter turned the match for Fordham, scoring six times to regain an 11-9 lead.
Lucas Nieto Jasny had two of the six markers with Koukias, Parrella, Papnikolaou, and
Nacho Ariste netting the other four.
In the fourth, the Rams' defense kept the Terriers at bay, giving up just one goal and going on to win by a 14-10 count.
For Fordham, Papanikolaou had a team-high four goals to go with two assists and three steals. Parrella and Koukias each had three goals with Jasny having two goals, an assist, and two steals. In net,
Bailey O'Mara played almost the whole match, totaling 12 saves, an assist, and a steal, while
Thomas Lercari had one save in the final two minutes of the final quarter.
In the second match, the Rams played well in the first half, building a 6-5 lead by halftime. Papanikolaou had three of the six goals with
Hans Zdolsek, Parrella, and Jasny having the other three markers.
From there though, the match went in favor of Princeton, as goalkeeper Antonio Knez stopped everything in the second half, as the Tigers outscored Fordham, 8-0, to pull out the 13-6 win.
In net, O'Mara had six saves and three steals, before being relieved in the fourth quarter by Lercari.
The Rams are back in action at the Bucknell Invitational, September 18-19, where they will have four matches over the two-day tournament.
