Lewisburg, Pa. – (September 18, 2021) – The 20
th-ranked Fordham water polo team got their weekend at the Bison Invitational off to a great start on Saturday, posting a pair of wins to improve the Rams' record to 6-3 on the year.
Fordham opened Saturday with another big win, knocking off the host school and 15
th-ranked Bucknell Bison by a 13-9 score.
Leading 4-3 after the first quarter, Fordham scored the opening three goals of the second quarter, two of which came from
George Papanikolaou, to extend the lead to 7-3 and eventually take an 8-4 edge into halftime.
Fordham then repeated that effort with the first three goals of the third quarter to open up the game with an 11-4 edge that they would not relinquish. The win marked the first time Fordham has defeated Bucknell in consecutive games at Bucknell. The Rams topped the Bison in the 2019 match-up in Lewisburg and did not play each other in 2020.
For Fordham, Papanikolaou had a big day with four goals and two assists, while
Jacopo Parrella had three goals and an assist.
Hans Zdolsek chipped in a pair of markers, with
Christos Loupakis,
Curtis Vidinoff,
Lucas Nieto Jasny, and
Nacho Ariste rounding out the scoring with one goal each. In net,
Bailey O'Mara piled up nine saves to go with a steal and an assist.
In the second match of the day, Fordham cruised to a 14-6 win over Mercyhurst, defeating the Lakers for the second time this season.
The Rams scored five times n the first and second quarter to build a 10-4 lead by halftime, and never looked back.
For the Rams,
Mark Katsev was the top performer with four goals and two assists, while Parrella and
Gabriel Melillo each had two goals and an assist. Other goal scorers for Fordham were Zdolsek, Loupakis, Vidinoff, Jasny,
Victor Schultz, and
Jack Brodersen. In net,
Thomas Lercari played jut over three quarters, making seven saves, while
Aldo Ordoñez wrapped up the game posting a penalty block and two steals.
Day two of the Bison Invitational will see Fordham match up with Wagner at 9:00 PM and Mt. St. Mary's at 3:00 PM.
