Bronx, N.Y. – (April 5, 2022) – Fordham water polo head coach
Brian Bacharach and associate head coach
Bill Harris announced the addition of three more players for the 2022 season. Joining the team will be
Luca Silvestri (Napoli, Italy/Istituto Comprensvo Sacro Cuore (Westcliff)),
Balazs Berenyi (Budapest, Hungary/BME Secondary Grammar School), and
Brendan Cassidy (San Rafael, Calif./Marin Catholic).
This trio will be added to two-time All-American
Nir Gross (Hod Hasharon, Israel/Hadarin (UC Davis)) who has already been announced as a newcomer for next year.
"We had some tough shoes to fill with 3 former All-Americans graduating in 2021.
Hans Zdolsek,
Bailey O'Mara, and
Dimitris Koukias all played such a huge role in our team becoming conference champions last fall. They also filled very specific jobs for our team. Coach Harris and I believe that this incoming group is going to help us pick up where we left off last fall. The returning guys are working hard this spring, knowing that repeating as champions in such a talented conference will be extremely tough. We believe this incoming group combined with a talented core of returning guys has put us in a position to compete with everyone on the East Coast. It is going to be an exciting fall!"
A 6-3 two-meter center defender, Silvestri is a transfer from Westcliff University, where he spent one season with the Warriors. In his lone season at Westcliff in 2021, he played in 27 games, netting 102 goals to go with 57 steals. Prior to Westcliff, he played for Circolo Nautico Posillipo with current Fordham team member
Jacopo Parrella. He was a three-year captain for the club squad, helping the team to the U15 and U20 National Championships. At the U20 Championship in 2019, he finished as the top scorer while leading his team to the National Championship. Silvestri has also been a consistent member of the Italian national team system. In 2019, his Italian U18 national team won gold at the European championship as well as a 5
th place finish at the Youth World Championships.
Bacharach on Silvestri: "Luca is a great talent and a player that will be able to immediately fit into our rotation and system. He can guard 2-meters as well as score the ball from many different places within the pool. As I have followed his career, it is his ability to do so many things to help his team win that has impressed me most. Additionally, his time spent at the highest senior league in Italy, international success with the Italian national team, and a season of college water polo allows him to bring a wealth of experience to our roster. We are very excited to get Luca to New York City."
Berenyi, a 6-4 utility player, played for the water polo club KSI in Hungary, becoming a two-time national champion and a one-time runner-up. He was also a part of nine Budapest Regional Championships. He has spent his summers in the U.S. playing for one of the top youth clubs, San Diego Shores. In 2021, his Shores club team won the United States Club Championship, while finishing fifth at the Junior Olympics. Away from the pool, Berenyi has received academic honors in History, English, and Hungarian Literature.
Bacharach on Berenyi: "Balazs is a utility player that can do a little bit of everything to help his team win. In watching him at Junior Olympics last summer, he would play every position in the pool for his San Diego Shores team. At 6-4 and with a large frame, we believe Balazs' skill set will translate great to the collegiate level. We think he will have a great career as a Fordham Ram."
A 6-1 left-handed attacker, Cassidy was a varsity water polo and baseball player at Marin Catholic High School in Kentfield, California. He had a standout senior season in 2021, captaining the Marin Catholic squad while scoring 126 goals in 20 games. He was named the team's MVP while earning Second Team All-League honors. He also played club for SHAQ Junior Olympic Team. Away from the pool, Cassidy was a North Coast Section Scholar Athlete in 2022.
Bacharach on Cassidy: "Brendan is an exciting recruit for our program. He is a former baseball pitcher with a great arm. As he now dedicates himself fully to water polo, we believe he has a bright future ahead of him. He also adds some important depth for us on the lefty side of the pool. We are excited about getting him to the Bronx."
