Bronx, N.Y. – (October 13, 2023) – The nationally ranked Fordham water polo team puts its current eight-match win streak and 26-match MAWPC win streak on the line on Saturday, when the Rams welcome #19 Navy and Gannon to the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.
Fordham (12-3, 8-0 MAWPC) rolls into Saturday following a 17-11 win over Wagner on October 4
th.
Luca Silvestri and
George Papanikolaou led the way with five goals each in the game for the Rams, as the duo continues to lead the squad in scoring with 37 and 36 goals, respectively on the year. Offensively, Fordham is averaging 17 goals per contest.
Navy (15-4, 5-2 MAWPC) has also been running strong, having won their last four matches, which included two over Bucknell. The Midshipmen have been led by the excellent play of Keifer Black, who leads the team with 43 goals, 37 assists, and 30 steals.
Gannon (5-2), who have not played since September 24
th, had a great opening to their season with five consecutive wins, but lost their last two to Mt. St. Mary's and Navy.
GAME COVERAGE
Saturday – 11:30 AM – #19/19 Navy vs. #17/14 Fordham |
Live Video |
Follow on Twitter at @FordhamPolo
Saturday – 1:45 PM – Gannon vs. #17/14 Fordham |
Live Video |
Follow on Twitter at @FordhamPolo
HISTORY: In a battle of two ranked opponents on Saturday morning, the Rams and Midshipmen have a long history dating back to 1949. Though Navy holds the overall series lead, the Rams have gotten the better of play since 2016, going 12-4 in 16 meetings. Back on September 30
th, Fordham took the first meeting of this year by a 12-9 score behind three goals from
Luca Silvestri and two from
Lucas Nieto Jasny and
Christos Loupakis.
Against Gannon, Fordham is a perfect 13-0 since 2001. Last season, the teams played twice with the Rams earning victories by scores of 28-8 and 18-9.
SILVESTRI NAMED MAWPC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (10/12): The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) announced its weekly awards for week six of the season on Thursday. Among the award winners, Fordham's
Luca Silvestri was selected as the league's Defensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week. In his lone game of the week, Silvestri had two steals and three field blocks in Fordham's 17-11 win over Wagner on October 4th. He also netted five goals on the offensive end, which tied for the game-high with teammate
George Papanikolaou.
RAMSES CHALLENGE: The Ramses Challenge is back this season. Fans can pledge support for the team in the Ramses Challenge for each goal the water polo team scores this season.
Be a part of the challenge by clicking here.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Rams will head west to California for a six-match road trip from October 18-22. In that span, Fordham will take on nationally ranked Pacific and Cal, while also participating in the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament, which has matches against San Jose St., Cal Baptist, Santa Clara, and Pepperdine.
