Bronx, N.Y. – (October 3, 2023) – After playing the first month of the season on the road, the nationally ranked Fordham water polo team will finally have their first home match of the season on Wednesday night, when the Rams host Wagner for an MAWPC league match at the Messmore Aquatic Center.
Fordham (11-3, 7-0 MAWPC) looks to continue its strong play, having won its last seven matches and its last 25 league matches. Through the opening 14 matches, the Rams are averaging 17 goals per game and have six players with 20 or more goals this season.
Luca Silvestri currently leads the Rams with 32 goals, while
George Papanikolaou has 31 markers to go with a team-high 39 assists.
Wagner (8-8, 2-1 MAWPC) is coming off a 2-2 weekend at the Gary Troyer Tournament in California, falling to #14 Cal Baptist and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, while defeating La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer.
GAME COVERAGE
Wednesday – 7:00 PM – Wagner vs. #18/17 Fordham |
Live Video |
Follow on Twitter at @FordhamPolo
HISTORY: This is the 16
th meeting between Fordham and Wagner with the Rams holding an 11-4 series lead in the previous 15 games. Fordham looks for the season sweep against Wagner, having won the earlier meeting on September 17
th by a 14-5 score. In that game,
Gabriel Melillo led the offense with four goals to go with three steals, while
Luca Silvestri had three goals and an assist.
George Papanikolaou and
Barnabas Eppel each had two goals with
Balazs Berenyi,
Mark Katsev, and
Gabriel Guinane having the final three markers. In net,
Riccardo Di Giuseppe had seven saves for the win.
RAMS' DUO EARNS MAWPC WEEKLY AWARDS (10/3): The Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) announced its weekly awards for week five of the season on Tuesday. Among the award winners, Fordham's
Luca Silvestri was selected as the league's Defensive Player of the Week, while
Barnabas Eppel was the Rookie of the Week.
Silvestri had an outstanding weekend at the Rams' two-meter defender position, not allowing a goal from that spot over three games against George Washington, #19 Navy, and Johns Hopkins. He notched a steal in each of those games, while only being excluded once combined in those matches. Silvestri also added eight goals offensively.
Eppel had a big weekend, helping Fordham improve to 7-0 in league play, totaling seven goals, two assists, and nine ejections drawn in three matches. He scored a season-high four goals to go with two assists and three ejections drawn at George Washington, while having a goal and four ejections drawn at #19 Navy. Eppel then netted a pair of goals with two ejections drawn at Johns Hopkins.
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 next be in action on Saturday, October 14
th, as they host Navy at 11:00 AM and Gannon at 1:45 PM at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center.
