Los Angeles, Calif. – (December 1, 2023) – Cal's Wyatt Mundelis netted a game-high five goals, all in the second half, as the Golden Bears defeated the Fordham Rams, 16-6, in the first round of the National Collegiate Men's Water Polo Championship on Friday at the Uytengsu Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Southern California.
Fordham opened the game with the 1-0 lead, earning a penalty shot in the second minute of action.
Lucas Nieto Jasny fired home the penalty for the initial lead. Cal quickly tied the game, but the Rams regained the lead with an extra-man goal by
Barnabas Eppel at the 5:55 mark of the first quarter.
The Golden Bears answered with three consecutive extra-man goals for a 4-2 edge before
Jacopo Parrella netted a goal from distance to make it, 4-3. After Cal made it a two-goal game, Nieto Jasny scored again with the man-advantage cutting the Fordham deficit to 5-4 at the end of the first quarter.
The momentum of the game shifted back in the Golden Bears favor in the second quarter, as Cal outscored Fordham, 4-0, in the period for a 9-4 halftime lead.
The second half stayed in the Golden Bears' favor, netting four goals in the third and three in the fourth for the 16-6 victory. Fordham's remaining tallies came from an extra-man goal by Eppel in the third quarter and a fourth quarter tally by
Jagger McMannis.
The loss eliminates Fordham from the national championship, as the Rams end the year with a 24-8 record. Outside of the shortened 2020-21, Fordham has finished with at least 24 wins each year, dating back to 2019.
Gallery: (12-1-2023) NCAA - Fordham vs. #2 Cal
