Lewisburg Pa. – (September 17, 2023) – The nationally ranked Fordham water polo team finished off a perfect weekend at the Bucknell Invitational, posting wins over Wagner and Mt. St. Mary's on Sunday.
With the two wins, Fordham improved to 8-3 on the year, 4-0 in the MAWPC. The team also extended its conference win streak to 22 games.
Sunday started with a memorable defensive performance by the Rams in a 14-5 win over Wagner.
After Wagner took a 2-1 lead with just seconds left in the first quarter, Fordham reeled off the next 12 goals over the course of the next two-plus quarters to lead 13-2.
Fordham held Wagner without a goal in both the second and third quarters and partway through the fourth. In all, the Seahawks went over 20 minutes of game time without scoring.
For Fordham,
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.
The Rams then capped the weekend with a 21-11 win over Mt. St. Mary's.
With the score tied at three in the first quarter,
Jacopo Parrella and Papanikolaou scored late markers in the period for the 5-3 lead.
Fordham padded the lead to 12-7 by halftime, as Silvestri netted a hat trick in the period.
The Rams put the game away on defense, holding the Mountaineers without a goal in the third quarter and a 13-minute stretch overall into the fourth.
For Fordham, Parrella netted four goals and two assists with Silvestri,
Paul Armingol, and
Lucas Nieto Jasny each having a hat trick. Katsev and
Reid Thorson added two goals apiece, while Eppel, Papanikolaou,
Jagger McMannis, and
Brendan Cassidy rounded out the scoring with one goal each. Di Giuseppe finished with five saves and an assist in net for the Rams.
Fordham will next be in action on Saturday, September 30
th with two road conference matches at George Washington (10:00 AM) and Navy (7:00 PM).
