Goleta, Calif. – (October 22, 2024) – The #5/6 Fordham water polo team picked up hat tricks by
Barnabas Eppel,
Lucas Nieto Jasny, and
Luca Provenziani, while
Thomas Lercari made nine saves in net, as the Rams stayed undefeated with a 12-10 win over the #16/15 UCSB Gauchos on Tuesday afternoon.
The win improves Fordham to 16-0 on the year, while UCSB fell to 14-8.
With the score tied at two late in the opening quarter,
Balazs Berenyi scored on a tip shot off a
George Papanikolaou pass for a 3-2 edge in the final 30 seconds of the frame.
The Rams then got four saves by
Thomas Lercari in the second quarter to build some momentum and then got two extra-man goals by
Barnabas Eppel and
Luca Silvestri to extend the lead to 6-3 at the half.
Fordham then had their big scoring quarter, netting five goals in the third for an 11-5 lead. Eppel and Provenziani both completed their hat tricks in the quarter with
Lucas Nieto Jasny and
James Oriskovich also scoring in the period.
Nieto Jasny scored the first goal of the fourth quarter to finish his hat trick and put Fordham ahead, 12-5. The Gauchos would score five straight goals to close the gap, but it would not be enough.
The big difference in the game was the man-up advantage, as Fordham converted on four of their chances, while UCSB was 3-for-17.
The Rams will next be in action on Thursday, October 24
th, as they travel to #13/14 San Jose State for a 3:00 PM ET match (12:00 PM local).
