Water Polo Splits in Final Weekend

Water+Polo+beat+La+Salle+and+lost+to+Bucknell+over+the+course+of+the+past+week.+%28Alex+Wolz%2FThe+Fordham+Ram%29

Water Polo beat La Salle and lost to Bucknell over the course of the past week. (Alex Wolz/The Fordham Ram)

Fordham Water Polo closed out their regular season on Saturday, coming out with one loss and one win against a pair of conference opponents. The Rams fell to #15 ranked Bucknell in their first game but secured a victory against LaSalle in their second match, ending Senior Day in the Bronx on a positive note. Fordham finishes their regular season with a 23–6 overall record and a 9–3 record in conference play. The Rams finish in second place in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference for regular season standings.

In the first match, Fordham took on the Bucknell Bisons. Bucknell is ranked first in the MAWPC and had a score to settle after falling to Fordham earlier in the season. The Bisons took an early lead against the Rams, with the score 5–1 by the end of the half. Bucknell continued to maintain their advantage, leading by five goals early in the fourth quarter at 9–4. The Rams fought back in the dying minutes of the game, bringing the score within three, but ultimately were unable to come up with the win. Sophomore Dimitris Koukias netted two goals for Fordham. Senior Jake Miller-Tolt tallied one goal, three assists, two steals and four blocks. Other goal scorers for the Rams included senior Tristen Knoflick, senior George Maltby and freshman Sebastian Zapatero. Sophomore goalkeeper Bailey O’Mara had ten saves and two steals. The final score was 9–6 in favor of Bucknell.

Fordham faced off against LaSalle in their second Senior Day match. It was a closely fought contest between the two teams, but ultimately the Rams were able to hang on to a one-goal lead in the fourth quarter. Dimitris Koukias led the team with four goals for the game, while junior Phillip Wang came in behind him with two. Jake Miller-Tolt, Sebastian Zapatero, Tristen Knoflick, junior August Weyandt and freshman Quinn Wagner also put points up on the board for Fordham. In net, Bailey O’Mara had a stellar performance, tallying sixteen saves along with three steals and an assist. Bailey O’Mara currently has 328 saves for the year, setting a new Fordham record for the most saves in a single season. The end result was an 11–10 win for Fordham.

Overall, the Rams played two strong games to close out the regular season. The Senior Day matchups featured well-rounded play from both the upper and underclassmen. Fordham now heads into the MAWPC Championships, which will be held at Bucknell in Lewisburg, Penn. The tournament will take place Nov. 22 through Nov. 24. The Rams have secured the second seed slot going into the Championships and will take on the seventh seeded Gannon University in Game 3 on November 22nd for their first match. The game begins at 6:00 p.m. The winner of Game 3 will proceed to play the winner of Game 4 on November 23rd at 6:00 p.m. The loser of Game 3 will play the loser of Game 4 on November 23rd at 3:00 p.m. to determine the overall championship rankings.