It took more than a month for Fordham Water Polo to play in front of their home fans, but the Rams made it worth the wait for their excited crowd, defeating the Wagner College Seahawks 17-11.
Thirty-two days separated the Rams’ season opener on Sept. 2 from their 2023 debut in the Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center on Oct. 4, snapping a lengthy stretch of 14 road games to start the season. For Fordham fans, seeing their Rams at home should bring back fond memories.
Flashback to November of 2022, when Fordham hosted the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) tournament and swept it in dominant fashion. The championship clincher, a 14-7 win over Bucknell University, saw the Rams celebrate their second straight conference title in front of a jam packed home pool. “Every time I think about it, I still get a smile on my face,” said head coach Brian Bacharach. It was a special moment for Bacharach and associate head coach Bill Harris, celebrating the title by leaping into the pool to celebrate with the team. “We both commented on how special it was to be sitting there and just hear the reverberation amongst that pool and those walls. It was just electric.”
Eleven months removed from that memorable victory, the #17 Fordham Rams returned to the Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center, set to take on Wagner in their eighth straight MAWPC contest. Fordham and Wagner had already crossed paths this season, with the Rams triumphing 14-5 in a defensive masterclass that saw them hold the Seahawks scoreless for nearly two and a half quarters. Fordham would hope for a repeat effort, seeking to win their home opener and maintain a perfect record in conference play.
The Rams started off strong, grabbing a 5-2 lead after one behind a first quarter hat trick from junior George Papanikolaou, accompanied by markers from juniors Luca Silvestri and Lucas Nieto Jasny. The lead would increase 10-3 by halftime with Silvestri and senior Christos Loupakis adding two apiece. After a game and a half of getting stymied by the Fordham defense, Wagner would finally break through, netting seven goals in the second half. It wasn’t nearly enough to catch up to the Rams however, as Fordham tallied five in the third and two in the fourth to secure a 17-11 win.
Papanikolaou and Silvestri, the team leaders in points and goals respectively, each posted five goals in the affair, leading Fordham to their first home win of the 2023 season. Sophomore Balazs Berenyi notched a hat trick as well while junior goalkeeper Riccardo Di Giuseppe posted five saves and an assist.
With the win, Fordham extends their winning streak to eight games, improving to 12-3 on the season and a perfect 8-0 in MAWPC play. After 14 straight road games to start the season, the Rams will host six of their remaining 14 games prior to the MAWPC tournament, hosted by Bucknell this year. Two of those home games will come next weekend as the Rams host a Saturday doubleheader against the United States Naval Academy and Gannon University. #19 Navy will look to even the season series after a 12-9 defeat just two weeks earlier while Gannon marks the start of seven straight non-conference games.
