The 16th ranked Fordham water polo team defeated the Iona College Gaels in their annual matchup for the Judge Cup, 14–5. This match is played in dedication to Fordham Athletics Hall of Famer Dr. Francis X Judge, who revived the Rams’ program and has heavy ties to Iona as well. The first Judge Cup was held in 2012, with this win boosting Fordham’s record to 6–3 in the event’s history after winning the last three.

Ahead of the match, graduate co-captain Hans Zdolsek spoke about areas of improvement for the team to build upon. They entered the bout 16–4, and while they have had great success, coach Brian Bacharach’s group is always looking at how they can enhance their game.

“Our biggest obstacles at the moment are inexperience and team chemistry. We had a large recruiting class this year of which a large portion was international. Speaking from experience, adapting to differences in the sport and life in general takes some time coming from abroad,” said Zdolsek. On top of this, we are in the process of building team chemistry as well as a healthy, competitive mentality, which isn’t an easy task either.”

The team certainly internalized these points of emphasis, putting together one of their most cohesive team efforts of the year. The Rams jumped to an early first period lead, stringing together four quick goals in the first four minutes. Fordham continued this performance throughout the quarter, as they would extend their lead to 7–2. While the scoring stalled in the second period, with Fordham being outscored 2–1 as Iona shifted from goalkeeper Kyle Laufenberg to Diego Gomez, the second half yielded better results as they only surrendered a lone goal. 

This victory was, in large part, due to sophomore Christos Loupakis and freshmen George Papanikolaou and Lucas Nieto Jasny. Each provided hat tricks on offense, amounting to nine of 14 total scores. Additionally, the second half brought excellent play in net, where co-captain Bailey O’Mara started, but sat to give freshman Thomas Lercari and junior Aldo Ordoñez playing time. 

Fordham now stands at 17-4 with this victory. Looking ahead, the Rams finish their season with almost entirely conference play. Their next seven matches are all Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference play. They will face Wagner College next, whom they played earlier in the season in the Bison Invitational, where they won 15–10. This round will be held on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the Francis B. Messmore Aquatics Center in the Bronx, as Fordham hosts their next three opponents.