An extra week of rest had no adverse effect on Fordham Water Polo, who picked up right where they left off two weeks ago, sweeping yet another weekend series to extend their winning streak to seven games. It’s not just seven straight wins. All seven have come against Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) opponents as the #18 ranked Rams continue to enact their will in conference play, improving to 7-0 in conference play and 11-3 overall.
Fordham spent this weekend in the Washington metropolitan area, kicking things off with a 10 a.m. match in our nation’s capital against George Washington University. Entering Saturday’s action at 6-6, GW had fallen back down to earth following a 2022 season that saw them tie their program wins record, ending the year 23-7 overall. The Revolutionaries were a force to be reckoned with in the MAWPC last season, going 14-2 in conference play with both losses coming against Fordham.
This year’s squad hasn’t quite had the same success, still recovering from the departure of center Theodoros Pateros, who posted 120 goals, four shy of the all time GW single season record, in a season that earned him First Team All-MAWPC honors.
The Revolutionaries quickly grabbed an early 2-0 lead, but Fordham retaliated quickly, ripping six straight goals to take a 6-2 lead at the end of the first. The Rams took advantage of some GW penalties, netting three extra-man goals in the second quarter and taking a 10-3 lead into halftime. It was smooth sailing the rest of the way as Fordham held the GW offense to three second half goals to clinch a 18-6 win, their fourth straight game winning by double digits.
Fordham got 12 of their 18 goals from juniors Luca Silvestri and George Papanikolaou and freshman Barnabas Eppel, who each had four goals and two assists. Junior Riccardo Di Giueseppe posted five saves and two steals in a stellar effort in net.
The day wasn’t over yet as the Rams crossed state lines for a highly anticipated nightcap in Annapolis, Md. against the United States Naval Academy. At #19 in the national Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) polls, Navy is ranked right behind #18 Fordham and seems to pose the biggest threat to the Rams’ dreams of a third straight conference title.
Fordham, however, doesn’t seem ready to relinquish their stronghold on the MAWPC, defeating Navy 12-9. The Rams jumped out to a 4-0 lead after one quarter of play, thanks in large part to extra-man markers from Papanikolauo and senior Christos Loupakis. Trailing 8-2 at halftime, Navy battled back, outscoring Fordham 5-1 in the third as they cut the Ram lead to 9-7. Fordham netted the first two goals of the fourth and rode that cushion to a three-goal victory. Silvestri led the scoring effort once again, posting his fifth straight hat trick, while junior Jacopo Parrella added a tally and three assists.
Baltimore was the site for the final match as Fordham capped off a perfect weekend with a 28-12 victory over Johns Hopkins University. Parrella and Papanikolaou led the offensive onslaught with four goals apiece while freshman Christopher Gray notched three goals and three steals alongside a hat trick from Loupakis. It’s just the second time since 1971 that Fordham has scored 28 goals in a single game, the other occasion being last year against Gannon University.
The successful weekend brought individual honors as well. Luca Silvestri was selected as this week’s MAWPC Defensive Player of the Week while Barnabas Eppel earned Rookie of the Week honors. Silvestri in particular has shined, leading the Rams with 32 goals through just 13 games. Building off of an inaugural campaign that saw Silvestri finish third on the team with 54 goals, the junior has become one of the elite scorers in the MAWPC.
After 14 straight road games, Fordham will finally have a taste of home cooking, returning to the Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center for the first time since their MAWPC championship win in November. The Rams will take on Wagner College in their home opener on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. After that, it’s a Saturday doubleheader at home, featuring a rematch against #19 Navy and a non-conference match against Gannon.
At this point, it feels like every week brings more history and more ridiculous numbers. With a perfect weekend in MAWPC play and a 7-0 start in conference play, Fordham extends their conference winning streak to 25 games.
Fordham’s been tested by the likes of last year’s excellent GW team and this year’s #19 Navy squad, but emerged victorious nonetheless. If it wasn’t clear already, this conference is theirs until it isn’t.
