BRONX, N.Y. — The men’s semifinals of the United States (U.S.) Open are being played tonight along with a Subway Series game between the New York Yankees and Mets in New York on September 11.
However, neither Flushing Meadows nor Yankee Stadium was the site of the most intense action of the night as that occurred in the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center where the No. 5-ranked Fordham University men’s water polo squad was taking on No. 9 Pepperdine University in a clash of Top 10 teams. Rams fans went back into the Bronx night happy as Fordham flummoxed the Waves, 16-12.
With the win, Fordham improves to 5-0 on the season, while Pepperdine falls to 4-5.
Junior Andras Toth and freshman Vuk Kojic led the Rams with five goals each to accompany a trio by freshman Oktavian Veklyuk. Freshman Viktor Savic recorded six saves in the Fordham net.
The score was tied at two midway through the first quarter, thanks to a goal from Toth, when the Rams scored the next three goals – including a pair by Kojic – to take a 5-2 lead late in the first quarter.
Pepperdine scored twice in the final 38 seconds of the first to make it a one-goal game at 5-4, but Fordham turned on the offense in the second quarter by scoring four unanswered goals from four different players to take a 9-4 lead with two minutes left in the first half.
The Waves responded with the final three tallies of the first half to cut the Fordham lead down to a pair at 9-7 heading into halftime.
After Toth scored the first goal of the second half for the Rams, Pepperdine scored three straight to knot the game at 10-all with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter.
Another goal from Toth with 47 seconds left in the third ignited a 4-0 Fordham run as the Rams built a 14-10 lead on Toth’s fourth goal of the game with 2:42 left in regulation.
Pepperdine managed to make it a 14-12 game a minute later before goals from Veklyuk and Toth over the final 39 seconds sealed the win for the Rams.
Information courtesy Fordham University Athletics Communications
