BRONX, N.Y. — Fordham University defended its home of the Co. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center as the Rams used a 7-3 run in the third quarter to overpower the United States Naval Academy, 15-8, on the opening day of the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship.
Fordham (16-14, 6-6 MAWPC-East), which is hosting an aquatics championship for the first time since the 1994 Patriot League Swimming & Diving Championship and a water polo championship for the inaugural time since the 1988 Metropolitan Championship, advances to a semifinal showdown with No. 15-ranked Bucknell University at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 17. Bucknell earned its way into the semifinals with a 21-6 defeat of La Salle University.
The Rams jumped out to the first lead of the game as Ian Watson (Sr., Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) put away a shot 34 seconds into the contest to stake Fordham to a 1-0 lead with 7:26 left in the first quarter. Navy (14-13, 6-6 MAWPC-East) balanced the scoreboard and took the lead as 2018 MAWPC Rookie of the Year Isaac Salinas (Fr., Spring City, Pa./Malvern Prep) broke loose for a counterstrike at 5:34 before Nate Reiff (Jr., Wheeling, Ill./Wheeling) buried a pass at 4:02 to push the Midshipmen ahead 2-1.
Magnus Sims (Sr., Wayne, Pa./Malvern Prep) squared the teams at two-all via a man-up tally at 2:42, but the Mids regained the lead at 3-2 20 seconds later as Andrew Shashin (So., Buffalo Grove, Ill./Stevenson) slipped in a shot.
It would mark the last time Navy lead in the game as Sims (1:58) and Joseph Agabs (Jr., Brooklyn, N.Y./Brooklyn Technical) (1:02) torpedoed the Midshipmen with back-to-back six-on-five conversions to snag a 4-3 lead after eight minutes of action.
Fordham continued to pour it on in the dawning moments of the second quarter as Sims (7:22), Jake Miller-Tolt (Jr., Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa) (6:43) and Agabs (5:57) ticked off back-to-back-to-back man-up markers to inflate the margin to 7-3.
Jesse Hainze (So., Bellevue, Wash./Bellevue) stopped Navy from taking on water at 5:19 by snapping in a natural goal to move within 7-4, but George Maltby (Jr., Newtown Square, Pa./Episcopal Academy) shook his defender and stroked another man-up opportunity by Mids’ back-up goalie Max Sandberg (Fr., Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) with 2:09 on the clock to lock the scoreboard at 8-4 by halftime.
The Rams continued to barrage Navy to begin the third quarter as Miller-Tolt (7:38, man-up) and Tristen Knoflick (Jr., Concord, Calif./De La Salle) (6:44, even-strength) hammered home opportunities to inflate Fordham’s lead to 10-4. Jack Weggeland (Fr., Riverside, Calif./Riverside Poly) delivered a Navy response at 5:49 to cut the margin back to five at 10-5, but Phillip Wang (So., San Jose, Calif./Bellarmine College Prep) deposited goals at 5:03 (man-up) and 4:06 (natural) to provide the Rams a commanding 12-5 lead.
Bobby Lee (So., Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill) inched the Mids within six at 12-6 at 2:58, but Sims lanced in a five-meter penalty shot (2:43) and Dimitris Koukias (Fr., Athens, Greece/Athens-Psychico) fired in an even-strength strike at 2:04 to engorge the spread to 14-6. The teams traded goals over the final two minutes of the frame as Lee (1:55) and Ian Watson (Sr., Upper Arlington, Ohio/Upper Arlington) (41 seconds) found the back of the cage to make it 15-7 after 24 minutes of competition.
The fourth quarter, unlike the 10 goals exchanged in the third quarter, was quiet as a man-up conversion by Hainze with 1:22 remaining on the clock was the only offense over the final eight minutes.
For Fordham, Sims collected Player of the Game recognition for finishing with four goals. Miller-Tolt, Agabs and Watson each accounted for pairs of scores, while Koukias, Knoflick and Maltby each tossed in single tallies.
In cage, Bailey O’Mara (Fr., Darien, Conn./Darien) allowed seven goals and turned aside 10 shots to earn the win. Patrick Coffey (Sr., West Chester, Pa./Malvern Prep (Loyola Maryland) came on to close out the game allowing one tally with a save.
Navy, which falls into the consolation side of the bracket and will face La Salle at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 17, with eyes on making the Fifth Place game, received pairs of markers from Lee and Hainze. Salinas, Weggeland, Reiff and Shashin tacked on single goals.
Between the pipes, the trio of Ronan Williams (Jr., Severna Park, Md./Severna Park), Max Sandberg (Fr., Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) and Francis Kim (Sr., Houston, Texas/Clear Lake) combined for 10 saves. Williams earned the start and allowed four goals in the first quarter prior to Sandberg coming on to make seven saves in the second and third quarters with 11 goals allowed. Kim closed out the contest with three saves in the fourth quarter.
The win marks the second of the season for the Rams over the Midshipmen as Fordham evens its 2018 record against Navy following 8-7 and 9-8 defeats in addition to an 11-8 victory during the regular season.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| United States Naval Academy | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | – | 8 |
| Fordham University | 4 | 4 | 7 | 0 | – | 15 |
| Fordham Goals: | Magnus Sims (4); Jake Miller-Tolt (2); Joseph Agabs (2); Ian Watson (2); Phillip Wang (2); Dimitris Koukias; Tristen Knoflick; George Maltby | |||||
| Navy Goals: | Bobby Lee (2); Jesse Hainze (2); Jack Weggeland; Nate Reiff; Andrew Shashin; Isaac Salinas | |||||
| Saves: | Fordham – Bailey O’Mara (10, 27 minutes), Patrick Coffey (1, 5 minutes) ; Navy – Ronan Williams (0 saves, 8 minutes), Max Sandberg (7, 16 minutes), Francis Kim (3, 8 minutes) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Fordham – 5 ; Navy – 14 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Fordham – 10-for-14 ; Navy – 1-for-5 | |||||
| Sprints: | Fordham – 4-for-4 ; Navy – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Val Vasilchikov, Hadi Farid | |||||
The United States Naval Academy’s Nate Reiff (#11) defends Fordham University’s Jake Miller-Tolt (#3)
The United States Naval Academy’s Jesse Hainze (#10) looks to pass as Fordham University’s Cole Donnelly (#12) defends
Fordham University’s Samuel Varshisky (#8) tries for a steal as the United States Naval Academy’s Trevor Clark (#3) attempts to unload the ball
Fordham University’s Joseph Agabs (#4) eyes an opening as the United States Naval Academy’s Isaac Salinas (#6) closes in
