BRONX, N.Y. — Thanks to a pair of victories over both George Washington University, 11-10, and Mount St. Mary’s University, 19-8, the No. 15-ranked Fordham University water polo team secured the top seed at the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship slated for Friday-Sunday, November 17-19, at Bucknell University.
Taking on the Revolutionaries of George Washington in a morning game, the Rams rallied to overcome their foe and lock-up the No. 1 seed for the MAWPC Championship.
After George Washington jetted out to a 4-1 lead after the first quarter, Fordham had a big second quarter, scoring five times to take a 6-5 edge by halftime. Barnabas Eppel netted a pair of goals in the quarter, while Balazs Berenyi, Lucas Nieto Jasny and Jacopo Parrella also scored in the frame.
The game remained tight as George Washington scored twice in the third quarter to take a 7-6 lead before Eppel netted his third goal of the game to tie the game at seven, heading into the final frame.
The seesaw affair continued with Fordham going up by two in the fourth quarter, 9-7, as Nieto Jasny and Christos Loupakis each found the back of the net. The Revolutionaries answered with three straight markers for a 10-9 advantage with just 2:57 left in the game.
From there, Parrela took center stage, tying the game at 10-all with 2:36 left, and then coming up with a steal and breakaway goal with 1:53 remaining to give Fordham the 11-10 lead. The Rams fought off multiple shots by the Revolutionaries in the final minutes and killed off a George Washington power play as time expired to take home the win.
In game two on the day, Fordham ousted Mount St. Mary’s by 11 goals.
Fordham posted back-to-back five-goal quarters to lead by a 10-4 count by halftime and never looked back.
Nieto Jasny scored a game-high four times for the Rams, while Parrella and Berenyi each posted a hat trick. Eppel, Jagger McMannis and Reid Thorson each had two goals with George Papanikolaou, Luca Silvestri and Michael Rahner rounding out the scoring with one goal apiece.
Release courtesy Fordham University Athletics Communications
