PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The No. 15-ranked Fordham University water polo team got its season underway this weekend at the 2023 Brown University Bruno Classic by falling to No. 11 Pepperdine University, 16-10, and the host Bears, 18-13, while taking down Division III No. 10 Augustana College, 25-8, and Iona University, 18-8.
On Saturday, September 2, the Rams opened the 2023 season by dropping a six-goal contest versus the Waves of Pepperdine.
In a battle of Top 15 teams, the squads traded goals to exited the first quarter deadlocked at three-all. Pepperdine pulled ahead by a pair entering halftime, 8-6, before Fordham tied the game at eight-all early in the third quarter on goals by Paul Armingol and Luca Silvestri. However, a six-goal surge by the Waves put the game out of reach for the Rams.
For Fordham, George Papanikolaou posted two goals, three assists and three steals, while Silvestri and Balasz Berenyi each had a pair of markers. In net, Riccardo Di Giuseppe stopped five shots.
In the late game, an early blitz of scoring by the Rams in the first quarter saw six different Fordham players score to put the contest versus Augustana out of reach in short order. Fordham ended up scoring at least five goals in every quarter, while defensively holding the Vikings to just two goals a frame.
Berenyi, Papanikolaou, Christos Loupakis and Mark Katsev each had three goals in the contest with Katsev adding a pair of assists. Jagger McMannis, Armingol, Jacopo Parrella and Christopher Gray also added two goals apiece.
In cage, Di Giuseppe had four saves and an assist in 30 minutes of action, while Panayiotis Giannas had a save and two steals to close out the match.
On Sunday, September 3, Fordham took care of fellow Empire State institution Iona as the Rams opened the match with a 4-1 lead on the Gaels, behind a pair of goals by Lucas Nieto Jasny. Nieto Jasny added two more goals in the second quarter, keeping Fordham ahead by three at 8-5. The Rams then put the game away with five goals in each of the final two frames, while holding Iona to just three tallies total.
Nieto Jasny was the big performer, netting five goals on five shots to go with two assists and two steals. Parrella added four goals and two assists with Berenyi having two goals and three assists.
On the backend, Di Giuseppe had five stops, an assist, and a steal with Giannas having one save and one steal.
In Fordham’s final game of the weekend, Brown was overwhelmed by a 6-1 offensive outburst by the Rams in the first quarter highlighted by two goals from Silvestri.
However, the Bears’ offense awoke from hibernation and went to work by outscoring Fordham 5-0 in the frame to square the score at six-all heading into halftime.
Fordham regained a two-goal advantage early in the third quarter on goals by Parrella and Silvestri, but Brown answered with two of their own to deadlock the teams at eight-all. After exchanging goals to make it nine all, the Bears took their first lead with 49 seconds left in the third quarter and did not relinquish that advantage.
For Fordham, Silvestri and Barnabas Eppel led the attack with three goals each, with Nieto Jasny and Parrella having two goals apiece. Nieto Jasny also added four steals defensively.
Release courtesy Fordham University Athletics Communications
