BRONX, N.Y. — No. 5-ranked Fordham University bombed away in the team’s final home games of the 2026 season as the Rams rolled Bucknell University, 19-5, Mount St. Mary’s University, 24-8, and Mercyhurst University, 26-4, in a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) triple-header at the Messmore Aquatics Center.
With the wins, Fordham improves to 19-1 overall, 9-0 in the MAWPC.
The Rams won with a mix of offense and defense, scoring 69 goals in the three matches will allowing just 17.
In the early game versus Bucknell, 10 different players scored for Fordham, led by junior Andras Toth, grad student Laszlo Strasser and sophomore Diego Tresa, who each scored three times with Toth adding two assists to accompany solo helpers by Strasser and Tresa.
Defensively, freshman Viktor Savic made seven stops in the Fordham net while junior Kristof Magony added four.
The Rams opened the day with the Bison, scoring the first four goals of the match, including a pair by sophomore Alessandro Salipante, prior to increasing the margin to 10-3 at the half as seven different Rams scored in the second quarter.
Fordham put the game away in the third quarter, scoring six of the seven goals in the quarter, led by two from Tresa, to take a commanding 16-4 lead.
Fordham has taken the last 11 matchups with Bucknell, including a 21-11 win earlier this year at the Bucknell Invitational.
Facing Mount St. Mary’s, freshman Oktavian Veklyuk and Tresa led the Rams with four goals each, while freshman Karlo Dragosevic and Toth chipped in with trios.
Savic was busy in the Fordham goal, recording eleven saves versus six goals allowed.
After the teams exchanged goals over the first minute, Fordham outscored Mount St. Mary’s 5-2 the rest of the quarter, led by two goals from Tresa, to take a 6-3 lead at the end of eight minutes.
The Rams scored the first four goals of the second quarter, the first two by Veklyuk, to take a commanding 10-3 lead with 5:23 left and held a 13-6 lead at the break.
The Rams put the game away in the third quarter, scoring seven answered goals, including a pair by Veklyuk, to take a 20-6 lead.
Fordham leads the all-time series with Mount St. Mary’s, 14-1, winning the last 14 meetings, including a 23-5 win at the Bucknell Invitational earlier this year.
Taking on Mercyhurst in the nightcap, graduate student Gianni Farrugia paced the Fordham offense with five goals and two assists, while sophomore Charlie Martin added three goals and seven assists. Freshman Bern Kent notched three goals and two assists.
Magony made seven saves in net with freshman Alejandro Cheline tacking on four.
The Rams led 7-2 after one quarter and then 16-2 at the break as Farrugia scored three times and freshman Petar Kulas dented the twine twice.
The game marked the 31st meeting between Fordham and Mercyhurst with the Rams now leading the all-time series, 28-3, winning the past 17 meetings, including a 26-3 win at the Bucknell Invitational this year.
Further, the wins increase Fordham’s home winning streak to 41 matches, dating back to 2022, as the team now holds a 78-game conference winning streak stretching back to a 13-12 loss at then MAWPC institution Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., on November 6, 2021.
Information courtesy Fordham University Athletics Communications
