ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The No. 5-ranked Fordham University water polo squad wrapped up a busy weekend of Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) matches by defeating host/No. 17 the United States Naval Academy, 14-13, and George Washington University, 21-10, at Lejeune Hall.
Courtesy the wins, the Rams clinch the No. 1 seed for the upcoming MAWPC Championship at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., on Friday-Sunday, November 20-22.
Taking on the host Midshipmen with the possibility of clinching the No. 1 seed at stake, the game was close throughout with neither team holding more than a two goal lead. The game came down to the final minute with freshman Karlo Dragosevic scoring the deciding goal with 16 seconds left.
Junior Andras Toth led the Rams with seven of the team’s 14 goals, while Dragosevic scored twice.
Fordham trailed 3-1 after the first quarter but outscored Navy 5-2 in the second quarter, three from Toth, to take a 6-5 halftime lead.
The match was tied at nine after three quarters before the Rams took a 12-10 lead on a Toth tally with 3:23 left. But Navy managed to tie the game at 13-all with 1:09 remaining before Dragosevic settled it for Fordham.
Freshman Viktor Savic made 14 saves in net for the Rams.
The Rams now lead the all-time series with Navy, 24-16, including a 16-13 win in the Bronx on October 10.
Unlike the first game, Fordham never trailed against George Washington. Toth scored three goals and added four assists while freshman Oktavian Veklyuk also scored three goals and had one assist.
The Rams scored twice in the first minute and held a 5-2 lead at the end of the first and a 10-6 lead at the half.
Fordham outscored the Revolutionaries 8-1 in the third quarter, with two of the goals coming from sophomore Diego Tresa, to take a commanding 18-7 lead.
Savic made six saves in the Fordham net.
The Rams and George Washington have met 40 times in the past with the Rams leading the series, 23-17, with Fordham winning the last 13 meetings, including a 17-12 win in the Bronx on October 12.
The two wins extend Fordham’s MAWPC winning streak to 66 regular season matches dating back to the 2021 season.
Release courtesy Fordham University Athletics Communications
