ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The No. 5-ranked Fordham University Rams improved to 21-1 and 11-0 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) as the team broke a 13-13 tie with 16 seconds remaining in regulation to claim a 14-13 victory at No. 17 the United States Naval Academy’s Lejeune Hall. During the game, senior attacker Kiefer Black scored five goals to move into second place in the Navy record book for goals scored with 274.
“It was an exciting game and we had our chances,” said Midshipmen head coach Luis Nicolao. “To be that close to beating one of the top teams in the country and to fall short is tough. That being said, I am extremely proud of how the guys played today. They came out prepared and battled extremely hard. We proved today that we can compete with anyone. We may not always win the game, but we are going to fight until the very end and who ever we play will know that they went up against Navy.”
Offensively, six different Midshipmen combined for 13 total goals.
Black led all Navy scorers with five goals. The senior entered the weekend in third place in program history with 267 goals. After a pair of goals on Friday against George Washington University and his five tallies against Fordham, Black finished the weekend with 274 goals for his career, passing Doug Munz (’95) who was second with 273 goals. Navy head coach Luis Nicolao (’92) is the program’s all-time leader in goals scored with 282.
“I am happy for Kiefer,” Nicolao commented. “He played extremely well today and moving up in the Navy rankings is quite the accomplishment. We had our alumni game yesterday and it was great to see all of the guys and trade stories from over the years. Kiefer’s name is going to be included among all of the greats from all of those year’s past. He was able to pass Doug, who was Class of 92+3, and now I guess he only has one more name to pass on that goals’ list. Records are meant to be broken, and if Kiefer can score goals and help our team win, I will be very happily for him to break my record.”
Declan Bartlett followed with three goals in the game, while Aiden Day added a pair. Quinn Bartlett, Aiden Berry and Jack Reif rounded out the scoring with one goal apiece.
Ryan Munch worked a complete game at goalkeeper for the Midshipmen. The junior finished the game with 15 saves and a steal in a complete game effort.
Navy started off strong in the first quarter. Black opened the scoring on the Midshipmen’s first possession, rocketing the ball past the Rams’ keeper. Fordham tied the game at one-all, but Navy was able to regain the lead thanks to a goal by Day. Just before the end of the quarter, D. Bartlett notched his first goal to give the Mids a 3-1 edge through the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Fordham started the scoring with a goal to close the gap to one. Navy countered with back-to-back goals by Black and Berry to push the advantage to 5-2, the Mids’ largest lead of the first half. The Rams responded with a 4-0 run to close out the first half and take a 6-5 lead into intermission.
The third quarter started similarly to the first as Black scored to open the scoring. The senior attacker added a second goal of the span to retake a one-goal advantage, 7-6. Fordham countered with back-to-back goals of its own, but Black locked the score at 8-8 with his third goal of the quarter. The Rams regained a one-goal lead, but Q. Bartlett netted his first goal of the game as the final seconds of the third quarter ticked away to tie the game at 9-9.
Fordham scored to start the fourth quarter, but D. Bartlett answered to tie the game at 10. The Rams used back-to-back goals to take a 12-10 lead. Reif cut the margin to one with a goal, but the visitors pushed the margin back to two with a goal. Navy was able to tie the score at 13-13 as Day and D. Bartlett both found the back of the net. The Rams broke the tie with 16 ticks on the clock. On the ensuing Midshipmen possession, an errant pass allowed the visitors to steal the ball and run out the clock.
Due to the win, Fordham secures the No. 1 seed for the upcoming MAWPC Championship at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa. on Friday-Sunday, November 20-22. The Rams – which hold an 11-0 mark with one MAWPC game left to play later in the day against George Washington University – holds a two-game lead over its closest competitor (Navy – 5-2) and a four game margin compared to current third place squad Bucknell (6-4).
