LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Though he plays a different sport, Cristiano Ronaldo once said, “To Be The Best You Need The Best.” The No. 5-ranked Fordham University water polo squad is taking that to heart this weekend, playing three nationally-ranked opponents this weekend in southern California, beginning with a 16-11 loss to No. 1/defending National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Champion the University of California-Los Angeles in the Spieker Aquatics Center.
With the loss, Fordham falls to 9-1 on the season while UCLA improves to 13-0.
The Bruins came out of hibernation to lead 4-0 after the first quarter and extended the margin to 5-0 early in the second quarter.
From there, the teams played even for the remainder of the contest.
Diego Tresa got the Rams on the board 1:12 into the second quarter prior to the Rams pumping in the final three goals on the half to move within 8-4 entering halftime.
The Rams trailed by four again at the end of the third quarter, 11-6, before the Bruins pulled away in widening the gap to 13-7 midway through the fourth quarter.
Fordham got as close as four, 15-11, on a Vuk Kojic tally with 45 seconds remaining before the defending National Champions held on to take a five-score victory.
Andras Toth led the Rams with six goals and two assists, while Tresa finished with a pair of tallies.
UCLA is now 5-0 all-time versus Fordham with prior victories in 1980 (17-2 W), 2012 (22-0 W), 2019 (15-3 W) and 2025 (16-9 W).
Information courtesy Fordham University Athletics Communications
