By Tom Terzulli
The Rams are now 10-11 on the season. (Owen Corrigan/The Fordham Ram)
Last weekend, Fordham Water Polo finally got a well-earned reprieve from what has so far been a relentless schedule. The only game on tap was against the Wagner Seahawks, who made the trip from Staten Island to the Bronx. As has been the case with many of the Rams’ contests this season, it was a back-and-forth affair. However, a controversial finish sunk Fordham by a score of 11-10.
Sophomores Cole Donnelly and Ian Watson opened the scoring with a pair of first quarter goals to put the Rams ahead. The Seahawks soon knotted the game at three, but freshman Jake Miller-Tolt found the net with 53 seconds remaining in the period, giving his team a 4-3 lead.
Wagner came out sharp in the second frame, outscoring Fordham 3-1 to take a 6-5 advantage going into the break.
Watson opened the third quarter with a game-tying goal before the Seahawks reached the net on back-to-back occasions to pull ahead 8-6. The Ohio native would not be denied, however, scoring on a man advantage soon after. Senior teammate R.J. Simmons knotted it up at eight with 5:46 to play in the period.
The back-and-forth action continued into the later stages of the game. Ciaran Wolohan put Wagner back in the lead with a pair of scores. A strike from teammate Oscar Nomura gave the Seahawks their largest lead of the game, 11-8.
At this point, Watson emerged as the engineer of a potential Fordham comeback. Scoring near the end of the third quarter and once again in the fourth, he closed the gap to one with just 1:39 remaining in the game. With the final seconds ticking off the clock, the Rams had one final chance to tie it.
Right after Wagner was called for a common foul, Simmons picked up the ball and saw his opportunity. The shot sailed past the keeper and through the net, but any hopes of Fordham tying the game were dashed when the official ruled that the senior was inside the 5-meter line, thereby disallowing the goal. The Rams and head coach Bill Harris objected to the call, but the referee’s decision was final, cementing the 11-10 defeat.
Although it didn’t lead to a victory, Watson lead his team with a career-best six goals to go with four drawn ejections. Simmons was the other Ram with multiple goals, scoring two along with an assist and four takeaways. Miller-Tolt (a goal and three assists) and Donnelly (goal) rounded out the scoring. Freshman Tristen Knoflick contributed two assists, while sophomore Diego Delgado registered three steals and an assist of his own.
The Rams fall to 10-11 overall and 3-5 in the MAWPC. They return to the pool on Wednesday, Oct. 26, for a rivalry matchup with the Iona Gaels at 7:30 p.m.
