Water Polo Has Another Outstanding Week

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Fordham Water Polo won its fifth Judge Cup against Iona. (MacKenzie Cranna/The Fordham Ram)

Sabrina Boyd, Contributing Writer

It was a stellar week for Fordham Water Polo as it increased its winning streak to six games. Their last loss occurred against Navy on Oct. 19. Fordham secured three MAWPC East wins against George Washington, Navy and Johns Hopkins. Also, the Rams triumphed over Iona College to earn their fifth Judge Cup, taking a 5–3 lead in the series between the two rivals. Overall, the Rams now have a record of 21–5.

Fordham took on the Iona Gaels at home on Wednesday, putting on a strong offensive performance. The Rams took a dominant lead early on, leading 6–1 by the end of the first quarter. Senior Jake Miller-Tolt scored four goals within the first eight minutes, with junior Sam Wheeler and freshman Sebastian Zapatero netting the other two. Fordham retained the lead throughout the entire game, with the Gaels only coming within three near the end of the third quarter. The final score was 11–8 in favor of the Rams, and the team was able to pose proudly with another Judge Cup.

Fordham took their winning momentum on the road over the weekend. On Saturday, the Rams faced off against George Washington for their first game of the day. In this thrilling matchup, Fordham retained a 7–3 lead by halftime, and continued to remain in control by the third quarter. In the fourth, the Colonials staged a comeback and took a 13–12 lead with less than two minutes to play. But senior Joseph Agabs kept the Rams in the contest with a tying goal, and senior Oscar Nomura scored the game-winner on a man-up opportunity with 56 seconds left in the game. Jake Miller-Tolt led the team with four goals, while senior Tristen Knoflick was close behind with three. The end result was a 14–13 Rams victory. In their second matchup against Navy, Fordham played tightly throughout the first half, with the score tied at five by halftime. In the second half of the match the Rams offense surged, outscoring Navy 6–1. Jake Milller-Tolt once again had four goals, while junior Phillip Wang notched three. Sophomore goalkeeper Bailey O’Mara was a wall in net, racking up 18 saves, three steals and two penalty blocks. The game resulted in an 11–6 win for Fordham.

The Rams ended their weekend on a high note with a solid victory against Johns Hopkins on Sunday. The teams played evenly through the first half, with Fordham holding onto a slim 6–5 lead by halftime. In the third quarter, the game remained close, staying a one score difference going into the fourth. Fordham’s defense kept Johns Hopkins on lockdown, preventing them from scoring in the final eight minutes. Sophomore Dimitris Koukias was a force on offense, scoring five goals and adding on three steals. The superstar of the game was Bailey O’Mara, who tallied a career-high 21 saves in the game. O’Mara became just the third-ever Fordham goalie to have more than 20 saves in a single game, the last being Noah LeBeau in 2012. The score was 11–8 in favor of the Rams by the final whistle.

As the season nears a close, these four wins were great accomplishments for this formidable team. The Rams are back at home on Saturday, Nov. 16. They take on conference rivals Bucknell and La Salle in a double-header. The Bucknell game begins at 2:00 p.m.