STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The Wagner College men's water polo team played in front of the home crowd at the Spiro Aquatic Center for the final time of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling 23-10 to fifth-ranked Fordham in a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) showdown.
The nation's No. 5-ranked Rams came out establishing a fast-paced offensive rhythm and building an early 5-1 lead. Junior captain
Smith Connors provided the opening spark for the Green & White, finding the back of the net in the opening frame to get Wagner on the scoreboard against a relentless Fordham defense.
Fordham extended its advantage in a high-scoring second period, putting up seven goals. The Seahawks answered with an aggressive offensive push of their own, netting four goals in the frame. Where Connors was able to complete a hat trick, junior
Matt Wedlock and sophomore
Landon Castillo each capitalized on scoring opportunities to keep Wagner fighting as the teams headed into halftime facing a double-digit deficit.
Coming out of the break, Fordham maintained its pressure with a five-goal third quarter. Wagner continued to battle, adding two goals in the frame behind tallies from Connors and junior
Matan Friedenberg to try and spark a second-half shift.
Wagner tried to save a strong push from the Rams for the final eight minutes, putting up three goals in the fourth quarter. Senior captain
Patrick Ray, sophomore
Weston Swank and senior
Maayan Nahari all found the back of the net down the stretch. However, the Rams' early cushion proved too much to overcome as Fordham secured the 23-10 final victory in Wagner's home regular-season finale.
Up Next
The Seahawks hit the road for a demanding three-game weekend road trip before heading into the MAWPC Conference Championship tournament.
The action starts on Saturday, November 7 in Washington, D.C., where they will face George Washington at the Smith Center Pool at 10:00 a.m. Wagner will then head down to Annapolis, Md., to square off against Navy at the Scott Natatorium at 5:00 p.m.
The Green & White will wrap up the weekend journey on Sunday, November 8, traveling to Emmitsburg, Md., to battle Mount St. Mary's at Knott Arena beginning at 1:00 p.m.
