Story Links Photo Gallery Palo Alto, Calif. – (December 7, 2024) – The enchanting journey of the Fordham water polo team just missed reaching the final page of their story as the third-seeded Rams were defeated by second-seeded USC, 18-16, in a thrilling overtime match during the NC Championship semifinal on Saturday at the Avery […]
Palo Alto, Calif. – (December 7, 2024) – The enchanting journey of the Fordham water polo team just missed reaching the final page of their story as the third-seeded Rams were defeated by second-seeded USC, 18-16, in a thrilling overtime match during the NC Championship semifinal on Saturday at the Avery Aquatics Center in Palo Alto, California.
Fordham commenced the match as desired, scoring the initial two goals with a penalty shot by Lucas Nieto Jasny and an even strength goal from Luca Provenziani. The game became more intense, filled with multiple exclusions and a couple of misconducts, one of which resulted in Fordham’s Barnabas Eppel missing the remainder of the game. Nevertheless, the Rams would finish the first quarter ahead, with Nieto Jasny adding two more goals and a penalty shot from Jacopo Parrella, leading to a 5-4 score.
The physical play persisted into the second quarter, with two additional Fordham players, Balazs Berenyi and Gabriel Melillo, being ejected from the match, which worked in favor of USC. The Trojans capitalized by scoring four times in that quarter compared to the Rams’ two, putting them ahead 8-7.
USC extended their lead to three in the third quarter at 10-7, before back-to-back goals from Andras Toth and Provenziani brought Fordham back within one. After USC scored to make it 11-9, Parrella delivered two consecutive goals, tying the score at 11 with 1:08 left in the period. However, USC managed to net the last goal of the quarter with just four seconds remaining, ending it with a 12-11 lead.
As the fourth quarter commenced, the Rams equalized at 12 with a goal by George Papanikolaou, while another USC player was given a misconduct, increasing the total ejected players to five. The Rams then gained an exclusion and capitalized, as Parrella scored his fourth goal of the match, putting Fordham ahead 13-12 with 4:48 remaining.
USC equalized at the 4:06 mark and took a 14-13 lead with 2:30 left on the clock. Parrella responded yet again, scoring his fifth goal at the 1:12 mark to tie the game at 14. Both teams had two opportunities to regain the lead, but none materialized, pushing the game into overtime.
In the first three-minute overtime session, the Trojans outperformed Fordham, scoring three times to lead 17-14. Reid Thorson found the net in the final minute, reducing the Rams’ deficit to two. The teams exchanged goals over the final three minutes, yet Fordham was unable to recover, finishing with an 18-16 loss.
For Fordham, Parrella recorded a game-high five goals along with an assist, while Nieto Jasny contributed a hat trick and an assist. Provenziani ended with two goals and four assists, and Papanikolaou posted two goals and two assists. In goal, Thomas Lercari made eight saves, along with two assists and two steals.
This defeat concludes the most remarkable season for the Fordham water polo program at 32-1 and signifies the furthest any Fordham team has progressed in the NCAA Championship, reaching the national semifinals.
