Water polo (14-7, 10-2 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference) fell to Fordham (24-0, 10-0 MAWPC) 5-19 and defeated Wagner (12-15, 4-5 MAWPC) 8-7 in a two-game weekend in Springfield, Virginia, on Saturday, ranking the Revolutionaries second in the MAWPC.
The team also welcomed eight newcomers to their roster this season, who have combined for 173 goals of the team’s 253 goal total. The Revs have gone 14-7 overall and 10-2 in the conference so far this season, marking an improvement from last season’s 13-14 overall and 5-7 conference standings.
Riding a seven-game win streak, the Revs took on No. 1 conference-ranked Fordham and Wagner on Saturday. After an impressive three-game stretch against Navy, Bucknell and Mount St. Mary’s, the team fell to Fordham, bouncing back and defeating Wagner later that weekend.
The Revs fell 5-19 to Fordham — currently ranked first in the MAWPC rankings with a 24-0 overall record this season — in their first game of the weekend, having previously lost to the Rams 9-20 in a September game. The Rams took control early, restricting the Revs from potential comebacks, and led 2-1 in the first quarter. Fordham went on a 5-2 run in the second and secured 7-3 by halftime.
The Rams continued on a 6-0 run in the third quarter, leaving the Revs with no opportunity to retaliate. GW started the last quarter of the game with a score of 13-3, with the Rams promptly adding three moral goals to the tally. In the final few minutes, the Revs secured two goals, but the Rams responded with another three, concluding the game 5-19.
Senior attacker Andrija Sekulic and freshman attacker Antonio Florena put up the scoring for the Revs with two goals each, and junior defender Adonis Vlassis contributed one goal. Vlassis leads GW with the most goals scored this season, clocking 58 goals, 13 assists and a 45.31 shooting percentage. Florena and Sekulic follow behind, each netting 44 shots.
After the loss against Fordham, the Revs faced off against Wagner for Senior Day, where Sekulic and senior utility player Leo Lueddemann were honored as the team’s sole seniors. Lueddemann has collected 12 goals through the season, with a 37.50 shooting percentage, two assists and seven steals.
The Revs led the game against Wagner at halftime with a score of 4-2, adding two more goals while the Seahawks scored one, bringing the score to 6-3 in the third quarter. In the fourth, the Seahawks took a 3-0 run to tie the game, extending to overtime. Sekulic — who scored half of the Revs’ total game goals — then hit the game-winning goal to secure an 8-7 win.
Looking for their fifth-straight win in conference play, the team won against No. 20 Navy 13-12 at Long Bridge Park in Arlington, Virginia, in a close contest Oct. 25. Leading 9-7 at the half, the Midshipmen extended their lead to 12-9 after the third quarter. Digging deep, the Revs scored four goals during the final minutes of the game to come back and win.
After emerging victorious from their battle against Navy, the team traveled back home the next day to the Smith Center to extend their win streak to six when they defeated Bucknell 12-10. The Revs posted seven goals compared to their opponents’ four before halftime, even with a slow start to the match. Continuing to lead the Bison the rest of the way, the Revs allowed Bucknell six goals in the second half.
The Revs also beat Mount St. Mary’s 17-11 in Annapolis, Maryland, on Oct. 27. The Revs started the game outscoring the Mountaineers 12-6 in the first half, with Vlassis scoring three of the 12 goals scored before halftime. Both teams tied in the second half 5-5, but the Revs’ 12 points in the first half secured the win. The Revs concluded the three-day weekend competition with a full sweep.
The team returns to action Friday against Johns Hopkins in Arlington, Virginia. The team will play against Navy the following day in Annapolis, Maryland.
