BRONX, N.Y. — Andrew Mavis (Jr., Princeton, N.J./The Pennington School) scored with 36 seconds remaining in the second overtime period for George Washington University as the Colonials topped No. 15-ranked Bucknell University, 12-11, in overtime to capture the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship hosted by Fordham University at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatics Center.
The win gives George Washington (22-6, 9-3 MAWPC-East) back-to-back MAWPC crowns as the Colonials downed Wagner College, 8-5, last year at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., to claim the inaugural conference title in school history. Further, GW earns an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship field as the Colonials will await to see later tonight if they will compete in an NCAA play-in game likely against the Tigers of Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Champion Princeton University.
Leading 7-6 entering the fourth quarter of play, George Washington saw its lead evaporate 26 seconds into the final frame of regulation as Jared Stanley (So., Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) swept in a shot with 7:34 on the clock. GW regained the lead at 3:56 when Mavis put away an even-strength chance, but the Bison (22-7, 11-1 MAWPC-East) countered at 3:18 with a man-up tally by Stanley to balance the scoreboard at eight-all.
Bucknell appeared primed to capture the league crown in the closing seconds of the game as 2016, 2017 and 2018 MAWPC-East Most Valuable Player Rade Joksimovic (Jr., Novi Sad, Serbia/Gimnazija Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj) rifled in a shot with eight seconds left to provide the 2016 MAWPC Champion Bison with a 9-8 lead.
However, Atakan Destici (Jr., Istanbul, Turkey/Istek Acibadem Anatolian) lined a long-range buzzer-beater from the left side that went into the right side of the cage as the horn expired for the equalizer to force overtime and keep George Washington’s season alive for at least two more three minute overtime periods.
George Washington dominated extra time as Nick Schroeder (Fr., Orinda, Calif./Campolindo) and Mavis put away the lone scores of the first OT frame with 1:40 and 55 seconds on the clock, respectively, to give the Colonials an 11-9 lead.
In the second OT period, Bucknell tried to climb back into the game as Jack Lewis (Fr., Wilton, Conn./Wilton) cashed in a man-up chance with 1:02 remaining to make it 11-10. However, Mavis buried the deciding factor with 36 seconds left courtesy a sinking shot that eluded Bucknell goalie Jack Otto (Fr., Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) to push the margin back to two at 12-10. The Bison tried one final push to bring about sudden death overtime as Joksimovic pumped in a shot with 28 seconds left, but the Colonials were able to run out the clock to capture their second consecutive MAWPC title.
The game was nip-tuck from the early going until the final horn as GW pulled out to a 2-0 lead less than four minutes into the first quarter thanks to natural tallies by Schroeder (7:05) and Andras Levai (So., Budapest, Hungary/Csik Ferenc Secondary School) (4:08). Bucnell erased the margin and took the lead prior to close of the opening quarter of action as Cooper Dolan (Jr., San Juan Capistrano, Calif./JSerra Catholic) and Lewis swished even-strength chances at 3:52 and 1:29, respectively, to sandwich a successful six-on-five opportunity by Lewis at 2:19 to make the score 3-2 in favor of the Bison after eight minutes of competition.
Dolan struck again with 6:15 left in the second quarter to increase George Washington’s deficit to 4-2,but the Colonials turned the tables on Bucknell with a natural goal by Levai (2:47) stuck between man-up conversions by Zach Slaughter (Sr., Trabuco Canyon, Calif./JSerra Catholic) and Destici with 4:42 and 49 seconds left in the second quarter for a 5-4 Colonials’ lead at the half.
George Washington continued to pull away as Jack Kerwin (Sr., Old Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) uncorked another man-up score with 4:21 to go in the third quarter to push GW’s lead to 6-4. Following a five-meter penalty shot (2:49) by Joksimovic to trim the gap down to one, the Bison pulled even with their Washington, D.C. based foe as Logan Schofield (Jr., Maumee, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) ripped in a power-play bid with 1:52 on the clock to balance the scoreboard at six-all.
Once more, however, the Colonials regained control of the game as Josh Yardley (Fr., Sellersville, Pa./Pennridge) found the back of the cage with 1:29 to go in the third quarter for a 7-6 lead heading into the climatic fourth quarter and overtime.
For George Washington, Mavis led the way with three goals to net Player of the Game laurels. Destici, Levai and Schroeder all tacked on pairs of strikes, while Kerwin, Slaughter and Yardley contributed single goals. In cage, Austin Pyrch (Sr., Denton, Texas/Billy Ryan) stopped 11 shots – including none in overtime – to anchor the Colonials back into the NCAA Championship.
Joksimovic, who garnered All-Tournament Most Valuable Player honors from the eight participating institutions’ head coaches for his three-day performance in the Bronx, and Lewis powered the Bucknell attack as the duo each deposited three goals. Dolan and Stanley tossed in pairs, while Schofield notched a single score.
Between the pipes, Rookie of the Tournament Otto kept his team in the contest with 17 saves in taking the loss.
The game marked the second time Bucknell and George Washington met for the MAWPC Championship as the Bison defeated the Colonials at home in Kinney Natatorium by an 11-5 score for the inaugural/2016 MAWPC Championship. Last year, the Colonials took the title by defeating Wagner College, 8-5, at the United States Naval Academy.
Further, the contest was the season rubber-match between Bucknell and GW as the Colonials claimed a 20-9 win in Washington, D.C., but suffered a 13-12 setback in Lewisburg, Pa.
Following the conclusion of the championship game, the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship All-Tournament Team was announced based on a vote of the eight competing schools’ head coaches:
| 2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship All-Tournament Team | |
| Most Valuable Player: | Rade Joksimovic (Bucknell University) |
| Coach of the Tournament: | Bill Harris (Fordham University) |
| Rookie of the Tournament: | Jack Otto (Bucknell University |
| First Team | |
| Austin Pyrch (Goalie) | George Washington University |
| Atakan Destici | George Washington University |
| Andrew Mavis | George Washington University |
| Rade Joksimovic | Bucknell University |
| Logan Schofield | Bucknell University |
| Jasmin Kolasinac | Wagner College |
| Jake Miller-Tolt | Fordham University |
| Second Team | |
| Jack Otto (Goalie) | Bucknell University |
| Isaac Salinas | United States Naval Academy |
| Bobby Lee | United States Naval Academy |
| Marko Djordjevic | Bucknell University |
| Ian Watson | Fordham University |
| Andras Levai | George Washington University |
| Giorgio Cico | Johns Hopkins University |
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | OT1 | OT2 | – | FINAL | |
| George Washington University | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | 12 |
| Bucknell University | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | – | 11 |
| Bucknell Goals: | Jack Lewis (3); Rade Joksimovic (3); Jared Stanley (2); Cooper Dolan (2); Logan Schofield | |||||||
| George Washington Goals: | Andrew Mavis (3); Nick Schroeder (2); Atakan Destici (2); Andras Levai (2); Jack Kerwin; Zach Slaughter; Josh Yardley | |||||||
| Saves: | Bucknell – Jack Otto (17) ; GW – Austin Pyrch (11) | |||||||
| Exclusions: | Bucknell – 10 ; GW – 12 | |||||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Bucknell – 5-for-12 ; GW – 3-for-10 | |||||||
| Sprints: | Bucknell – 5-for-6 (1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) ; GW – 1-for-6 (2nd) | |||||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||||
| Officials: | Val Vasilchikov, Hadi Farid | |||||||
Bucknell University’s Rade Joksimovic (#22) eludes George Washington University’s Atakan Destici (#2)
George Washington University’s Andras Levai (#8) splits Bucknell University’s Rade Joksimovic (#22) and Cooper Dolan (#6)
George Washington University’s Josh Yardley (#15) defends Bucknell University’s Marko Djordjevic (#8)
George Washington University’s Atakan Destici (#2) tries to get by Bucknell University’s Rade Joksimovic (#22)
2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship Rookie of the Tournament: Bucknell University’s Jack Otto
2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship Most Valuable Player Player: Bucknell University’s Rade Joksimovic
2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Champion – George Washington University
