ANNAPOLIS, Md. — No. 17-ranked Bucknell University capped off a 3-0 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC)-East Region run through the Washington D.C.-Baltimore Metro area by scuttling host the United States Naval Academy, 9-6.
The defending MAWPC champion Bison outscored the Midshipmen, 5-2, in the second half to secure their sixth-straight victory and improve to 7-6 (3-0 MAWPC-East) on the season.
Rade Joksimovic scored two of his game-best four goals in the decisive second half. He and Jeff Hagen (two goals) were the only players to have multi-goal outings.
The teams entered halftime locked in a 4-4 tie. After Hagen gave Bucknell a 4-2 edge with 1:46 remaining in the second quarter, Navy netted two unanswered goals, one by Nate Reiff and the other by Conor Sullivan.
Joksimovic scored the third quarter’s first two goals, but the Midshipmen responded with two strikes of their own to tie the game at 6-6 with 3:31 left to play in that frame.
At the 1:21 mark, Jared Stanley netted what proved to be the game winner. Hagen gave the Bison a two-goal cushion with 23 seconds left in the third quarter, and Marko Djordjevic capped the scoring at the 5:05 mark of the fourth.
On Saturday, September 23, the Bison dispatched Division III No. 4-ranked Johns Hopkins University, 16-11, and No. 18 George Washington, 12-9, on the road. Against the Blue Jays, Hagen (six goals) and Joksimovic (four goals-two assists) had six-point outings, while Djordjevic (four goals-three assists) led the way against the Colonials.
Release courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
