No. 13 Bucknell University-vs.-United States Naval Academy Scoresheet (MAWPC Championship Game 7)
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Goalie Adrien Touzot (Fr., Beiruit, Lebanon/Brummana) made eight saves to notch Player of the Game recognition as No. 13-ranked Bucknell University defended its home pool with a 7-5 victory over the United States Naval Academy in the semifinals of the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship held at Kinney Natatorium.
Bucknell (21-8, 10-2 MAWPC-East) advances to the league title game at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, November 24, back at Kinney Natatorium against the victor of the other semifinal featuring No. 16 Fordham University and No. 18 George Washington University. The Bison finished 1-1 against both the Rams (17-15 L at home, 9-6 W at Fordham) and the Colonials (13-8 W at home, 11-10 L at GW) during the MAWPC-East regular season.
Further, the Bison will make their third league title game appearance since 2016 as Bucknell downed George Washington by an 11-5 count at Kinney Natatorium for the 2016 crown prior to slipping against the Colonials 12-11 in overtime at Fordham.
In a clash of the MAWPC-East regular season champion (Bucknell) versus the Fourth Place finisher (Navy), the Midshipmen held their own against the home team.
Navy (15-13, 6-6 MAWPC-East) jumped on the scoreboard first as Isaac Salinas (So., Spring City, Pa./Malvern Prep) juked his defender and wailed in the icebreaker with 6:54 on the first quarter clock. Rade Joksimovic (Sr., Novi Sad, Serbia/Gimnazija Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj) balanced the scoreboard 17 seconds later courtesy a five-meter penalty shot, but Salinas returned the led to the Mids at the 4:25 mark by burying his second strike of the opening frame.
Andu Vlasceanu (Fr., Bucharest, Romania/Liceul Teoretic “Nicolae Lorga” Bucuresti) put away the equalizer with 6:43 to go in the second quarter to knot the squads at two-all prior to Jack Lewis (So., Wilton, Conn./Wilton) pushing the Bison into the lead at 3-2 with a man-up strike at 2:38. Navy pulled even prior to the conclusion of the first half as Salinas completed a hat-trick with 33 seconds left as the teams entered the break deadlocked at three-all.
Navy continued its momentum into the second half as Salinas put away shots at 7:11 and 5:42 to acquire a 5-3 lead. However, the Bison charged back into the contest as Copper Dolan (Sr., San Juan Capistrano, Calif./JSerra Catholic) and Joksimovic drilled in shots at 5:27 and 1:22, respectively, to make it five-all heading into the fourth quarter.
From there, the contest was the domain of the Bison as Vlasceanu netted what proved to be the game-winner 30 seconds into the final frame by beating Navy goalie Max Sandberg (So., Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) with 7:30 to play in regulation. Neither team was able to add or erase the one-goal lead until Logan Schofield (Sr., Maumee, Ohio/St. Francis de Sales) sank the Midshipmen by putting away a shot with 55 seconds on the clock for the final salvo in the Bison’s 7-5 win.
For Navy, Salinas provided all the offense as the sophomore accounted for all five Mids’ goals. Sandberg took the loss with six saves.
Due to the loss, Navy will take on the loser of the Fordham-George Washington game at Noon on Sunday, November 24. A nine-time Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) league champion (1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008) and eight-time runner-up (1984, 1991, 1994, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2010, 2011), the Midshipmen are guaranteed to record their all-time best finish at a MAWPC Championship as the team previously garnered Fifth (2017 at home) and Sixth (2016 at Bucknell, 2018 at Fordham) Place marks.
The 2016 MAWPC Champion, Bucknell received pairs of goals from Joksimovic and Vlasceanu to accompany single tallies by Schofield, Dolan and Lewis.
Historically, the Bison are the sole MAWPC Championship host institution to win the crown – a trend which Bucknell will hope to continue on Sunday against 2017 and 2019 MAWPC Champion George Washington.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| United States Naval Academy | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | – | 5 |
| No. 13 Bucknell University | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | 7 |
| Bucknell Goals: | Rade Joksimovic (2); Andu Vlasceanu (2); Logan Schofield; Cooper Dolan; Jack Lewis | |||||
| Navy Goals: | Isaac Salinas (5) | |||||
| Saves: | Bucknell – Adrien Touzot (8) ; Navy – Max Sandberg (6) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Bucknell – 4 ; Navy – 7 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Bucknell – 2-for-7 ; Navy – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Sprints: | Bucknell -3-for-4 (2nd, 3rd, 4th) ; Navy – 1-for-4 (1st) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Navy – YC (Head coach Luis Nicolao, 1:29 left in 1st Q), YC/RC (Head coach Luis Nicolao, 1:59 left in 2nd Q), RC (Head coach Luis Nicolao, 55 seconds left in 4th Q), M (Jake Altmayer, 2:45 left in 2nd Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Igor Mernenko; Mike Gordon | |||||
Bucknell University’s Andu Vlasceanu (#23) lobs a pass towards the cage over the United States Naval Academy’s Jack Weggeland (#9)
Bucknell University’s Jared Stanley (#9) defends the United States Naval Academy’s Cole Jacobs (#12)
The United States Naval Academy’s Isaac Salinas (#6) shoots against Bucknell University’s Rade Joksimovic (#22)
Bucknell University’s Andu Vlasceanu (#23) fires over the United States Naval Academy’s Trevor Clark (#3)
The United States Naval Academy’s Jack Weggeland (#9) shoots against Bucknell University’s Cullen Jacuzzi (#7)
Bucknell University’s Rade Joksimovic (#22) attempts to get a pass over the United States Naval Academy’s Isaac Salinas (#6)
