PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Olivia Hopper (Fr., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) scored five times and goalkeeper Tamara Torkos (So., Budapest, Hungary/Boldog Adolf Kolping Katolikus Általános, Gimnázium és Sportgimnázium) posted 13 saves to share Player of the Game laurels as No. 5 seed Bucknell University stunned host/No. 4 seed/No. 20-ranked Brown University, 7-6, in the final game on the opening day of the 2025 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship.
Competing at the Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center, the Bison (15-12, 4-8 CWPA) avenge 13-10 and 11-7 losses to the Bears (16-14, 7-5 CWPA) during the regular season and lock-up the fourth Top Four finish for Bucknell at the CWPA Women’s Championship in school history following prior second (2021), third (2019), fourth (2006), fifth (2010, 2016, 2018), sixth (2008, 2014, 2017, 2022, 2023, 2024), seventh (2004, 2005, 2007, 2011, 2013, 2015), eighth (2003, 2012), ninth (2000) and 11th (2002) place marks since 2000 in the many versions of the CWPA/Eastern Championship.
The loss prevents Brown from claiming the eighth Top Four finish in program history since 2000 as the Bears previously placed first (2001), second (2003), third (2024), fourth (2004, 2009, 2012, 2022), fifth (2000, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2019, 2023), sixth (2002, 2010, 2018), seventh (2005, 2016, 2017) and ninth (2011).
Bucknell – which will return to the water at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, April 26, against CWPA regular season champion/No. 1 seed/No. 10/defending CWPA Champion Princeton University in a semifinal clash – rallied from a 4-3 halftime deficit to overcome the host Bears and earn a third shot at knocking off the Tigers. The Bison finished 0-2 against Princeton during the regular season with 19-5 and 14-8 setbacks.
Trailing 2-0 midway through the first quarter following back-to-back strikes by Bella Schraa (Jr., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) (6:05) and Gwen Kallmeyer (Jr., Mill Valley, Calif./Redwood) (4:13, man-up), Brown erased its deficit prior to the conclusion of the opening frame as Alexandra Love (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) and Hanna Tidrenczel (So., Budapest, Hungary/Korosi Csoma Sandor Bilingual Baptist) rifled in even-strength tallies with 3:04 and 56 seconds left on the clock, respectively, to level the scoreboard at two-all.
Madeleine Poissonnier (Jr., Tustin, Calif./Foothill) scored at 6:35 and 2:11 in the second quarter to sandwich a response by Hopper (3:43) as the Bears entered halftime clutching a 4-3 lead.
The Bison eliminated their deficit and went back in front within the first five minutes of the third quarter as Hopper hammered home man-up (5:43) and natural (3:18) markers prior to Ava Schoening (Fr., Seattle, Wash./Corona del Mar) squaring the squads at five-all with 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Hopper was the hero of the final eight minutes as she deposited a five-meter penalty shot (5:46) to return the Bison to the lead at 7-6 and help stymie the Bears’ offense until Love launched in an equalizer via a penalty shot with 31 seconds left to make it a six-all contest with overtime looming on the horizon.
However, Hopper hurled her team into the semifinals by delivering the deciding factor with 23 seconds to play as the Bison clipped Brown, 7-6.
For the Bears, Love notched a pair of goals to go along with solo scores by Claire Poissonnier, Madeleine Poissonnier, Tidrenczel and Schoening. Goalkeeper Roxanne Hazuka (Jr., La Jolla, Calif./La Jolla) turned aside eight scoring tries in suffering the setback.
Hopper (five), Kallmeyer and Schraa combined for Bucknell’s offense as the team snaps an 11-game losing streak to Brown since an 8-4 win on April 6, 2019 with no meetings during the COVID-19 abbreviated 2020 and 2021 seasons before going 0-3 in 2022, 0-3 in 2023, 0-3 in 2024 and 0-2 during the 2025 regular season.
The contest marks Bucknell’s first victory over Brown at the CWPA Championship since April 29, 2018, when the host Bison turned back the Bears by a 9-4 score in the Fifth Place game at Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pa. Prior to the 2018 meeting, Bucknell defeated Brown in a consolation game on Saturday, April 29, 2017, at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., following a 10-6 victory on Saturday, April 30, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., in another consolation contest.
In the history of the Eastern/CWPA Championship, the Bison are now 6-7 against the Bears with contests in 2000 (10-5 L), 2008 (9-8 L), 2010 (8-7 W OT), 2011 (16-11 W), 2013 (12-7 L), 2014 (12-9 L), 2016 (10-6 W), 2017 (10-7 W), 2018 (9-4 W), 2022 (17-8 L), 2023 (17-6 L), 2024 (13-7 L) and 2025.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Bucknell University (15-12, 4-8 CWPA) |
2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | – | 7 |
| Brown University (16-14, 7-5 CWPA) | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | 6 |
| Brown Goals: | Alexandra Love (2); Madeleine Poissonnier; Claire Poissonnier; Hanna Tidrenczel; Ava Schoening | |||||
| Bucknell Goals: | Olivia Hopper (5); Gwen Kallmeyer; Bella Schraa | |||||
| Saves: | Brown – Roxanne Hazuka (8) ; Bucknell – Tamara Torkos (13) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Brown – 4 ; Bucknell – 6 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Brown – 1-for-6 ; Bucknell – 3-for-4 | |||||
| Sprints: | Brown – 4-for-4 ; Bucknell – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – Brown (Head coach Felix Mercado, 5:44 left in 3rd Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Joe Peila, Tony Karaman | |||||
Bucknell University’s Sidney Finkler (#22) defends Brown University’s Samantha Kim (#21)
Bucknell University’s Olivia Hopper (#3)
