ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Bucknell University goalie Adrien Touzot (Jr., Beirut, Lebanon/Brummana) made 10 saves – including a quartet in the fourth quarter to help keep Gannon University at bay – as the Bison claimed a 9-7 victory in the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship Fifth Place game at the United States Naval Academy’s Lejeune Hall.
The three-time (2016, 2019, 2020/21) MAWPC Champion Bison (13-12, 6-6 MAWPC-East) were led in the field by Shay Gillearn (Fr., Woodland Hills, Calif./Harvard-Westlake) with three goals, while Ethan Jones (So., North Andover Mass./Oaks Christian) chipped in a pair. Jack Lewis (Sr., Wilton, Conn./Wilton), Hasan Mogultay (Fr., Istanbul, Turkey/Istek Acibadem Anatolian), Doruk Ozar (So., Istanbul, Turkey/Private Sezin) and Andu Vlasceanu (Jr., Bucharest, Romania/Liceul Teoretic “Nicolae Lorga” Buccuresti) each tacked on solo goals.
Bucknell never trailed in the game as Lewis converted a man-up chance into a goal with 4:00 left in the first quarter. Tim Baer (R-Sr., Oceanside, Calif./Classical Academy) netted an equalizer at 3:43, but Jones (2:54, penalty shot) and Gillearn (2:06) whipped in back-to-back goals to put the Bison ahead to stay at 3-1.
Baer closed out the first quarter by putting away a shot at 1:46 to close within 3-2. Neither team found the back twine again until Jones lined in a five-meter penalty shot with 36 seconds left in the second quarter for a 4-2 Gannon lead at halftime.
The margin expanded to 6-2 by the less than halfway into the third quarter as Ozar (5:09) and Mogultay (4:25) cashed in even-strength chances. The Golden Knights chipped their deficit down to 6-4 as Robert Bolmanski (Sr. Fairview, Pa./McDowell) (3:23) and Marty Kaverman (Jr., Erie, Pa./McDowell) (3:07, man-up) fired in strikes to put Gannon on the doorstep of a comeback.
Vlasceanu got the goal back at 2:28 by burying a man-up opportunity prior to Vlad Mickic (Jr., Subotica, Serbia/Nikola Tesla) answering at 2:09 to keep Gannon within a pair at 7-5.
Gillearn closed out the third quarter by putting away a six-on-five bid with 39 seconds left to stake the Bison to an 8-5 lead through 24 minutes of action.
Gannon attempted to climb back into the game as Drago Marjanovic (Sr., Belgrade, Serbia/North Allegheny (Pa.)) and Ethan Hamp (R-Sr., Chicago, Ill./Von Steuben) lined in five-meter penalty shots at 5:07 and 2:59, respectively, to shrink the Golden Knights’ deficit to 8-7.
Facing the potential of overtime, Gillearn ended doubts about the contest’s eventual outcome by netting a natural goal at 2:41 for the 9-7 final score.
For Gannon, Baer scored twice with Kaverman, Bolmanski, Mickic, Marjanovic and Hamp each chipping in solo markers. In cage, Alvaro Marco (Fr., Madrid, Spain/IES Ortega y Gasset) and Jacob Hollo (Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa./North Allegheny) combined for eight saves.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Gannon University |
2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | – | 7 |
| Bucknell University | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 | – | 9 |
| Bucknell Goals: | Shay Gillearn (3); Ethan Jones (2); Jack Lewis; Hasan Mogultay; Doruk Ozar; Andu Vlasceanu | |||||
| Gannon Goals: | Tim Baer (2); Marty Kaverman; Robert Bolmanski; Vlad Mickic; Drago Marjanovic; Ethan Hamp | |||||
| Saves: | Bucknell – Adrien Touzot (10) ; Gannon – Alvaro Marco (4, 24 minutes), Jacob Hollo (4, 8 minutes) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Bucknell – 4 ; Gannon – 14 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Bucknell – 5-for-14 ; Gannon – 3-for-4 | |||||
| Sprints: | Bucknell – 3-for-4 (2nd, 3rd, 4th) ; Gannon – 1-for-4 (1st) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | YC – Gannon (Bench, 35 seconds left in 2nd Q), YRC – Gannon (Head coach Shane Unger, 5:26 left in 4th Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Igor Mernenko; Alex Stankevitch | |||||
