LA JOLLA, Calif. — The Bucknell University men’s water polo team split a pair of games on the final day of the University of California-San Diego’s Triton Invitational by defeating Division III No. 2-ranked the University of Redlands 14-11, in the morning before falling to No. 10 Long Beach State University, 24-12, later in the day. The Bison went 2-2 on the trip West, with both losses coming to ranked teams.
In the opening game of the day for the Bison, Bucknell quickly jumped to an early lead over Redlands, with five players recording multi-goal performances. Sophomore Sean Tunnicliff, freshman Tyler Hedblad and senior Hasan Mogultay each scored twice in the first quarter. Tunnicliff and junior Aleksa Stefanovic set the tone by netting the first two of Bucknell’s seven goals 13 seconds apart, establishing a two-goal lead.
The Bulldogs responded with a flurry of five goals, three of which were netted by senior attacker Dean Moody.
Despite Redlands narrowing the gap to just one goal by the end of the first quarter, Bucknell maintained its lead, heading into the break with a 9-8 advantage.
The Bison limited the Bulldogs to just one goal in the third quarter while Mogultay, Tunnicliff, and senior Shay Gillearn each found the back of the net. Stefanovic added two more goals, sealing the victory for Bucknell. In addition to his three goals, Tunnicliff led the team with four ejections drawn.
Sophomore David Dumitru recorded 14 saves in net and Matt Ryckman posted three steals and ejections drawn for the Bison.
In Bucknell’s game against Long Beach State, 10 different Bison players found the back of the net, including freshman Jack Dillane, who scored his first collegiate goal late in the fourth quarter.
Tunnicliff opened the scoring for Bucknell, responding to a 5-1 run by Long Beach. The 49ers added two more goals before freshman Jovan Udovicic netted Bucknell’s second strike, followed closely by juniors Jack Murad and Aleksa Stefanovic, who both added one. By halftime, Long Beach led 13-4.
The Bison opened the second half on a strong note with a 7-6 run, highlighted by two goals from Hedblad and one each from Mogultay and Gillearn, bringing the score to 18-10. Despite their momentum, Bucknell was unable to close the gap and take the lead.
Release courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
