PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Shay Gillearn had a nine-goal day, with six of them coming against No. 6-ranked University of the Pacific, but the Bucknell University men’s water polo team fell short in a pair of games on day two of the Bruno Classic at Brown University. The Bison fell 12-6 to the host Bears in the morning before dropping a 24-12 contest to Pacific later in the day.
Against Brown, Gillearn scored three times and Matt Ryckman, Aleksa Stefanovic and Walker Butler once put away one shot in Bucknell’s morning match versus the Bears.
The Bison trailed 3-1 early before Stefanovic and Gillearn scored to tie it up. Gillearn scored again in the final minute to make it four-all after a fast-paced first quarter, but the game settled down in the second quarter. Neither team found the back of the net for the first five-and-a-half minutes of the second quarter, but two goals in a span of 28 seconds gave Brown the lead for good.
It was a 7-5 game at the half, and then Brown outscored Bucknell 4-0 in the third quarter to pull away. Gabe Chang led the Bears with three goals.
Taking on Pacific, the Bison matched their season high with 12 goals, including the six from Gillearn. Stefanovic and freshman Sean Michael Tunnicliff scored twice apiece, while Hasan Mogultay and Doruk Ozar put away solo strikes.
Bucknell hung around for much of the first half against the Tigers. Stefanovic’s tally made it a three-all game midway through the opening quarter, and Gillearn scored with 21 seconds left to make it a 5-4 game after one.
Pacific’s first big run came midway through the second quarter, when they scored four straight times to go up 9-4. It was a 10-5 game at the half, and the Bison closed within 11-7 on Tunnicliff’s goal with 5:08 left in the third. But UOP went on a 6-2 run over the final five minutes and piled on from there to attain the victory.
Information courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
