LEWISBURG, Pa. — The Bucknell University men’s water polo team completed a 2-0 day and a 3-1 weekend at the Bucknell Invitational by taking victories versus McKendree University, 8-7, and Wagner College, 11-9, at Kinney Natatorium.
The game versus Wagner was a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) contest as Bucknell improves to 2-1 in league action after defeating Division III No. 4-ranked Johns Hopkins University and falling to No. 17 Fordham University in yesterday’s fixtures.
Facing McKendree, the Bison overturned a 4-2 halftime deficit into a 6-5 lead at the 2:48 mark of the third quarter to keep a resilient Bearcats team at bay in a one-goal victory at Kinney Natatorium.
The Bison found themselves tied at two after one quarter on goals by Aleksa Stefanovic and Doruk Ozar, but could not find the back of the cage in the second quarter as the Bearcats took a 4-2 lead at the break.
However, Bucknell brought the game even after just one minute into the third, as Andu Vlasceanu scored twice 30 seconds apart to tie the game at four. Vlasceanu then scored once more after the Bearcats tallied a goal to tie the game at five, before Shay Gillearn put away a shot at the 2:48 mark of the third quarter to provide Bucknell its first lead since the 2:47 mark of the first quarter.
The Bison maintained the lead the rest of the way, but not without resistance from the Bearcats in the first meeting between the two schools in program history.
Ethan Jones scored a goal to start the fourth quarter and give the Bison a two-goal cushion, before McKendree brought the game within one once more. Vlasceanu tallied his fourth goal of the game for Bucknell’s final stroke to stake the home team to an 8-6 lead with 3:21 left in regulation. McKendree kept things close, pulling to within a goal at the 3:05 mark, but the Bison held on for an 8-7 win.
Vlasceanu scored four times in the win, while Gillearn, Jones, Ozar, and Stefanovic each found the back of the cage once.
Bucknell finished strong in its final contest of the weekend by overpowering Wagner to take an 11-9 win. The Bison outscored the Seahawks 4-1 over the final eight minutes, after a furious Wagner comeback tied the game at seven with 1:48 left in the third quarter.
Bucknell started brightly, taking a 4-2 lead after one and extending that lead to 6-2 at the 5:47 mark of the second quarter on a penalty shot by Stefanovic. The first-year scored three penalty shots in the first half, thanks to a determined effort in the center by Ozar in drawing penalty exclusions throughout the opening 16 minutes.
However, the Seahawks battled back to pull within one, 6-5, at the 1:27 mark of the second quarter after three unanswered goals. Stefanovic was on hand once again to stop the run, this time skipping a shot from a tight angle that dented the twine and gave Bucknell a 7-5 lead at the break.
It was a defensive battle for much of the third quarter with Wagner keeping Bucknell off the board and eventually tying the game at seven with 1:48 to go in the frame. Gillearn provided Bucknell a bit of momentum as his deflected effort had just enough on it to trickle over the line and give Bucknell an 8-7 lead through 24 minutes of competition.
Bucknell scored three more times after Gillearn’s strike to take an 11-7 lead. Stefanovic buried Bucknell’s ninth goal before Hasan Mogultay converted courtesy an entry pass from Vlasceanu for Bucknell’s final tally.
Stefanovic tallied a career-best five goals in the win, while Mogultay added two goals. Matt Ryckman, Jones, and Vlasceanu also added tallies as the Bison claimed their second league victory of the 2022 season.
Information courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
