SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The No. 14-ranked Bucknell University men’s water polo team finished the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament at Santa Clara University with a split by falling to the host Broncos in overtime 15-14, before rebounding with a 16-13 win over the United States Air Force Academy.
In the day’s opener, Bucknell rallied back from a five-goal lead entering the fourth quarter prior to falling in overtime.
After a close first half in which neither team led by more than two goals, the Broncos netted five goals to the Bison’s two in the third period to stretch a 6-4 halftime lead into an 11-6 advantage after the first three periods.
However, the Bison rallied late in the contest, scoring three straight goals to start the fourth quarter to trim the Broncos lead to 11-9 with 5:15 left on the clock. The duo of Logan Schofield and Rade Joksimovic helped to kick start the run for the Bison, with the two combining to score the three goals as well as assisting the other in their tallies.
A goal from the Broncos with 3:01 left restored a three-goal advantage for Santa Clara with just 3:01 to go. However, the Bison rallied once again in the final two minutes, with goals from Joksimovic and Cooper Dolan helping to tie the game at 13 at the end of regulation. Joksimovic’s last goal came with just one second on the clock.
After the two teams exchanged goals in the first overtime period, the Broncos scored a late penalty shot in the sixth period to take a 15-14 lead with 1:45 remaining. The Bison had several looks at goal over the final 90 seconds, but the Broncos held on for a one-goal overtime victory.
Joksimovic led all Bison point scorers, netting four goals and four assists for an eight-point day. Schofield added four goals and an assist, while Cooper Dolan tallied three goals.
Jack Otto made 11 saves for the Bison in the cage.
The Bison managed to rally in the second game of the day, taking home a 16-13 win over Air Force to close out the Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament.
After neither team managed to score through the first five minutes, the Bison finally broke the tie when Dolan scored on an assist from Joksimovic at the 3:18 mark. After a goal from the Falcons, Schofield managed to score with two seconds left in the period to restore the Bison lead to 2-1.
The Bison managed to use the second and third period to pull away from the Falcons, outscoring Air Force 10-7 for a four-goal cushion, 12-8, after the first three periods.
The Falcons made things close in the fourth period, scoring three straight goals over the first three minutes to cut the score to 12-11 Bucknell with 5:06 remaining. Schofield scored just 17 seconds later to give the Bison some breathing room and a two-goal lead once more.
A goal from Marko Djordjevic at the 1:57 mark and a goal from Joksimovic just 30 seconds later effectively sealed the game for the Bison, as they held on for a 16-13 win to close out their road trip to California.
Joksimovic led all scorers with 11 points on six goals and five assists. Schofield and Djordjevic each added four goals. Otto made six saves in the cage for the Bison.
Release courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
