SAN JOSE/SANTA CLARA, CALIF. — The No. 15-ranked Bucknell University men’s water polo team dropped two close contests against No. 11 Loyola Marymount University, 14-13, at San Jose State University and California Baptist University, 14-12, at Santa Clara University during the 2019 Julian Fraser Memorial Tournament.
Against LMU, the two teams kept things close in the opening game of the weekend for the Bison. Bucknell took a 4-3 lead after the first quarter capped off by a goal from junior and nearby Palo Alto native Jared Stanley.
Bucknell took a 6-4 lead in the second quarter after goals from Jack Lewis and Andu Vlasceanu, before Loyola Marymount scored three out of the last five in the half to pull within one, 8-7, at the halftime break.
The Lions tied things up to start the third before senior Cooper Dolan gave Bucknell a 9-8 lead. Two straight goals from the Lions helped LMU take a 10-9 lead with 2:44 left in the third, its first lead of the game.
The game remained close between the two top-15 teams, as LMU looked to hold onto a 12-11 lead with 5:28 in the fourth period. Howver, back-to-back strikes from senior Rade Joksimovic gave Bucknell a 13-12 lead with 4:52 remaining.
The Lions made their run to end the game, scoring two straight, including the go-ahead goal with 0:24 left in the game to reclaim the lead for good, 14-13. After a timeout by the Bison, Joksimovic had one more good look for Bucknell with just seconds remaining, but his shot was blocked in the field by the Lions’ Austin Clark.
Joksimovic netted five times for the Orange and Blue, while Dolan, Vlasceanu and Stanley each scored twice. Adrien Touzot had another big game in the cage by saving 16 shots.
In the late game, the Lancers of California Baptist used a 5-3 run in the fourth quarter to break open a tie game throughout the first three frames.
The Lancers avenged a close 20-19 defeat at the hands of the Bison on September 7, in which Joksimovic scored a season-high eight goals at the Bruno Classic.
In the latest edition of the match-up, the Bison and the Lancers battled to eight different ties through the first three quarters as the two teams went into halftime tied at six a piece. After falling behind 7-6 to open the third quarter, Vlasceanu and Joksimovic scored a goal each to give Bucknell its first lead, 8-7 since Logan Schofield scored the opening goal in the first quarter to give Bucknell a 1-0 lead. CBU scored two of the final three as the game went into the fourth tied at nine.
The Lancers used three straight goals to take a 12-9 lead in the fourth with 4:52 to go. Stanley stopped the Lancer run with a goal of his own at the 3:50 mark of the fourth, before CBU responded with another goal just 21 seconds later to take a 13-10 lead.
Bucknell wouldn’t go away quietly, however, with Dolan and Joksimovic scoring just over a minute apart to pull Bucknell within one at 13-12 with 1:45 to go. However, CBU found an insurance goal with 1:14 left to help hold on to a 14-12 victory.
Release courtesy Bucknell University Athletics Communications
