Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Slippery Rock (Southern Championships)
Bucknell Finishes Third at Southern Championships with 8-7 Win Over Slippery Rock in Men's Water Polo
10/30/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 30, 2005
Complete Southern Championships Results
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - For the second time in three games Brad Roslyn (Philadelphia, Pa./William Penn Charter) led the Bucknell men's water polo team to a one-goal victory with a score in the final minute of play to give the Bison an 8-7 win over Slippery Rock Sunday afternoon at the Southern Championships. Bucknell claimed third place in the 11-team field with the victory.
Roslyn, who scored with one second on the clock Saturday to give the Bison a 6-5 win over Salem International, did not score on his first seven shots, but made his eighth one count as he found the back of the net with Bucknell in a man-up situation. Following Roslyn's goal, the Bucknell defense made two stops to preserve the victory.
The third-place showing clinched the fifth seed in the Eastern Championship, which will be played in two weeks at Harvard, for Bucknell. The Bison will play either St. Francis (N.Y.) or Brown in their first game depending on the outcome of this weekend's Northern Championships. It is the sixth consecutive time Bucknell has qualified for Easterns with a top-four showing at Southerns. The Bison have finished third at the Southern Championships four times in the last six years.
Aaron Platshon (Menlo Park, Calif./Menlo School) had the best day in the pool for Bucknell by netting two goals and dishing out two assists. He also posted a season-high five steals to give him 41 on the year and 180 in his career to move into third place on the Bison all-time list.
Mark Masterson (Kihei, Hawaii/Marin) and Gabriel Heiber (Aventura, Fla./Miami Beach) also scored two goals, while Josh Sunday rounded out the Bucknell scoring with one goal.
Trevor Mullins (Orinda, Calif./Palo Alto) made 11 saves in net for the Bison. In the four games this weekend he tallied 31 saves to bring his season total to 221. With just 207 goals allowed, he is on pace to post his second consecutive save percentage of better than .500.
By posting the 8-7 victory, Bucknell (13-16) was able to avenge a 6-5 home loss to Slippery Rock (22-5) earlier this season. That defeat was one of just three losses the Bison have suffered to unranked foes. The Rock lost for the second consecutive game after seeing its 17-game winning streak halted by Princeton Saturday.
Bucknell is expected to face Brown when the Eastern Championships get underway Saturday, Nov. 12, in Cambridge, Mass. The Bison, who will be the fifth seed, will take on the fourth seed at 10:30 a.m. The winner of the two-day Eastern Championship will earn an automatic berth in the NCAA Championship, which will be held at Bucknell's Kinney Natatorium the first weekend in December.
SLIPPERY ROCK 2 1 2 2 -7
BUCKNELL 2 3 1 2 -8
Goals: Masterson (2), Heiber (2), Platshon (2), B. Roslyn, Sunday.
Assists: Platshon (2), Masterson, Rechel, Ferring.
Ejections Drawn: Heiber (3), Platshon (2), B. Roslyn.
Saves: Mullins (11 svs., 7 ga)
Steals: Platshon (5), Masterson, Heiber, Rechel, K. Roslyn.
Sprints: Rechel (3-4).
Record: 13-16
