Bucknell University
#12 St. Francis (N.Y.)
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Falls to No. 12 St. Francis (N.Y.), 10-8, in First Round of Eastern Championship
11/21/2008 7:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 21, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Two comebacks by Bucknell fell short as the Bison men's water polo team lost in the first round of the Eastern Championship to St. Francis (N.Y.) 10-8 Friday afternoon at Navy's Lejeune Hall. Bucknell can now only finish as high as fifth in the eight-team field and it will play in the consolation bracket Saturday at 4 p.m. against the loser of Friday's Navy-Iona contest.
Richie Hyden and Howie Kalter led the Bison with three goals apiece. That duo totaled four man-up goals and Hyden added a five-meter penalty shot and a pair of assists to increase his season point total to 127. His career point total sits two shy of 200.
St. Francis, which is 19-5 this season and has won 11 consecutive games, jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the game's opening minutes. The Bison cut their deficit to 3-2 thanks to goals by Alex Lampley and Kalter late in the first quarter.
The Terriers, who are ranked No. 12 nationally, extended their lead to 7-3 with a goal early in the second half. Bucknell answered with a 3-0 run with Hyden playing a part in all three goals. He scored a six-on-five tally and followed 36 seconds later with an assist on a goal by Andrew Nelson. Two possessions later the Bison earned a five-meter penalty shot, which Hyden converted, making the score 7-6 with 3:31 left in the third quarter.
St. Francis extended its lead back to four goals with three consecutive scores. Two late tallies by Hyden and Kalter gave Bucknell (15-16) a chance in the final minutes of play, but the Bison could draw no closer than the final 10-8 margin.
Bucknell, which lost to the Terriers for the third time this season and the 19th time overall, was solid in six-on-five situations, converting 5 of 11 opportunities.
Johnny Stupp had a solid game for Bucknell despite not tallying a point. He registered three steals and drew three ejections. Goalie Nick Donahue tallied 10 saves in goal, bringing his season total to 195.
Bucknell is now 4-13 against nationally ranked opponents this season. The 17 ranked foes is the same number the Bison faced in 2007.
With two wins over the next two days Bucknell will earn its fifth consecutive top-five finish at Easterns. It is the ninth straight year the Bison have competed in the event.
BUCKNELL 2 1 3 2 -8
ST. FRANCIS 3 3 2 2 -10
Goals: Hyden (3), Kalter (3), Nelson, Lampley.
Assists: Nelson (2), Hyden (2), Coghlan, Stupp.
Ejections Drawn: Lampley (4), Stupp (3), Nelson (2), Coghlan, Heiber.
Saves: Donahue (10 svs., 10 ga., 32:00 min.).
Steals: Stupp (3), Nelson, Coghlan, Heiber, Hyden, Kalter, Lampley.
Sprints: Stupp (2-2), Hyden (1-2).
Record: 15-16
