Bucknell University
George Washington
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Extends Winning Streak to Seven, Defeats George Washington and St. Francis (N.Y.)
3/29/2008 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
March 29, 2008
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Thanks to a pair of victories Saturday at Kinney Natatorium, the Bucknell women's water polo team has now posted three winning streaks of at least six games this season. The latest winning streak stands at seven as the Bison defeated George Washington by an 11-1 margin and St. Francis (N.Y.) by a much tighter 10-8 score.
Bucknell, which improved to 21-4 and is now just two wins shy of equaling the program record for victories, had a number of impressive offensive performances on the day. Meagan Gins (Albuquerque, N.M./Valley) totaled three goals and three assists in the two games, while Kandis Canonica (Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) registered three goals and five assists. Valentina Rozas (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) and Flavia McBride (Irvine, Calif./University) each added three goals.
Aubrey Rowe (Carlisle, Pa./Cumberland Valley) and goalies Alison Carter (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) and Rachel McGillis (Los Altos, Calif./Los Altos) headlined on the defensive side of the pool. Rowe collected three steals in each game to boost her team-leading and career-high season total to 52. Carter and McGillis combined to yield just one goal to the Colonials in the opener and then McGillis stopped a career-high 12 shots, including 10 in the first half, against the Terriers.
In that first game against George Washington (7-13), the Colonials netted the first goal of the game three minutes in, but never found the back of the net again as the Bison reeled off 11 consecutive scores. Eight different Bucknell players scored goals with Rozas, Canonica and Whitney Allen (Hillsborough, Calif./Menlo) each posting a team-high two.
The Bison shined on the defensive end against the Colonials, totaling 15 steals. Rowe, McBride and Allen had three apiece. The one goal allowed was the best defensive performance for Bucknell since shutting out Macalester 10-0 on March 14, 2006.
While Bucknell scored 11 goals against George Washington, it was just 0-for-5 in six-on-five opportunities. However, both Gins and Kristin Vallis (Ridgefield, Conn./Phillips Exeter Academy) converted penalty shots. In the nightcap, the Bison improved in six-on-five situations, going 5-for-13.
Carter and McGillis split time in goal in the opener with each making four saves.
The St. Francis (7-6) contest started a mere 1 hour and 45 minutes after the completion of the first game, but early on it looked like the Bison would not suffer from fatigue as they jumped out to a commanding 4-0 lead after the first quarter. However, the Terriers outscored Bucknell 8-6 the rest of the way, including one stretch where they netted three consecutive goals in a span off less than three minutes to cut an 8-2 deficit to 8-5.
A penalty shot by Rowe with 3:17 remaining in the contest put Bucknell up 10-6 and sealed the victory for the Bison. St. Francis managed to add two goals in the final minutes.
Canonica paced the offense with four assists, bringing her season total to 50 as she moved into second place on Bucknell's single-season list. She is just eight behind record-holder Adrienne Schober. Gins, Prickett and McBride each tallied two goals, while Rowe had three more steals on the defensive end.
In addition to moving up the single-season assist list, Canonica broke into the top-10 for single-season points in Bucknell history. She has 88 points this year, good for sixth in program annals.
Rowe, who had one goal and one assist against George Washington, eclipsed the 200-point plateau for her career on Saturday. She entered the day with 199 and now has 202, which ranks eighth in program history.
The Bison, who are 3-0 this weekend and 11-1 at home over their last 12 games in Kinney Natatorium, will conclude their four-game weekend on Sunday against Maryland. The Bison will host the Terrapins at 12 p.m. in a game that will have a live video broadcast available through BucknellBison.com and SportsJuice.com.
Game 1
GEORGE WASHINGTON 1 0 0 0 -1
BUCKNELL 2 3 3 3 -11
Goals: Rozas (2), Canonica (2), Allen (2), Gins, Vallis, Prickett, McBride, Rowe.
Assists: Gins (3), Palencia, Vallis, Canonica, McBride, Rowe.
Ejections Drawn: Gins (2), Allen (2), Swoyer, Rozas, Canonica.
Saves: Carter (4 svs., 1 ga., 16:00 min.), McGillis (4 svs., 0 ga., 16:00 min.).
Steals: Allen (3), McBride (3), Rowe (3), Gins (2), Palencia, Swoyer, Prickett, Carter.
Sprints: Palencia (1-1), Canonica (1-1), Allen (1-2).
Record: 20-4, 2-0 CWPA Southern Division
Game 2
ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) 0 2 2 4 -8
BUCKNELL 4 2 2 2 -10
Goals: Gins (2), Prickett (2), McBride (2), Swoyer, Rozas, Canonica, Rowe.
Assists: Canonica (4), Palencia, Gins, Swoyer, McNally.
Ejections Drawn: Gins (4), Allen (4), Rozas (2), Prickett (2), Rowe (2), McBride.
Saves: McGillis (12 svs., 8 ga., 32:00 min.).
Steals: Rowe (3), Canonica (2), Gins, Prickett, McBride, McGillis.
Sprints: Swoyer (1-2), Canonica (1-1), Allen (0-1).
Record: 21-4, 2-0 CWPA Southern Division
