Bucknell University
#7 Pacific
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Upsets No. 11 UC Davis, 7-6, to Conclude Santa Clara Rodeo
10/24/2010 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 24, 2010
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The Bucknell men's water polo team ended its time at the Santa Clara Rodeo on a high note on Sunday as it upset No. 11 UC Davis, 7-6, in the final contest of a four-game weekend. The No. 20 Bison opened the day with a 16-8 loss to No. 7 Pacific. Howie Kalter (Durham, N.H./Phillips Academy Andover) totaled five goals in the two games, bringing his weekend tally to 11 in four games.
Bucknell's (10-13) win over UC Davis marked its second victory over a ranked opponent in a one-week span as it defeated then-No. 17 Princeton last Sunday at Kinney Natatorium. It was also the highest-ranked opponent the Bison have beaten since defeating No. 10 Navy last October. Bucknell's victory also marked its first over one of the top teams (UC San Diego, Loyola Marymount, Santa Clara, UC Davis) in the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) since defeating Santa Clara in 2007.
UC Davis entered the weekend with an impressive 12-6 overall record, including 11-0 in WWPA play. The Aggies were 1-0 all-time against the Bison.
Kalter got the Bison off to a good start against UC Davis, tallying two of his team-high three goals in the first quarter, staking Bucknell to an early 2-0 lead. The Bison extended that advantage to 4-1 at halftime.
The Aggies mounted a second-half comeback as they outscored Bucknell 4-2 in the third period. UC Davis had the final possession of the game with a chance to tie the score, but the Bison defense stopped the Aggies to preserve the victory.
Richie Hyden (Melbourne, Australia/Greenwich (Conn.)) registered two goals and two assists, while Paul Reamey (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) added a pair of second-half goals to round out the scoring.
After watching sophomore Matt Napleton (Oak Park, Ill./Fenwick) play all 32 minutes and record five saves vs. Pacific, Miles Gilhuly (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) played the entire game against UC Davis and registered six saves.
Hyden, who had nine ejections drawn on the day, produced a season-high five in the victory to go along with his four points and one field block.
Against nationally ranked Pacific, Bucknell fell behind 6-3 at the end of the first quarter and was not able to mount a comeback. Kalter produced two goals and six other Bison tallied one apiece. Bucknell scored on just 8 of 31 shot attempts.
The Bison finished the competitive Santa Clara Rodeo with a 1-3 record. Bucknell faced three top-15 teams and another that was also receiving votes in the latest national poll. The Bison have now battled nine ranked foes and are 2-7 in those contests.
Bucknell will be idle next weekend as it prepares for the Southern Championships, which will take place the first weekend of November in Annapolis, Md.
Game 1
BUCKNELL 3 2 1 2 -8
PACIFIC 6 3 5 2 -16
Goals: Kalter (2), Else, Coghlan, Caillouette, Richley, Reamey, Barnett.
Assists: Barron (2), Richley.
Field Blocks: Barron (2), Nowlin, Richley, Kalter.
Ejections Drawn: Hyden (4), Coghlan (2), Else, Caillouette, Nowlin, Barron.
Saves: Napleton (5 svs., 16 ga., 32:00 min.).
Steals: Nowlin, Richley, Kalter, Reitz.
Sprints: Barron (0-2), Reitz (2-2).
Bucknell Record: 9-13.
Game 2
BUCKNELL 2 2 2 1 -7
UC DAVIS 0 1 4 1 -6
Goals: Kalter (3), Hyden (2), Reamey (2).
Assists: Hyden (2), Kalter, Reitz.
Field Blocks: Hyden, Barron, Kimble.
Ejections Drawn: Hyden (5), Caillouette, Richley, Reamey, Kimble.
Saves: Gilhuly (6 svs., 6 ga., 32:00 min.).
Steals: Coghlan (2), Else, Gilhuly.
Sprints: Barron (1-3), Reitz (1-1).
Bucknell Record: 10-13.
