Bucknell University
Fordham
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Outscores Fordham 4-1 in Overtime to Defeat Rams 12-9 in Opening Round of Eastern Championship
11/19/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 19, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell men's water polo team overcame a sluggish first half and a late-game scoring outburst by Fordham to defeat the Rams, 12-9 in overtime, Friday evening in front of a near-capacity crowd at Kinney Natatorium for the opening round of the Eastern Championship. The 17th-ranked Bison outscored Fordham 4-1 in the overtime session for their fourth win in their last five games.
With the victory, Bucknell advances to the semifinals of the three-day Eastern Championship and will face No. 13 St. Francis (N.Y.) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Kinney Natatorium.
A fast-break goal from Sean Coghlan (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) midway through the fourth quarter capped a 4-1 Bison run in a span of just over three minutes and put Bucknell up by an 8-5 margin, its largest of the game. It looked like the Bison would easily advance to Saturday's semifinal round, but three different Rams netted goals in the final three minutes to tie the score. Mikey Edwards' score with 34 seconds left in regulation knotted the score at 8-8. Bucknell did have one more possession in regulation, but came away empty.
Richie Hyden (Melbourne, Australia/Greenwich (Conn.)), who registered two goals and one assist and moved into sole possession of sixth place on the Bucknell career scoring list (389 points), set the tone for the Bison on the first possession of overtime. He drew back-to-back ejections, leading to a six-on-four opportunity and seconds later connected on the go-ahead goal.
Mike Kimble (Lafayette, Calif./Acalanes) netted his only goal of the game with two seconds remaining in the first of the two three-minute overtime periods, giving Bucknell a two-goal cushion (10-8).
The Bison went up by three goals, equaling their largest lead of the game, when Trevor Reitz (Boynton Beach, Fla./Gulliver Prep) scored on an assist from Coghlan with just under two minutes left in the second overtime period. Spencer Richley (Newport Beach, Calif./Newport Harbor) later added the final score as Fordham pulled its goalie out of the cage for the final 30 seconds in an effort to force a turnover.
While the two teams combined for 21 goals in the contest, the first half featured very little offense as the teams alternated goals throughout the first half, which ended with Fordham leading 3-2.
Bucknell took its first lead (4-3) when Beau Caillouette (Newport Beach, Calif./Sage Hill School) scored in a six-on-five situation three minutes into the third quarter. The Bison outscored Fordham (16-15) 6-2 over the first 11:39 of the second half to turn their one-goal halftime deficit into a three-goal cushion.
Caillouette led the Bucknell offense with three goals, while Hyden and Howie Kalter (Durham, N.H./Phillips Academy Andover) registered two apiece. Kalter played a solid overall game with two steals, an ejection drawn and a season-high four field blocks. Hyden recorded a season high with six ejections drawn, including the two key ones in overtime.
Senior Miles Gilhuly (Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) played all 38 minutes in goal for Bucknell (13-14) and posted four saves. He was called upon to make just one save through the first 30 minutes.
The Bison improved to 35-2 all-time against Fordham, including 2-0 this year.
Bucknell will now try to snap a 21-game losing streak to St. Francis (N.Y.). The Terriers defeated the Bison 9-5 at Kinney Natatorium during the regular season. If Bucknell is able to win on Saturday, it will advance to the Eastern Championship title game for the first time since 1993. The winner of the Eastern Championship earns a berth in next month's NCAA Championship.
FORDHAM 1 2 1 4 0 1 -9
BUCKNELL 1 1 2 4 2 2 -12
Goals: Caillouette (3), Hyden (2), Kalter (2), Coghlan, Richley, Barron, Kimble, Reitz.
Assists: Barron (3), Coghlan (2), Kalter (2), Caillouette, Hyden, Reamey.
Field Blocks: Kalter (4), Caillouette, Nowlin.
Ejections Drawn: Hyden (6), Caillouette, Kalter, Reamey.
Saves: Gilhuly (4 svs., 9 ga., 38:00 min.).
Steals: Coghlan (2), Kalter (2), Barron (2), Richley, Kimble.
Sprints: Barron (2-3), Reitz (2-3).
Bucknell Record: 13-14
Eastern Championship Schedule
Friday, Nov. 19
Game 1: Princeton 10, MIT 4
Game 2: Navy 15, Brown 9
Game 3: St. Francis (N.Y.) 9, Johns Hopkins 8
Game 4: Bucknell 12, Fordham 9 (OT)
Saturday, Nov. 20
Game 5: Brown vs. MIT, 1:30 p.m.
Game 6: Fordham vs. Johns Hopkins, 3 p.m.
Game 7: Princeton vs. Navy, 4:30 p.m.
Game 8: St. Francis (N.Y.) vs. Bucknell, 6 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 21
7th Place: Loser Game 6 vs. Loser Game 5, 10 a.m.
5th Place: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 11:30 a.m.
3rd Place: Loser Game 8 vs. Loser Game 7, 1 p.m.
1st Place: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 2:30 p.m.
