Bucknell University
#13 St. Francis (N.Y.)
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Falls Short in 10-9 Loss to No. 13 St. Francis in Eastern Championship Semifinal
11/20/2010 7:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 20, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell men's water polo nearly pulled off a major upset in a physical showdown with St. Francis (N.Y.) in their Eastern Championship semifinal, but the Terriers held on for a 10-9 win at Kinney Natatorium on Saturday night. Although the Bison outscored the Terriers 6-4 in the second half, the host team's effort fell short, knocking them out of championship contention and sending them to a third-place matchup with Princeton at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
The game opened with plenty of back-and-forth scoring, starting with St. Francis' Guram Nozadze putting the ball in the back of the net just 31 seconds into play. The Bison nabbed the next two scores, first off a penalty shot from Beau Caillouette and later on an attempt from Sean Coghlan.
Richie Hyden eventually netted his first of two goals to give Bucknell a 3-2 lead, but the Terriers' Zoltan Danko knotted things up to finish the first quarter. St. Francis had its share of opportunities to pull in front as the clock wound down in the first, but Miles Gilhuly came up big in the final minute. The keeper made two saves on hard shots and kept the score 3-3.
After an intense start to the game, Bucknell faltered in the second quarter. St. Francis tallied three unanswered goals, including two from Marko Gencic, to take a 6-3 lead at the half. The lack of scoring was not from a lack of opportunities, however. Of the Bison's 14 shots, an uncanny number of them ricocheted off the posts.
Gencic picked up where he left off after the break. Facing the replacement Matt Napelton in goal, he gave the Terriers a 7-3 lead after just eight seconds ticked off the clock in the third, but the quick score left Bucknell undeterred. The Bison put four more notches on the scoreboard - two from Caillouette and one apiece from Hyden and Kalter - to pull within a score of 9-7.
Both teams began to lose some steam in the final stanza and it showed in the scoreline. St. Francis tallied the first goal of the fourth quarter but not until the 2:40 mark. That proved to be the last of the Terriers' offense, but Paul Reamey added to Bucknell's score with a successful penalty shot for 10-8 with 1:06 remaining.
Still within striking distance, Bucknell put the pressure on St. Francis. The effort paid off as the Terriers turned the ball over leading to a Kalter goal with 29 seconds left in the game and allowing the Bison to draw within one. Time ran out too fast for Bucknell and the Bison were unable to make up the total difference before the final horn.
Caillouette led all Bison in scoring with three goals, giving him six so far in the championship. Hyden and Kalter added two apiece. After earning the start, Gilhuly made five saves for Bucknell and allowed six goals in 16 minutes of play. Napleton then made four saves and allowed four goals in the contest's final 16 minutes.
After yesterday's overtime win over Fordham, several Bison received all-league honors from the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). Hyden received his third consecutive First Team All-South selection, while Kalter joined him on the first team for the first time in his career. Coghlan was also a repeat winner, being named Second Team All-South for his second time. Rounding out the awards was a Coach of the Year citation for John Abdou. It was the first honor for Abdou on the men's side, although the Bison head coach has been named the CWPA Coach of the Year three times at the helm of the women's squad.
Bucknell's season will continue at 1 p.m. tomorrow when it takes on Princeton. The Tigers lost to Navy, 8-5, earlier on Saturday. St. Francis and Navy will meet in the championship game at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow for a chance to advance to the NCAA Championship.
| ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | 10 |
| BUCKNELL | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | - | 9 |
Goals: Caillouette (3), Hyden (2), Kalter (2), Coghlan, Reamey.
Assists: Richley, Kalter, Reamey, Schwartz, Barnett.
Field Blocks: Kalter (4), Caillouette, Nowlin.
Ejections Drawn: Coghlan (2), Caillouette (2), Hyden (2), Else, Richley, Barnett, Kimble.
Saves: Gilhuly (5 svs., 6 ga., 16:00 min.), Napleton (4 svs., 4 ga., 16:00 min.).
Steals: Hyden, Napleton.
Sprints: Barron (0-2), Reitz (1-2).
Bucknell Record: 13-15
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 8, MIT 4
Game 6: Johns Hopkins 11, Fordham 8
Game 7: Navy 8, Princeton 5
Game 8: St. Francis (N.Y.) 10, Bucknell 9
Sunday, Nov. 21
7th Place: Fordham vs. MIT, 10 a.m.
5th Place: Brown vs. Johns Hopkins, 11:30 a.m.
3rd Place: Bucknell vs. Princeton, 1 p.m.
1st Place: Navy vs. St. Francis (N.Y.), 2:30 p.m.
