Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
#19 Princeton
Kennan, Carter Help Bucknell Women's Water Polo to 15-10 Victory Over No. 19 Princeton to Open Weekend
3/27/2010 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
March 27, 2010
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Hallie Kennan (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) equaled her career high with six goals and Alison Carter (Costa Mesa, Calif./Newport Harbor) made 15 saves as the Bucknell women's water polo team defeated No. 19 Princeton, 15-10, Saturday afternoon at Kinney Natatorium. The victory was the first over a ranked opponent for the Bison this year and snapped a seven-game losing streak against ranked foes.
Bucknell (10-7, 2-0 CWPA Southern Division), which is hosting three league games this weekend, will play George Washington at 6 p.m. Saturday evening. There will be a live video broadcast available through Bison Vision.
Kennan and Carter were the key cogs in the Bison victory as Kennan netted four of her six goals in the first quarter, and Carter recorded 10 of her 15 stops in the first half. Bucknell led the Tigers by a 9-5 margin at halftime.
The Bison scored a total of seven six-on-five goals in the contest, including five in the first half. Additionally, Kennan scored on a penalty shot late in the first quarter that staked Bucknell to an early 5-2 advantage. Thanks to a late goal from the right wing by Kennan, the Bison still led 6-3 at the conclusion of the first eight minutes of play.
A goal by Tara Murao (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) and another one by Kennan in the first five minutes of the second quarter gave Bucknell an 8-3 advantage. The Bison led by five goals on four other occasions before a six-on-five Shana Palencia (Glendale, Calif./Hoover) score early in the fourth gave Bucknell a 14-8 lead, its largest of the contest.
While the Bison converted seven man-up goals and a penalty shot, Princeton, which was playing without All-American Phoebe Champion due to illness, scored on just five six-on-five opportunities, two of them in the final quarter when the outcome of the game had already been decided.
Kennan, who came one goal shy of equaling the program single-game record shared by Valentina Rozas (Pico Rivera, Calif./El Rancho) and Meg Blitzer, also assisted on a third-quarter goal, giving her seven points. She now has a team-high 38 goals on the year.
Carter's 15 saves vaulted her season total to 162, just 12 shy of her 2009 total. It was her ninth double-figure save outing of the season and was just two shy of her career high.
Palencia, Murao and Kandis Canonica (Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) each scored two goals, while Haley Prickett (Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar), who was making just her fourth start of the season, dished out a season-high four assists.
While the Tigers were playing without their All-American in Champion, they did a solid job of holding Rozas, a two-time All-American, in check. She managed just one goal and one assist and did not attempt her first shot until late in the third quarter. She did record her 300th career point, though, becoming the third Bison to reach that plateau, along with Aubrey Rowe and Meagan Gins.
Brittany Zwirner led Princeton (12-8, 0-1 CWPA Southern Division), which has lost three consecutive games for the first time this season, with three goals.
The Bison and Colonials will square off this evening at 6 p.m. Bucknell won the other meeting between the two teams two weeks ago in Washington, D.C., 11-8.
PRINCETON 3 2 3 2 -10
BUCKNELL 6 3 4 2 -15
Goals: Kennan (6), Palencia (2), Murao (2), Canonica (2), Skonezney, McNally, Rozas.
Assists: Prickett (4), Canonica (3), Skonezney (2), Palencia, Rozas, Kennan.
Field Blocks: Rozas, Canonica.
Ejections Drawn: Rozas (3), Canonica (2), Prickett (2), Morgan (2), Palencia, Murao.
Saves: Carter (15 svs., 10 ga., 32:00 min.).
Steals: Carter (2), White, Murao, Canonica, Carroll.
Sprints: Skonezney (2-4).
Record: 10-7, 2-0 CWPA.
