Bucknell University Athletics
No. 19 Bucknell Men's Water Polo Plays Key League Game at No. 13 Princeton Saturday
10/7/2011 8:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 7, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. –After an idle weekend, the No. 19 Bucknell men's water polo team will be back in action this Saturday when it travels to Princeton's DeNunzio Pool for a 2 p.m. matchup with the No. 13-ranked Tigers. The Bison bring a 7-2 overall record into the weekend.
Saturday's game is Bucknell's only contest in an 18-day span. Live video of the matchup will air on www.GoPrincetonTigers.com.
Bucknell Men's Water Polo Notebook (7-2, 2-1 CWPA)
• Bucknell enters the weekend tied for first in the CWPA Southern Division, East Region with a 2-1 conference mark. Johns Hopkins and Princeton are also 2-1, while George Washington is 1-2 and Navy is 0-2.
• Bucknell will play each of its next two games against Princeton. The Bison and Tigers will meet twice in a seven-day span (Oct. 8, Oct. 15).
• Bucknell is in the midst of a stretch of eight consecutive games against league opponents.
• Bucknell enters Saturday's contest on a two-game winning streak.
• Princeton is the third ranked team Bucknell will face this season. The Bison are 2-0 against ranked opponents, defeating No. 11 St. Francis, 16-10, and No. 16 Navy, 10-9.
• Bucknell is outscoring opponents 62-33 in the first half this year.
• Four Bison – Alex Nowlin, Jack Else, Daniel Schwartz and Matt Napleton – have started all nine games this season.
• This is the second consecutive year Bucknell has won seven of its first nine games.
• Alex Nowlin's 33 assists this year are more than all but one Bison registered in 2010. Richie Hyden led the team with 37 a year ago.
• Alex Nowlin has registered at least two assists in every game this year. He also has six multi-goal contests to his credit.
• Junior goalie Matt Napleton totaled 42 saves in his last three games after registering 42 stops in his first six outings. He enters Saturday's game 14 saves shy of 200 for his career.
• Bucknell is listed 19th in this week's CWPA national top-20 poll. The Bison have been ranked all season, climbing as high as No. 16.
• Bucknell is 66-4 in its last 70 games it has scored at least 10 goals.
• Trevor Reitz has won 26 of 31 sprints (83.9%) this year, slightly better than his 24-for-31 (77.4%) last season.
• Brian Barron, Bucknell's leading scorer with 25 goals this season, has netted at least one goal in all nine games. He ranks second on the team with 38 points (25g, 13a).
• Bucknell's sophomore class has tallied 61 of the team's 119 goals (51.3%).
• Senior Spencer Richley enters the weekend four points shy of 100 in his career. He has 60 goals and 36 assists in his four years as a Bison, including eight goals and six assists.
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2011
Susquehanna Valley Limousine Bison Athlete of the Week
- Alex Nowlin (Sept. 5)
CWPA Southern Division Offensive Player of the Week
- Alex Nowlin (Sept. 6, Sept. 20)
CWPA Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week
- Matt Napleton (Sept. 6, Sept. 20, Sept. 27)
About Princeton (Saturday at 2 p.m.)
• Princeton leads the all-time series 41-30.
• Princeton has won seven of last eight meetings, including four of five in 2010.
• Princeton has lost five of its last six games, which were all on a West Coast trip against nationally ranked opponents.
• Princeton is 11-6 overall in 2011.
• Six of Princeton's next seven games are at DeNunzio Pool.
Up Next
• Bucknell will host four league games next weekend, Oct. 14-16, at Kinney Natatorium. The Bison will host Princeton on Friday, Johns Hopkins and George Washington on Saturday, and Navy on Sunday. Saturday's matchup with the Colonials will feature free t-shirts to the first 25 spectators. Sunday's contest against the Mids will be broadcast live on Bison Vision.
