Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Hits the Road for Maryland Invitational this Weekend
2/18/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 18, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. – The Bucknell women's water polo team will look to continue its momentum this weekend as it hits the road for the first time in 2011. The Bison will play three games at the Maryland Invitational, facing George Washington, Wagner and host Maryland.
Bucknell is off to the second-best start in program history after a 4-0 season-opening weekend at last week's Bison Invitational. The Bison outscored their four opponents by a 44-20 margin.
Bucknell's Maryland Invitational Schedule
Saturday, Feb. 19
George Washington, 11 a.m.
Wagner, 2:30 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 20
Maryland, 9:30 a.m.
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Notebook (4-0, 0-0 CWPA)
• Bucknell's 4-0 start to the season is the second-best in program history. Only the 2008 squad, which won its first six games and finished with a school-record 26 victories, started better.
• With no ranked teams on its schedule for this weekend, Bucknell, this year, will be going its longest into a season without facing a ranked opponent since at least 2001. The Bison faced eight nationally ranked opponents in 2010.
• Bucknell scored exactly 11 goals in each of its first four games.
• With its 4-0 record last weekend, Bucknell improved to 50-17 (.746) all-time at Kinney Natatorium.
• Freshman Julianne Valdes was named the CWPA Western Division Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week on Tuesday following 11 goals, five assists and nine ejections drawn at the Bison Invitational. She became the second player in league history to win both awards in the same week.
• Bucknell posted a 4-0 mark last weekend without leading scorer Kandis Canonica available for the majority of the weekend due to injury. She tallied one assist in the opener against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, extending her own program career assist mark to 177.
• Five different Bison (Valdes, Hallie Kennan, Amanda Skonezney, Shannon Carroll, Heather Smith) netted at least four goals last weekend.
• Valdes was the only Bison to start all four games last weekend.
• Goalies Brittany Connell and Rena Heim split time in cage last weekend with each playing 64 minutes. They combined for 33 saves and yielded just 20 goals (.623 save percentage).
Bison on Career Record Lists
Kandis Canonica: Points (3rd, 336), Goals (6th, 159), Assists (1st, 177), Ejections Drawn (4th, 136), Shots (7th, 377), Games Started (t-9th, 98)
Haley Prickett: Ejections Drawn (t-7th, 89)
Amanda Skonezney: Sprints Won (2nd, 123)
Brittany Connell: Saves (7th, 70)
Bucknell's Weekly Awards in 2011
CWPA Western Division Player of the Week
- Julianne Valdes (Feb. 14)
CWPA Western Division Rookie of the Week
- Julianne Valdes (Feb. 14)
Bucknell vs. Weekend Opponents
• Bucknell vs. George Washington: 25-13 (Bucknell won all three meetings in 2010)
• Bucknell vs. Wagner: 11-0 (Bucknell posted 11-4 win last Saturday at Kinney Natatorium)
• Bucknell vs. Maryland: 19-9 (Bucknell won 2010 season series, 2-1; both wins were one-goal games)
Up Next
• Bucknell will return to Kinney Natatorium next weekend when it hosts the ECAC Championship. The second-seeded Bison open the two-day event Saturday, Feb. 26, at noon against Iona.
