Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Marist
Strong Third Quarter Leads Bucknell Women's Water Polo to 10-7 Win Over Marist in ECAC Championships 7th-Place Game
2/27/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 27, 2011
LEWISBURG, Pa. – After a tight first half that featured a combined five six-on-five goals, the Bucknell women's water polo team outscored Marist 4-0 in the third quarter and held off a fourth-quarter Red Foxes rally to post a 10-7 victory Sunday morning at Kinney Natatorium in the seventh place game of the ECAC Championships. Heather Smith (Redwood City, Calif./Sacred Heart) scored three second-half goals to led the Bison offense, while Rena Heim (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) collected a career-high nine saves in goal in the second stanza.
Thanks to a six-on-five goal by Amanda Skonezney Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) as time expired to end the first half, Bucknell (5-5) took a 4-3 lead into intermission. The Bison then netted four unanswered goals in the third quarter to extend their lead to 8-3 with just eight minutes to play.
Marist's (4-8) Jaclyn Puccino and Shelby Rinker each scored twice in a 1 minute, 56 second span in the fourth quarter to bring the Red Foxes to within one goal (8-7) with 5:05 to play.
Just 12 seconds later Smith gave Bucknell a two-goal cushion, and two possessions later added an insurance score as well.
Fellow freshman Julianne Valdes (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) added two goals and one assist to the Bison tally, while Hallie Kennan (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) also posted a pair of goals and an assist. Rookie Stephanie Ovalle (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) had a solid all-around game with three assists, one steal and two ejections drawn.
Heim, who once again split time in goal with Brittany Connell (Montebello, Calif./Montebello), made nine stops, all in the second half. Six of those saves came in the third quarter when Marist failed to score.
The Bison and Red Foxes combined to score seven times in 18 tries in man-up situations with Bucknell going 4-for-12 and Marist tallying three goals in six opportunities.
Puccino and Rinker paced the Red Foxes with three goals apiece, while Rosie Pauli also scored once.
Maryland and Iona will square off in Sunday's ECAC Championships title game at 2:30 p.m. at Kinney Natatorium.
The Bison will next be in action March 12 at the Claremont Convergence as they begin their annual Spring Break trip to California.
MARIST 1 2 0 4 -7
BUCKNELL 2 2 4 2 -10
Goals: Smith (3), Valdes (2), Kennan (2), Skonezney, McNally, Prickett.
Assists: Ovalle (3), Skonezney (2), Canonica (2), Valdes, Ferry, Kennan.
Field Blocks: Smith, Kennan.
Ejections Drawn: Ovalle (2), Skonezney (2), Kennan (2), Valdes, Smith, Ferry, Murao, Canonica, Prickett, Carroll.
Saves: Connell (3 svs., 3 ga., 16:00 min.), Heim (9 svs., 4 ga., 16:00 min.).
Steals: Ovalle, Valdes, Smith, Canonica, Prickett, Kennan, Connell.
Sprints: Smith (1-1), Skonezney (0-2), Carroll (0-1).
Bucknell Record: 5-5.
