Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Concordia (Calif.)
Final-Minute Goal by Canonica Lifts Bucknell Women's Water Polo to 12-11 Win Over Concordia to Begin California Spring Break Trip
3/12/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
March 12, 2011
LA VERNE, Calif. - Kandis Canonica (Burlingame, Calif./St. Ignatius Prep) netted her second goal of the game in the final minute of regulation, lifting the Bucknell women's water polo team to a 12-11 victory over Concordia (Calif.) Saturday in its first contest on a seven-game spring break trip to California. Canonica's goal was the lone score in the fourth quarter for the Bison, who improved to 6-5 on the year.
Bucknell led by two goals after the first quarter and by a 9-5 margin at halftime. It still led 11-8 after three quarters of play, but Concordia scored the first three goals of the final period to tie the score at 11-11.
The Bison were able to draw an ejection with 48 seconds left and promptly called timeout. Coming out of the timeout with a six-on-five advantage, freshman Mackenzie Ferry (Enola, Pa./Cumberland Valley) found Canonica for the winning score. Canonica finished the game with two goals and two assists, vaulting her career point total to 360, a new program record. She is now two points ahead of Aubrey Rowe, who held the standard since 2009.
Freshman Julianne Valdes (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) matched Canonica for team-high honors in points as she netted three goals and dished out an assist, while Ferry was the third Bison multi-goal scorer with a pair of goals and an assist. A total of eight Bucknell players registered at least one goal.
As they have throughout the season, goalies Brittany Connell (Montebello, Calif./Montebello) and Rena Heim (Mohnton, Pa./Governor Mifflin) split time in goal with Connell playing the first half and Heim handling the second. Connell tallied five saves, while Heim accumulated six. Connell became the sixth player in program history to surpass 100 career saves and now has 105 in her three-year career.
The 12 goals the Bison scored marked a new season high.
Bucknell has now won two games in a row and will play La Verne later on Saturday at 6:40 p.m. Eastern.
BUCKNELL 5 4 2 1 -12
CONCORDIA 3 2 3 3 -11
Goals: Valdes (3), Ferry (2), Canonica (2), Smith, Skonezney, McNally, Kennan, Frankeny.
Assists: Ovalle (2), Canonica (2), Valdes, Ferry, Kennan, Frankeny.
Field Blocks: Smith, Ferry, Shopiro, Kennan.
Ejections Drawn: Ovalle (2), Prickett (2), Valdes, Smith, Ferry, Skonezney, Canonica.
Saves: Connell (5 svs., 5 ga., 16:00 min.), Heim (6 svs., 6 ga., 16:00 min.).
Steals: Kennan (3), Smith (2), Murao (2), Ferry, Heim.
Sprints: Skonezney (4-4).
Bucknell Record: 6-5.
