Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Harvard
Bucknell Women's Water Polo Places Eighth at Eastern Championship After 11-3 Loss to Harvard
4/29/2012 8:00:00 AM | Women's Water Polo
April 29, 2012
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -Despite dropping its final three games, two to ranked opponents, at this weekend's Eastern Championship, the Bucknell women's water polo team played to its No. 8 seed and finished eighth at the 12-team event. The Bison concluded the Eastern Championship Sunday afternoon with an 11-3 loss against seventh-seeded Harvard.
Bucknell wrapped up its 2012 campaign with a 15-24 mark. The Bison finished in the top eight at the Eastern Championship for the 10th consecutive year. It is the third time they have finished eighth, joining the 2003 and 2009 squads.
Julianne Valdes (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep), Becca Shopiro (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and Krystle Morgan (Rowland Heights, Calif./Rosary) scored the goals for Bucknell, which played a senior-heavy lineup in the final game of the season. Shopiro, a senior, was joined in the starting lineup by classmates Brittany Connell (Montebello, Calif./Montebello), Ariel Frankeny (Fountain Valley, Calif./Fountain Valley), Hallie Kennan (Palo Alto, Calif./Palo Alto) and Amanda Skonezney (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) in the starting lineup.
Thanks to her goal, Valdes finished her sophomore season with a team-high 106 points, good for fourth on the program's single-season list. Kennan dished out two assists Sunday, boosting her season point total to 104, placing her fifth on the points list.
Harvard (17-12) led 6-2 at halftime and outscored the Bison 5-1 in the second half. Shannon Purcell and Aisha Price scored three goals apiece to lead the Crimson offense.
BUCKNELL 0 2 1 0 -3
HARVARD 2 4 2 3 -11
Goals: Valdes, Shopiro, Morgan.
Assists: Kennan (2), Murao.
Field Blocks: Smith, Barnett, Kennan.
Ejections Drawn: Murao (3), Shopiro (2), Ferry, Skonezney, Morgan, Frankeny.
Saves: Connell (5 svs., 11 ga., 32:00 min.).
Steals: Shopiro (3), Ferry (2), Connell (2), Valdes, Murao.
Sprints: Valdes (3-3), Smith (0-1).
Bucknell Record: 15-24.
